Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Ed Flynn

I agree these issues are interconnected, and that these departments should collaborate more closely. During our city’s recovery, we need to address issues of traffic, congestion, parking & transit-oriented development. It is critical that we also focus on ways to make buildings more resilient in order to prepare for climate change. I will advocate for our city planning and development process to address all these components, and request that the Boston Transportation Department, Department of Neighborhood Development, and Environment Department all be part of the development review process.

Ed Flynn

At the appropriate areas to reduce congestion points, we can designate bus-only lanes to allow bus services to operate quicker and more efficiently. There are already a number of bus only lanes in the city, including on Washington Street in the Chinatown area and Summer St near South Station. As the city continues to embark on street redesign and repaving, we should think about which areas would benefit from having a bus only lane, especially areas where there are multiple lanes with issues of congestion. This will help encourage mass transit, move our workforce efficiently, and improve upon our traffic and congestion issues that will also provide benefits in terms of our environment, climate change and sustainability.

Ed Flynn

I believe that Boston should have a seat at the table at FMCB, since Boston has the largest role in play in terms of ridership and operations for the MBTA. I sponsored and passed a resolution in support of S.D.1313, “An Act Relative to the Structure of the Fiscal Management and Control Board” from State Senator Nick Collins, which would allow the Mayor of Boston to appoint a representative on the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board. S.D. 1313 would allow Boston to have a seat at the table and a direct voice in the operations and future of the MBTA, and I believe this will help us better advocate for our constituents who are reliant on public transportation. I will continue to work with residents and advocates on other efforts to address the issue of access to reliable and safe public transportation.

Ed Flynn

As City Councilors, one of our responsibilities is to work with the Mayor and city departments to ensure that approved projects with community support will be completed within a reasonable time frame. I’ve always done what I can to advocate and communicate with the administration about the importance of traffic-calming infrastructure such as bike lanes, pedestrian crosswalks, and other transportation improvements that allow our pedestrians and cyclists to travel safely in the city. I’m willing to continue to make calls, write letters, do safety walks and hold meetings in order to highlight the urgency of completing a project or implementing a policy.

Ed Flynn

I think we need to listen to community input and voices when we embark on any project. I have supported road diets at appropriate locations to lower the chances of “double threats”, where the first car lets you cross the street but the second will speed around and endanger pedestrians, as well as removing parking when there’s no visibility at oncoming traffic. Beyond narrowing roadways and removing parking at appropriate streets and intersections, I have been actively advocating at City Hall for years on pedestrian safety infrastructure such as speed humps or speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and rapid flash beacons with pedestrian islands, which I believe will also be effective in advancing street safety. I have recommended 12 Point Plans to BTD with these infrastructure improvements. I’ve done safety walks with WalkBoston, Livable Streets, and the Boston Cyclist Union. I’ve filed a number of hearing orders on pedestrian and traffic safety during my time in the Council, and have advocated for lowering the speed limit to 20mph with Councilor Baker. I will continue to work with the city, advocates, and residents to ensure that road safety continues to be a top priority for the city.

Ed Flynn

I think my support would depend on the context of the proposal and community feedback. I have always supported expanding IDP and requiring a larger percentage of units be designated affordable beyond 13%. I called for and held a hearing regarding accountability of IDP with Councilors Flaherty and Edwards so that we can examine enforcement and ensure that developers actually do build and sell the required number of affordable units under IDP. In this case, 60 units with 20% affordable housing will have more affordable units, but depending on the location of the development and community input, there might be more support for the 12 unit building with 50% affordable units. Therefore, community input and the broader context will be important in my decision about what proposals to support. But generally, I support developments with a large number of affordable units so that our working families can remain in the city that they helped build. We also need to look at workforce housing for those neighbors that may just miss out on qualifying for the IDP Program; however, they’re forced to leave the city due to the market rate being so far out of reach for middle class, working families.

Ed Flynn

I agree that we should do what we can to remove barriers for the development of affordable housing, and we need to think about how to streamline the permitting process while ensuring that there is space for community input. There is a proposal in front of the City Council about waiving certain parking requirements for affordable housing projects; a conversation which I’m open to.

Ed Flynn

The city should continue expanding resources for first time homebuyers and renters, such as expanding programs that help first time homebuyers place down payments and acquire mortgages (such as the ONE+Boston program), and rental assistance programs for neighbors facing financial difficulties. The city should also work with neighborhood organizations and community land trusts by providing them with grants and even land to establish community ownership of land to build permanently affordable housing. There should also be more funding for the city’s Acquisition Opportunity Program (AOP), which gives loans to investor-owners to buy multi-family rental properties in order to create and preserve affordable units. AOP will receive a substantial increase in funding in FY22, and we should continue to fund programs such as this. I think the city can do a lot more in terms of housing stability and funding to assist residents to remain in their homes, and help organizations with developing more affordable housing.

Ed Flynn

As mentioned before, we have a proposal in the City Council to waive parking minimums for 100% affordable housing developments, and I’m open to that conversation. However, if there is limited parking onsite, we must ensure that residents have easy access to the public transit, bikes, and means of travel other than driving. How we prioritize space needs to also be a community conversation about neighborhood needs, and what residents would like to see in a development. Therefore, what I prioritize is based on community input and the context of each proposal. With any opposition, I would first seek to create further communication between the community and the developer, and try to see if a good faith compromise is possible. Ultimately, I truly believe in the community process and the importance of residents’ voice, and I weigh their opinions heavily in my decision-making. Residents of a neighborhood also deserve a say in what takes place in their community.