After 20 Years Teaching, Urban Transportation Policy Lecturer Sees Wisdom in Seeking New Solutions to Traffic Woes

Terrance Regan has lectured in Boston University Metropolitan College’s City Planning & Urban Affairs program for two decades, specializing in transportation and transit policy. So when he says that legislators and elected officials have an obligation to keep all options on the table in exploring ways to ameliorate the traffic problems facing urban areas like Boston, you can believe him.

Mr. Regan recently spoke with the Boston Globe as part of an editorial concerning the “political courage . . . needed to tackle Boston’s traffic nightmare.”

Mr. Regan told the Globe that, when it comes to curbing traffic, policy solutions like congestion or dynamic pricing, which would charge drivers fluctuating fees depending on when they were on the roads; special rules for trucks or deliveries; increased gas taxes; and increased registration fees must all remain viable options in the “toolbox” of lawmakers. Each stand to make a positive impact on the public concern of traffic. What’s critical, Regan said, is precision. “You’re taking a scalpel rather than a hammer to some of these problems,” he noted.

When it comes to revenue-generating, behavior-incentivizing means like dynamic pricing, Mr. Regan says the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors could simply “flip the switch” on, and charge drivers more to use the Massachusetts Turnpike at rush hour, for example, experimenting with a new method that’s been proven to work elsewhere in the US.

Striking that balance, between common good and convenience, is the charge of the skilled civic policymaker and city planner. As Regan reminds students in his course, Urban Transportation Policy and Planning (MET UA 619), the study of policy is ultimately one of analysis and critical thinking.

A strong believer in the career and employment opportunities offered by the urban transit sector, Mr. Regan says what makes him proudest is the wide-ranging applicability of his teaching, which uses the real world to find lessons that can apply across disciplines.

Learn more about Mr. Regan in the video above.