Join the Massachusetts Apprentice Network for the one-year anniversary of its launch.
03/27/2023
9:30am - 11:00am
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
This event will explore why in-game advertising is becoming the next big advertising channel and how companies can tap into the gaming ad space.
03/28/2023
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Mediahub
Thank you for joining us for our second Government Affairs forum of the year that featured Ronald J. Mariano, Massachusetts Speaker of the House.
03/30/2023
9:45am - 11:00am
Colonnade Hotel
Designed for mid-level managers and supervisors, this new certificate program addresses workplace well-being through unique, innovative, and actionable methods.
Join our Transformational DEI Certificate! Our comprehensive learning & development offerings are designed to connect and grow strong leaders who lead both inside and out of the office.
Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.
Expand your DEI professional development with a virtual workshop focused specifically on LGBTQIA+ identities and inclusion.
Our Economic Inclusion Committee provides strategic support around research, policies, and programs that are focused on building equal opportunity.
We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
The Fierce Urgency of Now Festival brings Boston’s diverse young professionals together with business leaders, organizations and their peers to build connection, advance careers and ignite positive change.
09/12/2023 -
09/15/2023
Greater Boston
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.
For more than 25 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.
Through MITX (the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange), we’re building valuable connections between the people and ideas behind technology and its impact on the future of customer experiences, all to create a community that’s finding tomorrow’s solutions together.
We support small business through public policy initiatives, events designed to connect small businesses in Greater Boston to their peers and established business leaders, professional development offerings, and free small business advising.
Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.
Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.
Members of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce constantly point to transportation – improving commutes, reducing congestion, and having a world class public transportation system – as their top policy priority.
To see why the Chamber believes more investment is needed, and what changes must be adopted along with additional investment, you can view the Transportation Policy Agenda here and read on for more information.
Our principles in creating this policy agenda are to give MassDOT, the MBTA, and RTAs the tools they need to execute; use prices to influence behavior; and think about equity in how revenue is raised and how it is spent.
Economic and population surges in the state are stressing the system.
“It takes drivers longer to travel during the morning peak period than it did five years ago along nearly every roadway segment along the major corridors coming into Greater Boston.”
– Congestion in the Commonwealth, Report to the Governor, 2019, MassDOT
“But travel times have grown in low-density places outside of the Boston region as well…increased roadway volumes are slowing drivers down all over the state.”
Historical under-investment in some areas has resulted in poor conditions
Nearly 500 bridges in Massachusetts, totaling almost 12% of bridge roadways, are rated poor.
This is the 4th worst in the country.
The MBTA experiences a disproportionate share of derailments compared to other transit systems nationally. The following image shows just a snapshot of equipment and mechanical delays in the month of September 2019.
We need to adapt to pressures and changes in our climate, economy, and technology.
-Transportation accounts for the largest share of emissions
-Existing and future job and activity centers
-Shift to e-commerce = more delivery traffic
-80 million TNC rides in MA in 2018
-Mobility as a service (Uber, Lyft, etc)
The current CIP is limited to planning for climate resilient infrastructure; it does not adapt existing or fund specific climate resiliency initiatives.
Meeting the state’s carbon emission goals in the Global Warming Solutions Act will require widespread adoption of carbon-neutral vehicles for the MBTA and MassDOT. Electrification of the commuter rail may also be required to meet the emission goals.
Bond bill authorizes (but does not commit) $100 million over 10 years for additional municipal roadway funding.
The Commuter Rail Vision project is charged with making recommendations to reinvent the MBTA commuter rail system.
The capital plan does not include funding for construction and, in many cases, design of additional rail expansion projects that have been proposed. This includes the South Station Expansion, Red-Blue connector, additional extensions of the Green Line, and a potential east-west rail connection with Springfield and Boston.
Financial projections show capital and operating gaps in the future, even without additional investments.
The MBTA projects operating deficits of $39 million and $98 million for FYs 2020 and 2021. At the FMCB meeting on October 7, 2019, the FY 2020 projected deficit was increased to $53 million. No updated projection was provided for FY 2021. Source: FY19 Operating Budget, Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Review, Report to Fiscal and Management Control Board, August 12, 2019.
“…congestion is now reducing access to jobs in Greater Boston, particularly within I-495…”
Congestion in the Commonwealth, Report to the Governor
“Weather not only wears on infrastructure, but infrastructure has physical reactions to extreme weather conditions.”
Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth
“At the rate of bridge investment proposed by MassDOT does not expect to achieve the 10% condition threshold within the next five years.”
2018 Performance and Asset Management Advisory Council Annual Report
25 other states have increased their investments in transportation infrastructure since 2014.
“[A]n aging and crumbling transportation system is not only slowing Americans down, it’s reducing productivity, undermining our ability to move products across the country and around the world, and increasing congestion and air pollution.”
U.S Chamber of Commerce
The Bond Bill submitted by the Baker-Polito Administration included several changes to improve transportation project delivery. It is important that it becomes easier to get more projects underway and to leverage different types of contracting to achieve necessary goals.
Beyond the Bond Bill, the state of Massachusetts must ramp up capacity and workforce planning; improve oversight and governance; and leverage technology & employers. Just as importantly, we must strategically create future-ready revenues to support a transportation system that meets the needs of residents and businesses.
Project Delivery considerations in the Bond Bill include:
Workforce Planning
Oversight & MBTA Governance
Leverage Technology & Employers
Encourage employer mobility programs. This includes (but is not limited to) transportation management associations, telework programs with flexible hours or shifts, pre-tax transit benefits, ride-share corporate accounts and state programs, and employer mobility challenges.
New revenue should be distributed and linked to specific investment allocations, such as public transit expansion and modernization, climate adaptability, state highways, local roads, and fare balancing for MBTA. The Chamber’s recommendations for new revenue are:
For our full revenue strategy and clarification on proposed tax and fees, you can view the Transportation Policy Agenda here.
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