1980's Boston Traffic

We shot this in the early 80's for the first presentation by the Mass Dept. of Transportation on the Central Artery and Harbor Tunnel Project, produced by Mediawrights. The crew and producer put themselves at risk getting the shots that showed the typical traffic jungle of the HUB.

[@kroneyt1493]

Earlier today, some guy drove past me in a 1985 Trans Am. It stuck out amongst the crowd of cars that were all from at least the 2010 area, and it was weird to think that you'd see cars that looked like that all the time. Watching this just makes me feel that same feeling, but even stronger. It's cool in that weird sort of way, it really feels like you're traveling through time.

[@SB--dn1qf]

Yeah, cars from the 70's and 80's just stand out compared to all the boring SUVs

[@CJaguar265]

That was probably me

[@lam533]

Fascinating, watching Police in Boston from 35 years ago actually performing physical labor rather than parked in a cruiser with the A/C on and texting on a smartphone.

[@shangli8641]

john dong might be because it’s safer now also more remote monitoring devices, not necessarily a bad thing but I get your point

[@briankelly9347]

@@shangli8641 it wasn't a war zone dinky

[@briankelly9347]

@@shangli8641 YOU SEE ANY GRAFFITI? DEAD PEOPLE GANGS, NO SO IT COULDNT OF HAVE BEEN THAT BAD!! DINKY

[@Angie_bae]

Back then they were caught in the donut shop instead

[@fuhfoo]

Wow even back the people didn't know how to drive.

[@Mrd9960]

Ahhh I remember this very vaguely, the Larry Bird era, I remember bits and pieces of this time but the more the years go by, it starts to fade away a little.

[@jasoncamp483]

Donny Mckinnon Loved this era. Boston was affordable too.

[@qrud]

back then when the roads werent 95% Suv

[@Nexus104]

Car market demand changed over the years, aswell as overall better safety and efficeincy. Well atleast some of these 30 year old cars still survive till today, but rarely in great condition.

[@norger]

​@@Nexus104 car market didn't change Government regulations did, you have to pay more in taxes in order to manufacture sedans due to Environmental regulations.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

This video was used to push the Big Dig as a miracle cure-all for Boston's traffic problems. 24 billion dollars later, I wonder how that worked out?

[@Rocklegend953]

*14 billion, and Boston is a much lovelier city because of it

[@Angie_bae]

We still cutting eachother off, and crashing just under water this time

[@johncassani6780]

@@Rocklegend953The full cost was around $24 billion, after having originally been pitched, back in the 80s, as more like a $2 billion project. Maybe Boston is nicer for tourists. It definitely got cleaner. But, this was at the cost of pushing working class Bostonians out of the city, because it became utterly unaffordable. I wonder what it will look like 20 years from now, when academia and biotech have been cut down to size. The city has been unfriendly to any other business. What an embarrassment it was a few years ago, when GE reversed their decision to move their HQ to Boston, or the dumb move to bid for the Olympics.

[@cathedral94]

I wanna go back! The 2020s f*cking SUCK!!!

[@80660018]

$24 billion later and traffic is even worse

[@sstills951]

There's more Asians.

[@burbank]

Definitely a bygone era of simplicity and decency and far less stressful and complicated.

[@DarthVader1977]

Before the dark times, before the Empire.

[@Eidelmania]

It wasn't that less stressful at the time.

[@CS-np2oo]

the Rte buses came out as early as 84 or 85 in Boston. I remember riding my first one on blue hill ave. everyone letting buses pass to just to get on the new bus lol

[@scottkrafft6830]

Yeah this isn't early 80s. From the cars, it might even be early 90s.

[@kingjulian3997]

@Scott Krafft not much difference from the 80s and 90s tbh. Except maybe fashion, and that's a maybe

[@mrsaulthegreat]

This looks more like the late 80s, maybe early 90s. Newest car I saw was a Ford probe, which came out 1988/89

[@eliaswilson7911]

1:28 when the Masshole meets his match

[@dafoomie]

1:02-1:25 is West Broadway at D St. in Southie. Probably late 80s.

[@Tom-vm2wh]

Sumner tunnel crush still looks like that.

[@Scambush]

Judging from a couple license plate designs seen on a few of the vehicles this couldn't be from before 1987...

[@ChrisDroppinGems]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 it’s a Boston thing 1:27 and they still drive like this till this day

[@NESherv]

Massholes!

[@qrud]

Its sad to see these cars in junkyards now

[@dcsmooth]

1:05 Those gas prices…..😢

[@TheMyamicahVision]

Spenser: For Hire

[@scottkrafft6830]

2:29 Dang. A 1963~1964 in 1989?

[@Nexus104]

Basically its the same as seeing one of the 80s cars on today's roads

[@JM-75003]

Saw that...63 Bel Air, I think

[@CS-np2oo]

I saw that too

[@ariver7491]

Cop doing his job not looking to profile and shoot, no one lost using a Cellphone, no one wearing expensive brands to impress and seems simple

[@akim1526]

wasn't the 80s one of the most vapid decades in terms of what was in the media tho

[@capcom7794]

uuhhhhh, cops killed and profiled many people of color back in the 80s. it was a sad time in police history.

[@rednimus9620]

So many Boxy Cars!

[@ariver7491]

1:05 - $1.09 for gas. 1:31 - still seeing same dumb drivers today in 2020.

[@capcom7794]

thats about 2.50 in today's money. still pretty good.

[@R3TR0--93]

​@@capcom7794 $3.45 in my area

[@R3TR0--93]

Back when Police were actually horned and respected.

[@dcsmooth]

1:30 I love how both of them are not in the lanes they should be in. THIS is why Boston is the worst place to drive! Their kids probably grew up to be more idiot drivers. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@user-xg8yy7yl1d]

It looks like they already converted to metric there inadvertently. The sign says max 30, doesnt specify units, and it looks like theyre doing no more than 30 km/h to me.

[@lam533]

Love this clip so much I had to come back to it. 1980's = Boston traffic sucks 1990's = still sucks 2000's (post Big Dig, single worst state boondoggle in US history) = sucks even more 2010, 2020... = yep, you guessed it

[@jonkeevose498]

looking it all those ugly cars

[@moseswilliams615]

JK Vose all those REAL cars

[@kroneyt1493]

1st of all, look at your own profile picture. 2nd of all, at least they were built to last, unlike cars today.

[@marajadeskywalker5992]

Walsinork you are so right man. I've owned my 57 Chevy since my parents died, and they bought her back in 1961

[@scottlabossiere1866]

@@kroneyt1493 so true today’s cars are made of cheap plastic

[@LLMC968]

@@kroneyt1493 😆🤣😂😹

[@TheMyamicahVision]

Spenser: For Hire