MassDOT Secretary: “We Will Build No More Superhighways”

by Tanya Snyder, Streets Blog
OK, everybody, pack your bags. We’re all moving to Massachusetts.
The Bay State’s transportation secretary, Richard Davey, has launched a “mode shift” campaign, saying in no uncertain terms that it’s time for people to get out of their cars and onto trains, buses, bikes, and their own two feet. His goal is to triple the share of trips taken by those modes, as opposed to single-occupancy vehicles, by improving transit service and active transportation amenities like lighting, sidewalks, curb cuts and rail-trails.
Here’s the part that gives me the shivers: “I have news for you,” Davey said at a news conference yesterday. “We will build no more superhighways in this state. There is no room.”
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Davey says a shift toward sustainable transportation will “foster improved quality of life by improving our environment and preserving capacity on our highway network; by letting other travel options absorb travel demand that contributes to highway congestion that is slowing our potential for economic growth.” He also says the mode shift will “achieve positive public health outcomes by providing more healthy transportation options.”
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Richard Davey is the only state transportation chief who doesn’t own a car .
https://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/10/10/massdot-secretary-we-will-build-no-more-superhighways/