Coalescing with Community is the center of our work in Transportation Justice.
T4MA’s Ride-Along series, launched in collaboration with Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and New England United for Justice (NEU4J), began August 2024 with the goal of connecting communities through shared transportation experiences.
By linking policy to real-life experiences, T4MA seeks to ensure that these lived experiences drive the development of policy priorities. Stay tuned as we continue sharing insights from participants on transportation and their personal stories.
Where should we go next? Our Ride-Along series may be coming to a city or town near you!
2025
Allston-Brighton Community Bike Ride
On Saturday September 27, T4MA was thrilled to be involved in the celebratory “Ride Along” event marking the arrival of new Bluebikes stations in the Brighton neighborhood.
This community bike ride celebrated the movement toward better transportation equity in Boston with the installation of new BlueBike stations. The ride along provided a great opportunity to connect with the community, learn new skills, and celebrate shared public transit resources.
Participants met at one of the new central Bluebike stations located at 615 Washington Street in Oak Square, where demonstrations were held on how to use Bluebikes and how to safely navigate the street before beginning the journey.
This event was organized with the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative (ABHC) and supported by the City of Boston, Bluebikes and T4MA. Stay connected with ABHC for future ride announcements and explore photos below from the ride along!
Roxbury Walk Along: The Toxic Tour
On February 11, staff from Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) guided T4MA staff and visitors from HRIA, EJforNE, One Square World and GrassRoots Fund on a walking “toxic tour” of areas in central Roxbury, MA.
2024
Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) & New England Community Project (NECP) [Formerly NEU4J]
On August 26, 2024 T4MA launched its Ride-Along series with member organizations Alternatives for Community and Environment, (ACE) and New England United for Justice (NEU4J). Linking policy with real life experience can be a major challenge, and with our Ride-Along, we hope to bring to center lived experiences as the epicenter of how we come up with policy priorities.
The inaugural route began at NEU4J’s offices in Dorchester, where a cohort of staff and community members made their way to Boston City Hall taking various modes of transit – the Commuter Rail, the Red Line, and the bus.
Participants from member organizations spoke with riders and everyday commuters on these varying modes asking them about their commute and their thoughts on how they move around. At Boston City Hall, we shared our individual experiences and gained valuable insights, including a presentation on the upcoming improvements to Columbia Road.
HILLTOWN CDC
The next stop in our Ride Along Series was the Hilltowns! On October 28, T4MA staff joined staff from Hilltown CDC for a Ride Along through some of the Hilltowns, located in western MA. Hilltown CDC is a member organization of T4MA, and one of our goals in spending the day together was to learn more about what life is like for residents in this rural part of the state. We’ve learned so much about the impact of isolation in rural communities, and that the Hilltown CDC’s work is vital, from providing essential services to fostering strong community connections. With towns straddling county lines, geography can create real barriers to access and services.
We started our day at the Hilltown CDC office, hearing from staff about the work they do in the region to support and uplift residents. Operating a microtransit service is one of the key programs of the Hilltown CDC. By riding together in the van that is operated by Hilltown CDC in partnership with the FRTA, we were able to learn more about the challenges that many residents face, including social isolation and difficulty getting to medical appointments and grocery stores. Through their microtransit program, Hilltown CDC works to address these challenges and improve the day-to-day lives of residents. For many residents, if they were not getting a ride from the Hilltown CDC, they would not be able to get to where they needed to go.
We also had the opportunity to visit another critical program of the Hilltown CDC, their Food Market, which is open for residents to shop online or in-person. The market carries local produce, eggs, meat, and other items, and is key to decreasing food insecurity in the area while supporting local farmers. We are grateful to Joan Griswold and all the Hilltown CDC staff and local partners we met for showing us around and sharing about the realities of rural life.
