Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Stephen McBride

If we are able to make significant investments and changes in these three areas, we will be able to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing our city. Each area, though important in its own right, is implicitly tied to the other and a change in one will impact how we perceive the other.
We should consider the environmental impacts of housing and transportation projects, how transportation projects might impact local housing, and how new developments would change demand for public transit. I will push for communication and collaboration between these departments.

Stephen McBride

I would love to see more priority bus lanes across the city. As we increase the speed at which commuters can get across the city, we’ll reduce the need for folks to own their own vehicles. Black commuters in Boston spend, on average, 64 more hours per year on the bus than white riders. Any improvements we make to our buses more efficient will more positively impact these commuters and help make their commute times more equitable.
The City of Boston and the MBTA must work together to understand which routes suffer the most from traffic backups or inefficient routes and plan for a future where bus service is both predictable and reliable, for every community in Boston. Using data from existing GPS trackers, I would push them to work with the city to identify the most impacted routes and identify opportunities to speed up bus movement, such as dedicated lanes.
From more residents in the city owning cars to empty ride-share vehicles waiting for their next passenger, many of our streets have begun to see congestion for which they were not designed. We must begin to examine ways to reduce the need to own a car in Boston.

Stephen McBride

"Yes - Beacon Hill has legislation before it that would keep the FMCB in place and I support the spirit of the bills. I believe that we need an independent board that can ensure the future of the MBTA best serves the interests of all Bay Staters.
In line with the actions of Councilors Flynn and Bok, I would support and, where appropriate, draft resolutions to support amendments that would add 2 seats to the Board - one for Boston and one for surrounding communities. Senator Collins has filed Bill S.2279 which seeks to accomplish this. If legislation is adopted this year that does not expand the board to include Boston representation, I would continue to work with the Boston delegation on Beacon Hill to push for future adjustments to ensure that Boston has a dedicated voice on the Board. "

Stephen McBride

Oversight and accountability will be key to success here. We must make it easy for the public to understand which projects are planned or in progress and when we’ve committed to having them completed. If projects fall behind for any reason, we must be clear as to why and take any learnings to apply to future projects to either adjust the timeline or address the causes of delays.
As projects are completed, we should also highlight their successes to keep excitement high for the long-term projects. Ten years is a long time and we should be sure that we don’t lose the momentum that helped create the Go Boston 2030 plan.

Stephen McBride

Every project will have a variety of considerations that we must work to understand and balance. For those facing opposition, I would first seek to understand both the issue the project is looking to address and the impact the solution will have on the community. From there, I would work to assess if there are concessions or adjustments that could be made to bring everyone on board. Though I cannot guarantee that every discussion will lead all concerns being addressed, I am committed to hearing all sides and seeking alternative solutions to help us improve safety across Boston while also weighing input from the community.

Stephen McBride

Not all buildings are created equally and not all neighborhoods are the same. As a blanket policy, I would more likely support a 60 unit building with 20% affordable units, as it would net 12 affordable units while more heavily increasing our overall housing stock. However, I always want to weigh all of the factors in play here: what would 48 non-restricted units do to prices in the neighborhood? Would we risk additional displacement as a result of a large-scale development like this with unchecked housing prices?
I am in favor of examining a more comprehensive proposal that sets the IDP % based on a variety of factors, including proposed and likely future development, current neighborhood composition, and whether or not the neighborhood is a candidate for an anti-displacement overlay district designation.

Stephen McBride

Boston needs a comprehensive zoning overhaul, the first since 1965. The current process rewards those with the connections to be able to pursue exceptions and waivers and creates unnecessary barriers for those looking to ethically improve the city’s housing stock. As these updates will likely take time, we should investigate other avenues to make our zoning process easier to navigate and more transparent.
While we work towards that future, we can make other adjustments to support faster, smarter, more people-centered development. Taking aim at controversial or manipulated zoning restrictions in an effective, one-off tactic to help keep development on track. One example of this is the proposal by Councilors Bok and O’Malley to eliminate parking restrictions for low-income projects. I would seek to identify and pursue these adjustments, while also examining where overlay districts would be beneficial to both help and protect our communities.

Stephen McBride

As mentioned above, pushing for overlay districts and creating anti-displacement zones is one way that the city can act without getting Beacon Hill involved.
In addition, the city has the power to expand how it funds and supports low-income housing support, through both the IDP and linkage fees. In both of these areas, I would seek to extract more from developers to better support keeping our neighborhoods affordable for all. I would seek to increase the IDP and, though the linkage fees were increased this year, will examine them yearly to ensure that they are adequate.

Stephen McBride

In every project, I’m committed to understanding the impacts on the surrounding community. The answers won’t always be easy and they’ll rarely be uncontroversial, but I believe that finding compromise is the key to success. For parking requests, I would want to weigh the current state of parking in the area, how many units or spaces are being considered, and the sentiment of the surrounding community. We must be willing to work together to make decisions that serve the best interest of our communities.