Editing Transportation in Boston (section)

=== Walking and bicycling ===
[[File:Commute patterns.png|thumb|alt=Major US City Commute Patterns 2021|upright=1.4|Compared to residents of other American cities, Bostonians have average commute times and high rates of public transit use.]]
[[File:Boston_Historical_Commute_Patterns.png|thumb|alt=Historical Commute Patterns in Boston 2006–2021|upright=1.4|Bostonians shifted to driving alone, at the expense of public transit as a result of the [[COVID-19]] pandemic, but continued to walk at the highest rates of any US major city.]]
Boston is known to travel agents as "America's Walking City", has been rated as the third most [[walkability|walkable]] city in the US by [[Walk Score]], and also has a high Transit Score.<ref name=WalkScore>{{cite web|last=Walk Score|title=About Boston|url=http://www.walkscore.com/MA/Boston|work=Walk Score|access-date=May 2, 2013}}</ref>

Boston is a compact city, sized right for walking or bicycling. According to a ''[[Prevention (magazine)|Prevention]]'' magazine report in 2003, the city has the highest percentage of on-foot commuters of any city in the United States. In 2000, 13.36% of Boston commuters [[List of U.S. cities with most pedestrian commuters|walked to work]] according to the [[United States Census|US Census]]. This was the highest of any major US city, bested only by college towns such as nearby [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. Most of the area's cities and towns have standing committees devoted to improvements to the bicycle and pedestrian environment. The first pedestrian advocacy organization in the United States, WalkBoston, was started in Boston in 1990, and helped start the national pedestrian advocacy organization America Walks.

Cycling is popular in Boston, for both recreation and commuting. Some bicycle paths are marked on some roadways, but very few completely separated paths are available to cyclists.  The [[Minuteman Bikeway]] (which runs through several suburbs northwest of Boston) and the [[Charles River]] bike paths are popular with recreational cyclists and tourists. The [[Emerald Necklace]] system of parklands and parkways, pioneered by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] and his sons, provides some more pleasant alternative routes for cyclists.  The [[Southwest Corridor (Boston)|Southwest Corridor]] also provides [[cycling infrastructure]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/southwestCorr.htm|title=DCR web page.}}</ref> as does the [[East Boston Greenway]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bostonnatural.org/gwyeb.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=January 5, 2016 |archive-date=November 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141118134712/http://www.bostonnatural.org/gwyeb.htm |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Many MBTA riders use a bicycle to get to a nearby station, and the number of bicycle racks and lockers has been increased.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://usingbicycles.blogspot.com/2008/04/mixed-mode-commuting-in-boston.html | title = Mixed-Mode Commuting in Boston  | work = Using Bicycles | author = Sherwood Stranieri | date = April 25, 2008 | access-date = April 26, 2008 }}</ref>

However [[Bicycling (magazine)|''Bicycling'']] magazine, in its March 2006 issue, named the city as one of its three worst cities in the United States for cycling.<ref>{{cite journal|author=MacLaughlin, Nina |year=2006 |title=Boston Can Be Bike City...If You Fix These Five Big Problems |journal=The Phoenix – Bicycle Bible 2006 |url=http://thephoenix.com/supplements/2006/bicyclebible/article.aspx?ID=Boston |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811055614/http://thephoenix.com/supplements/2006/bicyclebible/article.aspx?ID=Boston |archive-date=August 11, 2011 }}</ref> The distinction was earned for "lousy roads, scarce and unconnected bike lanes and bike-friendly gestures from City Hall that go nowhere—such as hiring a bike coordinator in 2001, only to cut the position two years later".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-2-16-14593-11,00.html |title=Urban Treasures |website=bicycling.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707032056/http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-2-16-14593-11,00.html |archive-date=July 7, 2007}}</ref> Neighboring [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] earned an honorable mention as one of the best cities for cycling with a population of 75,000-200,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-2-16-14593-9,00.html |title=Urban Treasures |website=bicycling.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206024029/http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-2-16-14593-9,00.html |archive-date=February 6, 2010}}</ref>

Since September 2007, when Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] started a bicycle program called Boston Bikes with a goal of improving bicycling conditions by adding bike lanes and racks and offering bikeshare programs, the city has improved accommodations for bicyclists in a number of ways.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/us/09bike.html |title=Boston Tries to Shed Longtime Reputation as Cyclists' Minefield |access-date=August 16, 2009|author=Katie Zezima|work=The New York Times | date=August 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-2-13-17078-1,00.html|title=A Future Best City: Boston|access-date=August 16, 2009|publisher=Rodale Inc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211195827/http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-2-13-17078-1,00.html |archive-date=February 11, 2010}}</ref> The least visible improvement is zoning and building code changes to encourage showering and locker facilities in major office buildings. Better signage and lane markings for bicyclists are starting to appear. More visible enforcement of traffic regulations on motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians has commenced.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/07/13/boston_gear_up_for_influx_of_new_bicycle_riders/ |title=Boston gear up for influx of new bicycle riders|work=The Boston Globe|date=July 13, 2011|access-date=July 15, 2011|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203033712/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/07/13/boston_gear_up_for_influx_of_new_bicycle_riders/ |archive-date=February 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/07/15/make_boston_bicycle_free/ |title=Make Boston bicycle-free|work=The Boston Globe | author=McGrory Brian | date=July 15, 2011|access-date=July 15, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/05/11/bicycle.wars/index.html|title=Drivers, bicyclists clash on road sharing|access-date=July 15, 2011|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System |date=October 18, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2009/07/29/hub_to_beckon_bikers_with_sharing_program|title=Hub's bike routes beckon, white knuckles and all|access-date=July 15, 2011|work=The Boston Globe |first=David|last=Filipov|date=July 29, 2009}}</ref>

Boston has an active [[Critical Mass (cycling)|Critical Mass]] ride group, and [[MassBike]] is a bike advocacy group active in supporting cyclists in the area.<ref name=bimag>{{cite web | title = Urban Treasures | url = http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-2-16-14593-1-P,00.html | publisher = Bicycling Magazine | access-date = June 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707033025/http://bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-2-16-14593-1-P,00.html |archive-date=July 7, 2007}}</ref><ref name=massbike>{{cite web | url = http://massbike.org/ | title = MassBike: The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition | publisher = MassBike: The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition | access-date = June 9, 2008}}</ref> The [[LivableStreets Alliance]], headquartered in Cambridge, is an advocacy group for bicyclists, pedestrians, and walkable neighborhoods.<ref name=LSA>{{cite web|title=LivableStreets: Rethinking Urban Transportation|url=http://www.livablestreets.info|publisher=LivableStreets Alliance|access-date=March 7, 2013}}</ref>

====Maps and guides====
{{anchor|Maps and guides}}
[[File:Bostonhorseandcart.JPG|thumb|alt=Horse-drawn carriage at dusk on a city street|One of several horse carriages transporting tourists around the city]]
The Boston regional [[Metropolitan Area Planning Council]] (MAPC) publishes a large and detailed "Greater Boston Cycling & Walking Map", which it distributes free of charge.<ref name=MAPCBikeMap>{{cite web|last=Metropolitan Area Planning Council|title=Greater Boston Cycling & Walking Map|url=http://www.mapc.org/resources/bike-transport|publisher=Metropolitan Area Planning Council|access-date=February 20, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304080055/http://www.mapc.org/resources/bike-transport|url-status=dead}}</ref>   The map is also available online and in downloadable form, and revisions are solicited from the general public.

In addition, a small private company called Rubel BikeMaps has for many years published and distributed an extensive lineup of books and maps covering Boston, the state of Massachusetts, and nearby areas of New England.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rubel BikeMaps |title=Welcome to Rubel BikeMaps |url=http://bikemaps.com |publisher=Rubel BikeMaps |access-date=February 20, 2013}}</ref>   These publications are for sale at many bicycle shops, and online.  Because of recent expansion of bike lanes and other facilities, plus increased input from the public, it is important to use the most recent editions of these maps and guides.

Rubel BikeMaps also publishes ''Car-Free in Boston:a Guide for Locals and Visitors'', still in its 10th edition {{as of|2015|lc=y}}.<ref name=CFIB>{{cite book|last=Association for Public Transportation|title=Car-Free in Boston:a Guide for Locals and Visitors|year=2003|publisher=Rubel BikeMaps|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=1-881559-76-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781881559764/page/192 192]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781881559764/page/192|url-access=registration}}</ref>   Prepared by the [[Association for Public Transportation]] (APT), this book contains extensive information useful to bicyclists and pedestrians alike, including coverage of intermodal travel and handicapped accessibility.  Although the general overview and travel tips are largely still relevant, this classic book has not been updated since 2003, and must be supplemented by current online information.

With widespread use of smartphones and tablet computers, [[online mapping]] services such as [[Google Maps]] have become popular aids for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.  The MBTA was one of the earliest large transit agencies to embrace the [[Open Data]] philosophy, making route, scheduling, and [[real-time locating system|real-time]] vehicle location information publicly available in the standard [[General Transit Feed Specification|GTFS]] format.<ref name=MBTA-GTFS>{{cite web|last=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|title=Schedules and Trip Planning Data (GTFS)|url=http://www.mbta.com/rider_tools/developers/|work=Rider Tools|publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|access-date=February 20, 2013}}</ref> As a result, many third-party apps are available on a number of hardware platforms, allowing riders a wide range of choices in obtaining travel information.<ref name=MBTA-Tools>{{cite web|last=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|title=App Showcase|url=http://www.mbta.com/rider_tools/apps/|work=Rider Tools|publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|access-date=February 20, 2013}}</ref>  Google Maps has started to present maps of the interiors of underground subway stations, and this information is available on Android and iOS smartphones, as well as web browsers.