James Aloisi

Guest Contributor

Stories by James Aloisi

Time to reconsider S. Coast Rail phased plan

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

Time to reconsider S. Coast Rail phased plan

Current approach is too slow and offers too little bang for the buck

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THE PATRICK AND BAKER ADMINISTRATIONS have been aligned in their support for South Coast Rail as the best approach to providing improved regional mobility to and from the South Coast region of Masssachusetts. Linking the great cities of New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton by rail to Boston would provide those and neighboring communities with(...)

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The T is failing before our very eyes

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

The T is failing before our very eyes

Transit agency needs substantial new revenue to get the job done

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IT WAS déjà vu all over again. Wednesday’s Red Line meltdown didn’t happen because of harsh winter weather.  Ironically, it happened during a gloriously warm day in February, a day when the one blessing of a failed subway system was that many people could walk to their destinations in relative comfort. This time the culprit(...)

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He brought Boston back from the brink

Politics/ Opinion

He brought Boston back from the brink

And to think it might not have happened but for a needless insult

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FOR THOSE WHO REMEMBER Boston television news in the pre-cable days, Jack Hynes was a powerful media presence for decades. He anchored the news with a gravitas that made you pay close attention. He also knew Greater Boston like the back of his hand, and brought a level of integrity to his work that was(...)

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We can tackle traffic congestion

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

We can tackle traffic congestion

To paraphrase Beyoncé, put a price on it

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THE FACTS ARE IN and they aren’t pretty.  Metro Boston ranks in the top tier of regions suffering from severe, chronic traffic congestion. You knew that, didn’t you?  You’ve been stuck in that traffic, day after day, morning and evening after morning and evening. Or you’ve been on commuter rail from Worcester or Framingham, waving(...)

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Baker, Trump budgets disappointing for transportation

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation

Baker, Trump budgets disappointing for transportation

Level funding regional transit authorities amounts to a shameful budget cut

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IF YOU THOUGHT we might have turned a corner generating political support for what most of the public appears to want – a more resilient, reliable, sustainable transportation network – you were wrong. At both the federal and state levels the rhetoric sounds good, but the reality leaves a lot to be desired. The Trump(...)

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Francis Appleton, a man on autopilot

Opinion

Francis Appleton, a man on autopilot

Have you ever wondered whether time has bested you, or you it?

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Author’s Note:  This story will disappoint you if you approach it expecting a Christmas ghost story.  No eerie images appear on doorknockers, no apparitions escort our protagonist to ancient graveyards. You may be required to suspend disbelief, but how is that materially different from what you read in the daily newspapers, or watch on local(...)

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Railing against transportation madness

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation

Railing against transportation madness

Gondolas, a 2040 West Station, and autonomous vehicles

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I’M WONDERING WHETHER A TYPE OF MADNESS has infected our thinking in Greater Boston. Someone writes in the Boston Globe about how great it will be when autonomous vehicles replace transit – a truly mind-boggling piece that ignores everything about why Greater Boston benefits from smart, sustainable, equitable public transportation. Then a well-heeled private sector(...)

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Putting cash in its place at the MBTA

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

Putting cash in its place at the MBTA

Eliminating payments on board buses, Green Line makes sense

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A HIGHLY FUNCTIONING urban transit system is characterized by its speed, convenience, and reliability.  The Netherlands, a role model for efficient and sustainable mobility, has examples of this in abundance.  Go to places like Amsterdam or The Hague and you will have at your disposal multiple modal choices – trams, buses, and light rail –(...)

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Walsh’s transportation to-do list

The Back Story/ Transportation

Walsh’s transportation to-do list

It’s a unique moment to address the city’s inequities

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In the aftermath of a massive general election victory by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh – and recognizing the political capital that goes along with that – it seems a good time to assess the opportunities for meaningful progress on a number of initiatives that have the potential to set Boston and the region on an irrevocable path toward a(...)

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Dear Gov. Raimondo: Express trains wrong ask

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

Dear Gov. Raimondo: Express trains wrong ask

Let’s improve existing service and help all passengers

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DEAR GOVERNOR GINA RAIMONDO: We read with interest your call for express rail service from Providence to Boston. You are spot-on in thinking that improved rail connections regionally will be beneficial to the people, the economies, and the environments of our respective states. But rather than single express trains serving a few commuters, we respectfully(...)

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