Progressive Democrats of Cambridge - DFA

Via the Cambridge Chronicle, it looks like the MBTA is thinking about putting a "Bus Rapid Transit" line through Cambridgeport and into Allston. The new line would go over the BU bridge and would follow the design of the Silver Line, with parts of the path on a dedicated lane, and other parts using normal city streets.

From the article, it appears that the folks in Cambridgeport are dutifully playing the role of NIMBYs, claiming that Cambridgeport is for families, not buses. There may be a bit of a chicken and egg problem here. Every time I do an apartment search I stay out of Cambridgeport precisely because of the lack of good public transportation. So it could be that Cantabridgeportians (is that a word? I hope not) don't need public transit and are therefore complaining about it. And on the other hand, it's not just residents of Cambridge port who would be served by such a route - anyone who lives near Central and needs to take a trip to BU would probably appreciate such a route.

City Councillor Craig Kelley and Jeff Rosenblum, founder of Livable Streets, both agree that the term "Bus Rapid Transit" is misleading, since the new line would be more of a bus than a subway. But that discussion is itself a bit of a sideshow: there's nothing wrong with buses. Any transportation system worth its salt will have heavier reliance on buses than subways, since bus routes are more flexible and cheaper to run (and are consequently more affordable for commuters).

So put me down as in favor of a bus route - or a BRT, if that's what the MBTA really wants - going from Central Sq. to Allston over the BU bridge. And while we're at it, let's increase the frequency of the 64. That's a great bus line and serves a wonderful purpose - connecting Central Square with Allston/Brighton - but it doesn't run nearly often enough.

But let's not ignore other parts of Cambridge, shall we? From my vantage point we could use better connections between Lechmere/East Cambridge, Kendall Square, and Central Square. And maybe a few lines crossing over from Kendall into Charles St. via the Longfellow. Luckily, it appears that the Urban Ring is already making some overtures in that direction, with routes from Kendall into Chelsea.

At any rate, I'm terribly biased - I live in Central and work in Kendall. What's your pick for new and improved bus service in Cambridge?