public transportation

The MBTA plans to cut services and raise fares.  Does that seem backwards to you?  Usually consumers are willing to pay a higher price if we get more, not less.  Unfortunately the current situation is that our public transportation system doesn't have adequate resources to run as usual...the operating budget is strained.  We also have heard about the capital and maintenance budgets with a backlog for repairs and replacements.

This is not a good situation for riders dependant on lower costing fares, and more frequent service.  We don't want more vehicles on the road; we can't afford more vehicles on the road. Our road systems can't keep up with the current flow of traffic and the environment will surely suffer.  Besides, there's no place to park!

So, here's a couple of things you can do:

• Participate in MBTA meetings.  Follow this link to learn about the proposed changes and the meeting schedule.   [MBTA Fare Change and Service Guide]
• Learn more about the other issues in your community that are important to you.  We need revenues to maintain healthy communities, healthy people, good schools...(you insert what's important to your community)  Check out the Campaign for Our Communities. and then join the campaign!

Remember, the government is us!

Well, with any new taxes "off the table what is the MBTA management suposed  to recommend but service cuts and fare increases?

I guess we can all argue about who pays the increase (seniors? students? trains?, buses?) and what services are cut. How about those suburban lines? Or the mid morning routes in the inner citiy?  Oh dear. What to do. What to do.  Here's what Secretary Davey told the Herald.

Suburban bus service and nighttime commuter rail could be on the chopping block as Department of Transportation officials scrounge for solutions to a $161 million budget hole projected for next year, Transportation Secretary Richard Davey said Monday.

In interview outside Park Street Station, as morning commuters crisscrossed the Boston Common, Davey said he anticipates proposals for fare hikes and service cuts to be offered next month, with a likely public hearing process set for January.

“The T will probably be looking to float some proposals in December,” he said.

“I think a fare increase – it’s a good policy to have one from time to time. The T’s costs have gone up, for health care, for power, energy ... other commodities costs. I think a fare increase is timely from time to time,” he continued.

Have you wondered what some of the items in the state budget your tax dollars pay for?  Look down at the sidewalks and the roads...look up at the traffic lights and traffic signs...read this article and you'll learn more about the outstanding maintenance bill for our public transportation system that has been neglected but can no longer be ignored for public safety reasons.

The closings [of the Red Line] are needed to allow T crews to make $80 million in repairs designed to keep trains from derailing.  [Full Article: The Boston Globe]

Here we go--an important player in the businhess community (Mass Inc) comes out for taxes. File under We'll See

The report points out that the funding pressures on regional systems means that a city like Lowell can’t provide a robust link between its University of Massachusetts campus and the city’s commuter rail station. Instead, the Lowell Regional Transit Authority runs buses more than 30 minutes apart on weekdays and offers no evening service. There are fewer trips on Saturdays and on Sundays there is no service at all.

For remedies, the study’s authors suggest two financing strategies. One is a regional payroll tax on workers in the MBTA’s service region. A 0.7 percent levy, which is similar to what Portland, OR, assesses, could bring in between $600 million and $900 million annually, the report says. Smaller regional levies could help the MBTA close its annual operating deficit and produce millions in revenue on top of state funds for cities like Lowell, Springfield, and Worcester.

The second proposal, a vehicle miles traveled tax, is one option that transportation planners across the country have long-touted as the next major step in paying for roads, bridges, and transit. A VMT tax is borne by the people who use a transportation system. The levy would increase during rush hours, forcing some users to make more deliberate decisions about their travel needs, thereby reducing congestion.

Merchants are already banking on the hope that a new station will bring them more customers and an economic bridge to the rest of the city. ...The MBTA said that adding stations is aimed at providing better transportation to low-income people who are overwhelmingly dependent on public transit.   [Full Article: The Boston Globe]

Budget and deficit reduction decisions in Washington, DC have substantive (and potentially harmful) consequences for local cities and towns, not only in the current year but for decades.  It now seems that some in Congress now want to play "chicken" with the transportation department as part of the deficit reduction debate.  We need to stay informed and engaged with this issue...

Federal transportation policy shapes, in a profound way, the way Americans connect to their communities and to the economy. When the feds get it right, cities flourish. And when they get it wrong, the consequences can last for decades.   [Full Op-Ed: The Boston Globe]

Stephanie Pollack, Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Northeastern University, and Richard A. Dimino, A Better City, want to set the record straight about the current gas tax MA levies - .21 cents/gal - and the last time MA increased the gas tax - 1991 - and that the MA gas tax is NOT higher than the National Average - it is lower.  Once the facts are on the table, then the serious discussions can commence.

We do not endorse the gasoline tax or any particular revenue option at this time but we do believe that the time is long since past for a serious policy conversation on how Massachusetts can find the revenue needed to invest in our aging transportation infrastructure.   [Full Letter: Northeastern University]

The Green Line project extension is supposed to be completed by 2014 according to the lawsuit related to the Big Dig.  However, now estimates have the Green Line extending service to College Avenue in Medford from 2018 to 2020...

“Obviously it’s disappointing,’’ said Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which in the last year has undertaken a myriad of public meetings to hash out a second phase of the extension to Route 16 in Medford. While acknowledging the need to buy land and acquire permits, Draisen said he suspected underlying financial instability. [Full Article: The Boston Globe]

The added revenue from a modest increase in riders will not be enough to offset the T’s $161 million budget gap for next fiscal year, Richard Davey, the T’s general manager said.

“This is great that ridership is up,’’ Taisha O’Bryant, vice chairwoman of the T Riders Union said. “But if [the MBTA] would like to maintain or increase ridership, they need to uphold their end of the bargain by making sure that the T is on time and make sure there’s no fare hike.’’ [Full Article: Boston Globe]

The main question is how do we get to a sustainable  transportation system - roads, bridges, and public transportation - when we have several years of budget cuts and budget deficits?  The gas tax debate is on...again...

[Governor] Patrick found himself in the spotlight on the issue yesterday after Lt. Gov. Tim Murray hinted that a gas tax hike could be back in play, telling the Worcester Telegram the administration is considering several options to pay for road and bridge maintenance, including gas tax, toll and fare increases. [Full Article: SouthCoast Today]