Residents Are Considering Leaving Massachusetts Over Awful Traffic, Transit
Delayed subways and highway gridlock are daily occurrences in Massachusetts, and a new poll shows how it could eventually cost the state some of its population.
Massachusetts added nearly 40,000 residents between July 2017 and July 2018. The Boston metropolitan area grew by 31,000 in the same time frame. But while the area continues to attract more people, a good chunk of its population is fed up with the region’s transportation system.
A third of residents who live within the Route 128 belt, what Boston’s CRE community defines as the boundaries of the region's urban core, and work full time have considered moving out of Greater Boston due to road or transit traffic, according to a MassINC Polling Group poll. The traffic misery isn’t limited to Beantown.
Thirty percent of those polled across the state who work full time have considered changing jobs in the last few months for something with a better commute, WBUR reports. Fifty-one percent of those with commutes more than 45 minutes have thought about changing jobs, and 30% have considered moving out of the area completely due to the transportation congestion.
“These impact numbers, especially among those with the longest commutes, should be a red flag for the business community in Massachusetts,” MassINC Polling Group President Steve Koczela said in a statement to WBUR.
