With all the coverage of MBTA financing recently, we wanted to point out excellent material that came out of a summit at Northeastern University in 2010. There are some good ideas in here about T financing. For each of the most commonly discussed options, it includes the current Massachusetts policy, how it is used in other states, its advantages and disadvantages,…
"Patch Readers Unhappy with MBTA Situation" "Many readers were frustrated by the prospect of paying more for less service, especially since the long-awaited Green Line extension, which was supposed to open in Somerville by the end of 2014, has been delayed until 2019."
"The T Needs More Than Fare Increases" "T4MA objects to the MBTA's proposal because it attempts to solve a much larger problem of insufficient funding for public transportation exclusively on the back of transit riders, who are traveling in ways that reduce traffic and benefit the environment."
The MBTA, attempting to deal with painful deficits, announced plans to raise fares and cut services. Two scenarios are presented, both of which are ugly. Scenario 1 relies more on fare increases, while scenario 2 focuses on cuts to service, including the elimination of 6 important Somerville bus routes: 80, 85, 90, 92, 95, and 96.
Key links:
Somerville Patch: “Your Thoughts: Fare Hikes, Maybe Bus Eliminations Coming to Somerville”
Yup, that's right. Today was the original legal deadline for the State to open the full Green Line Extension. Then it got pushed back to 2014. Then 2015. Now they're saying it will be phased between 2016-2019. Sigh. There have been 7.5 years of planning (starting with the Beyond Lechmere study in 2004), many frustrating meetings, a lot of talk, but…
The Transport Politic has published a must-read article, "Local Funding for Public Transportation Operations: Producing Inequitable Results?" The summary: "Less wealthy regions may be more likely to spend less on transit, leaving the poor there with higher transportation expenses."
An important new report from American Lung Association, Clean Air Task Force and Earthjustice (originally the Sierra Club legal arm) has just been released: “SICK OF SOOT – How the EPA can save lives by cleaning up fine particle pollution.” This summarizes a large new study which calculates the health effects of fine particles in the US.
On December 13, a few folks from Friends of Community Path gave a tour of part of the future Path route to Richard A. Davey (CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation) and David Mohler (Chair of the MPO Transportation Planning and Programming Committee).
The documentary, from Tufts University, provides an overview of the local CAFEH (Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health) study that STEP is participating in.
"New Lechmere T station could open in early 2017" "Lechmere Station will be moved across Monsignor O'Brien Highway from its current location and the MBTA will build a new viaduct carrying the Green Line trains to the station before the tracks will be extended through Somerville and to College Avenue in Medford."