James Aloisi

Guest Contributor

Stories by James Aloisi

Bustitutions aren’t the only option during shutdowns

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

Bustitutions aren’t the only option during shutdowns

Maybe commuter rail trains could operate as MBTA shuttles

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THE MBTA RECENTLY ANNOUNCED that the Orange Line would be shut down on weekends between Ruggles and Forest Hills for much of this summer and into the fall. These shutdowns are the consequence of the long-overdue initiative to close the T’s $7.3 billion maintenance backlog. The work coming to the Orange Line now and in(...)

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Regulatory reset needed on Uber, self-driving cars

Modernizing Mobility/ Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

Regulatory reset needed on Uber, self-driving cars

Impose a series of fees and use the funds for public transit

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Second of two parts (First part can be found here.)  MASSACHUSETTS STATE AND MUNICIPAL DECISION MAKERS must push a reset button and develop a template for a more comprehensive and robust regulatory framework that will guide the operation of Transportation Network Company and autonomous vehicle business models. It’s a necessary first step in the process(...)

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TNCs existential threat to public transportation

Modernizing Mobility/ Tracking Transportation/ Transportation/ Opinion

TNCs existential threat to public transportation

Ride-hailing apps are a disruptive auto-centric technology

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First of two parts ADVOCACY IS WHAT LIKE-MINDED people do, usually in an organized fashion, to effect change in the way government or public policy impacts their lives. Advocacy can take many forms and approaches, from energizing and activating people at the grassroots, to persuading decision makers at the grasstops, to knocking on doors in(...)

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What am I missing at Allston Landing?

Transportation/ Opinion

What am I missing at Allston Landing?

At-grade Pike, West Station early on are no-brainers

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THERE ARE OCCASIONS in the making of public policy when you are left scratching your head, because the decision-making just doesn’t make sense, and you wonder what you may be missing. I’m thinking today of Allston Landing, the vast urban wasteland of industrial, highway, and rail uses that for generations stood as a stark example(...)

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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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