City Of Boston: Post-Pandemic Return To Work Trends Report

Press release from the City of Boston:

August 19, 2021

BOSTON - Monday, August 16, 2021 - The City of Boston, in collaboration with A Better City (ABC), has released two reports to better understand post-pandemic commuter trends.  Both reports build on results of ‘Anticipating Post-Pandemic Commute Trends in Metro-Boston’—a survey of over 4,200 commuters completed in September 2020. 

Throughout the pandemic, the City of Boston improved the City’s bike infrastructure as part of the Healthy Streets initiative. In 2020, 6.5 miles of separated bike lanes were completed in order to create more connections for Boston’s commuters. In 2021, an additional 4.5 miles of separated bike lanes will be completed. A recent MassInc poll found that Boston-area voters are largely supportive of creating bike lanes separated from cars (75%) and adding more parking for bikes (72%).

“This supplemental survey data shows clearly that commuter attitudes are shifting toward greater comfort using public transit and active modes like bicycling,” said Scott Mullen, Transportation Demand Management Director for A Better City. “With such a large majority of them living ten miles or less from their workplace, we have a huge opportunity to build back better and to avoid the crippling congestion that we suffered prior to the pandemic. To succeed in this we all have a role to play. We need leadership from the Mayor’s office and the corner office, from the MBTA and from all of us traveling in and around Boston.”

Second Phase: Interviews with eleven large employers on the future of work. Read the second phase report here.

ABOUT A BETTER CITY

This press release was produced by the City of Boston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.