Kris Carter

Equal or Better: The Story of the Silver Line

Kris Carter

In 1987 the Washington Street Elevated train was torn down and community members furiously awaited rapid replacement service between the minority neighborhood of Roxbury and the job-center of Downtown Boston. Commuters boarded interim buses each day, waiting for the promise of of rapid service to be fulfilled. 15 years later the official replacement, The Silver Line, debuted. It was called Bus Rapid Transit but lacked much of the infrastructure to uphold the 'rapid' moniker. Equal or Better: The Story of the Silver Line explores the history of transportation equity in America through the lens of three communities in Boston. It unearths a story of environmental justice, race relations, and probes how we allocate tax-dollars in transportation in this nation.