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Transportation in Massachusetts Has Reached a Breaking Point. It's Time We Take Action.

A Letter from MassBio President & CEO Robert K. Coughlin

Posted

Dear MassBio Member CEO,

Today, we released the results of our 2019 Transportation Survey. The findings are grim, but not surprising to anyone who commutes in Massachusetts. Of the 2,000+ people who took the survey, majorities said their commutes are worse than in the past and that public transportation is too unreliable. In fact, a shocking number said they would seriously consider changing jobs, or even move to another state, if they could get a better commute.

This survey data is one more example that Massachusetts’ transportation system is in crisis. If it’s not addressed in a real, sustainable manner it has the potential to negatively impact our state’s economic growth.

We, as employers and as a leading industry, can make an immediate impact.

MassBio recently enacted an employee mobility policy that allows our employees to work up to one day a week remotely while also allowing them to set flexible work hours to better avoid rush-hour. These are small steps and we are only 35 employees. Yet, if every company in Kendall Square and beyond agreed to the same measures we could make a collective impact on congestion without spending a penny.

I’d strongly encourage your company to adopt similar remote working and flex-hours policies as well to help alleviate congestion and help improve employee morale. If those policies don’t work for your company, consider how else you can ease your employees’ commuting burden: incentivizing the use of public transit, organizing carpools, or even paying for your employees bike or scooter share usage.

If you’re going to newly adopt these policies, we want to hear from you. If you already have similar policies for your employees, let us know too. We will be tracking this data to show the collective impact our industry has in improving congestion. Contact us at communications@massbio.org to let us know what you’re doing.

This issue is top of mind for everyone. It’s clear we must do our part in the short-term while government works to implement long-term, future ready solutions that ensure Massachusetts remains on top for decades to come.

Sincerely,

 

Robert K. Coughlin

President & CEO, MassBio