Transportation "We need to invest in mass transit: to reduce pollution; to reduce traffic; and to improve our quality of life"

Fighting for Better Transportation

• Since 1984, politicians have discussed extending the Green Line to Union Square and East Somerville. It is time to act.



• Somerville is the densest community in the northeast US - and would benefit enormously from the extension of the Green Line. The Green Line would spur economic development - thousands of new jobs - and would allow Union Square to become a destination for entertainment and cultural activities.



• Inman Square, Union Square, and East Somerville are severely under-served by mass transit. For the past 10 years, those communities have been served only by diesel buses that spew pollution and come too rarely. Today, East Somerville is cut apart by seven different rail lines, none of which stop there. The community bears much of the burdens of regional transportation, with the train tracks and a major rail yard. It's time for East Somerville to get some of the benefits as well.



• In addition to extending the Green Line, we should open commuter rail stops along the Lowell Line in Somerville, and open an Orange Line stop in Assembly Square. Just as Cambridge Street in Cambridge is now benefiting from a thorough program of improvements, Route 28 should be revitalized into a thriving urban boulevard, and Broadway in East Somerville should be renewed and improved.



• We should make both our cities and our state more bicycle-friendly and more pedestrian-friendly, especially by completing the Community Path from Davis Square to Boston. We need a safe and dedicated bicycle and pedestrian route to Boston, to get people out of their cars.



• Together, extending the Community Path, opening commuter rail stops on the Lowell Line, opening an Orange Line stop at Assembly Square and extending the Green Line will allow people to get out of their cars; decrease pollution, traffic, and congestion; reduce greenhouse gases; and improve public health and our quality of life.



• I am committed to doing a lot more than just talking about these issues. I am a founding member of STEP, the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, and I am committed to organizing the community to win the transportation improvements we deserve.