An Act Relative To Traffic Regulation Using Road Safety Cameras

S.2344 / H.3754

This bill would legalize automated camera enforcement of running red lights, speeding, and "blocking the box" at intersections. The language also contains important privacy protections which prevent agencies like ICE from accessing the data among other protections. This approach creates accountability for dangerous driving behaviors while significantly reducing armed traffic stops, which carry inherent risks of escalation and have been shown to perpetuate racial disparities in enforcement.

An Act Expanding Truck Safety Requirements

S.2343 / H.3653

This bill would require certain large trucks to be equipped with side guards, convex mirrors, crossover mirrors, and backup cameras. Large trucks are particularly dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians. These basic requirements would drastically improve safety.

An Act Expanding Community Access To Electric Bicycles

H.3451

This bill would establish a new grant program to fund e-bike lending and ownership programs operated by municipalities and non-profit organizations. Priority would be given to programs offered in disproportionately-impacted environmental justice communities.

 

An Act To Promote Safe Bicycle Yielding

H.3609

This bill would allow cyclists to legally treat stop signs as yield signs, aligning Massachusetts law with how cyclists actually operate on the road. This practice is already legal in eight states and studies show it improves safety by allowing cyclists to maintain momentum and clear intersections before conflicting motor vehicle traffic arrives. The bill does not change cyclist responsibilities at traffic signals or negate their duty to yield to other road users. By legalizing safe, common-sense behavior, this law would reduce unnecessary citations while improving traffic flow and safety for everyone.

 

An Act Aligning The Commonwealth's Transportation Plans With Its Mandates And Goals For Reducing Emissions And Vehicle Miles Traveled

S.2246 / H.3726

This bill would require that all transportation plans approved by Regional Planning Organizations and MassDOT actually meet Massachusetts' existing climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled. Currently, these plans routinely fund car-centric projects that drive us further into the climate crisis, despite our legal commitments. This bill creates accountability by forcing a reckoning: transportation accounts for 40% of our state's greenhouse gas emissions, with vehicle traffic as the single largest source of pollution. Our transportation planning can no longer ignore these realities. The bill does not impose new requirements—instead, it demands we follow through on climate mandates already on the books.

 

An Act Expanding Access To Trails For People Of All Abilities

S.548 / H.915

This bill would create a working group to analyze the state's trail networks and recommend improvements for accessibility. Accessible trail design benefits all cyclists, including those using adaptive cycles, hand cycles, tricycles, and cargo bikes that require wider paths and gentler grades. Our shared-use paths belong to all Massachusetts residents, and we need to make sure they are accessible to everyone.

 

An Act Relative To Roadway Safety

H.3806

This bill would expand crossing protections to cover all vulnerable users including cyclists. Massachusetts defined "vulnerable user" in 2023; this bill extends that work by requiring drivers to yield to cyclists at marked crossings, not just pedestrians. This would result in enforceable rules that make crossing safer for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

 

An Act Relative To Third Party Delivery Data Reporting

S.2355 / H.3732

This bill would require app-based delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub to report trip-level data to planners. Food delivery trips in Massachusetts exploded from 40 million in 2019 to over 150 million in 2023. Delivery drivers sometimes find themselves having to violate traffic laws because platform companies create economic pressures that make rule-breaking necessary to meet unrealistic delivery timeframes. This bill would establish the data foundation needed to document how these business models compromise street safety and build the case for future regulations that hold companies accountable for incentivizing dangerous driving.

 

An Act Relative To Regional Ballot Initiatives

S.2009 / H.3050

This bill would allow municipalities to place binding ballot referendums before voters to approve dedicated tax surcharges for specific transportation projects. Communities could fund protected bike lanes, shared-use paths, transit improvements, and Complete Streets projects that currently sit unfunded for years while waiting for state dollars. Better transit gets cars off the road, making streets safer for cyclists. Critically, multiple municipalities could band together to pose questions about regional projects—essential for building connected bike networks that cross town lines. Voters would see the exact projects, tax rate, and sunset date on the ballot, then decide whether to fund them. This gives regions the power to build cycling infrastructure and transit now rather than competing endlessly for limited state and federal funding.

 

An Act To Reduce Congestion And Encourage Shared Rides

S.2253 / H.1251

This bill would increase the statewide rideshare fee from 20 cents to 6.25% of the fare and allow municipalities to add up to $2.25 per ride, with all local revenue dedicated to transit including bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Uber and Lyft have flooded our streets with thousands of additional vehicles—cars that double-park in bike lanes to pick up passengers, block intersections, create dangerous door zones, and significantly increase overall traffic congestion. These companies profit by externalizing the cost of street space onto cyclists and pedestrians who bear the physical risk. This bill makes rideshare companies pay for the infrastructure damage they cause while generating dedicated funding for protected bike lanes and safe streets projects that municipalities currently cannot afford to build.

 

An Act Financing Long-Term Improvements To Municipal Roads And Bridges

H.53

This bill would increase Chapter 90 funding by 50%—a substantial boost to the money municipalities use to repave and maintain roads. BCU joins MassBike in advocating that this funding increase be conditioned on the inclusion of safety measures: speed management, protected bike lanes, and accessible pedestrian infrastructure. General road maintenance funding should modernize our streets for everyone, not just drivers. Tying Chapter 90 money to safety requirements creates real leverage for building the infrastructure our communities need.

 

An Act To Provide Sunlight To State Government

S.2099

This bill would improve the transparency of our state government by requiring that legislative testimony and committee votes be made public, requiring at least 2-weeks notice before legislative hearings, and, critically, applying the public records law to the governor's office. Though this bill is not directly related to transit policy, it is nonetheless an important priority for BCU because the lack of basic democratic norms at the statehouse is an impediment to progress on all issues, including mobility justice.