Those who grew-up in this area 40 years ago can remember how traffic always had a certain pattern or flow. Rush-hour always would last about two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Otherwise, one could travel at a reasonable rate of speed during the day.
Today, those metrics to measure traffic speed are completely gone. What formerly was a 15-minute drive, now may take up to an hour and half at any given time of the day in our congested Metropolitan Boston region. Every driver has their own horror stories.
However, things maybe changing for the better.
State Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack recently addressed the Everett Chamber of Commerce about transportation issues in our area. Pollack stressed the idea that traffic solutions have to be undertaken on a regional scale, not on a scale of community-by-community, as has been done in the past. Good transportation is an important key to the future development of businesses in our area.
To that end, Pollack has announced a five-year capital spending plan of $73.5 billion. However, this spending is still probably about five years away, as Governor Charlie Baker has devoted top priority to fixing the MBTA.
We look forward to having traffic move on our highways and streets. We can only hope that these projects can kick in before Boston becomes like New York City, where the average car speed is now at three miles per hour.
