WELL, THAT was the week that was. No, we aren’t referring to the 1960s irreverent TV satirical review of the news. We’re talking about the week when MBTA leaders decided to shut down there transit system’s second busiest subway line in order to undertake an accelerated 30-day repair program, the week when the T also […]
James Aloisi
Posted inOpinion
MBTA service levels need to be restored asap
LET THIS SINK IN for a second: The MBTA this week announced that it won’t be able to return the subway system to regular service frequencies before Labor Day, and probably not until sometime in 2023. This is because the Federal Transit Administration directed the T to solve the problem of understaffing and excessively long […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t forget the poetry of public transit
WHEN ACADEMICS and advocates talk about transit, they talk about the importance of things like access, agglomeration effects, sustainability, and mobility efficiency. It’s often through the lens of these attributes that planners make decisions about where and how to invest in transit and rail systems. They each can be measured, offering something tangible to support […]
Posted inOpinion
A reminder we forget our past at our own peril
The recently leaked draft Supreme Court opinion would, if issued as the final opinion of the Court, overturn the landmark decisions Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. It would have devastating effects on our society, introducing a new era of political intrusion into personal privacy, causing great personal hardship to many people, disproportionally […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should seek fed grants on I-90 Allston this month
WHEN OPPORTUNITY knocks, it’s a good idea to open the door. The federal government, thanks to underappreciated efforts by Congressional Democrats and strong presidential leadership, is now accepting applications for transportation projects that will receive funding from last year’s historic bi-partisan infrastructure bill. This time, the federal government is looking for large scale highway or […]
Posted inOpinion
Lifting mask mandate is right thing to do
LET ME BEGIN by saying I believe in vaccines. I am fully vaxxed and double boosted. I believe in the value of wearing a quality, well-fitting mask in most indoor venues where I don’t know the people I am gathered with. I use an N95 in certain limited circumstances where I think the risk level […]
Posted inOpinion
Senate plan puts too much emphasis on electric vehicles
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Thursday rolled out Senate Bill 2819, “An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward.” The bill was apparently meant to showcase the Senate as leading the way for a more sustainable, net zero carbon future. The goal is laudable, but the approach – at least as it relates to the transportation sector – […]
Posted inOpinion
The T should not be playing fiscal musical chairs
WE ARE HEADING for a massive MBTA operating budget deficit next year, and no one in power on Beacon Hill is doing anything about it. This is not a theory or hypothesis; this is a fact, something the T itself candidly acknowledges and has publicly stated. Why will this happen? And what can be done […]
Posted inOpinion
Suspending the gas tax doesn’t make sense
WITH GAS PRICES recently soaring as a result of unscrupulous foreign oil cartels, greedy oil companies, and a bloodthirsty Russian autocrat, the Massachusetts GOP has a solution for Massachusetts drivers: let’s support these foreign and domestic troublemakers by depriving ourselves of funding to invest in better roads and bridges. When Speaker Ron Mariano called this […]
Posted inOpinion
A ‘duende’ diss to Tom Brady
NOW LET’S GET something clear before you read any further. I’m no sports enthusiast. I was once a baseball fan, but that was a long time ago, before the Red Sox offered up their final disappointment to me in 1986, a disappointment I vowed never to forgive, and indeed, I have kept that vow. And […]