T board trying to kickstart revenue debate

Pollack offers help, but acknowledges she doesn’t agree with FMCB

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, MBTA 0 Comments Mar 18, 2019

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY STEPHANIE POLLACK said on Monday that she is willing to act as a conduit between members of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board and the Legislature on the need for broader transportation revenue initiatives even though she doesn’t see a need for them. Several members of the five-person control board have indicated they(...)

Use VW settlement to electrify bus fleet

Deadline for applying for funds is fast approaching

By Christine P. Barber, Jonathan Hecht, Maria Robinson and David Rogers Climate change, MBTA 0 Comments Mar 14, 2019

IMAGINE WALKING down a city street and being able to take a deep breath without inhaling tailpipe exhaust left and right from cars, buses, and trucks. If you live in a car-congested area, the experience of being surrounded by tailpipe emissions from gas-guzzling and greenhouse gas-emitting, toxin-spewing vehicles is so much a part of your(...)

T notes: DeLeo open to tax hikes

$10 weekend commuter rail fare is now permanent

By Colin A. Young and Bruce Mohl Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA, Robert DeLeo 0 Comments Mar 12, 2019

OPENING THE DOOR for a near-term debate over transportation and transportation financing on Beacon Hill, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said on Tuesday that he is open to tax hikes or just about any other prescription to address the state’s critical needs — but he first wants to know what businesses will support. Speaking at a(...)

T control board wants to discuss new revenues with lawmakers

Members appear to be breaking away from the Baker script

By Bruce Mohl and Andy Metzger Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Mar 11, 2019

FOUR OF THE FIVE MEMBERS of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board indicated on Monday that they think the Legislature should explore new transportation funding initiatives and several said a portion of the money should go to the transit authority. Brian Lang and Monica Tibbits-Nutt were the most specific. As the T raises fares,(...)

Frustrated MBTA board OKs fare hike

Members say many functions broken at transit authority

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Mar 11, 2019

THE MBTA OVERSIGHT BOARD approved a slightly trimmed-down fare increase on Monday at a meeting where it became clear that a majority of the five members are dissatisfied with the transit authority’s progress in a number of areas and at odds with Gov. Charlie Baker on the need for new, broader transportation revenue initiatives. Nearing(...)

The lowly bus deserves a lot more attention

It’s an underappreciated, neglected part of our transportation system

By Myechia Minter-Jordan and Chris Dempsey MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Mar 9, 2019

EACH WEEKDAY in Greater Boston, more than 400,000 workers, students, shoppers, seniors, and visitors board an MBTA bus. Buses serve three times as many riders as the commuter rail. But despite their importance, buses remain an underappreciated and often neglected component of our region’s transportation system. The T’s own performance dashboard sets a meager on-time(...)

Senators raise concerns on T fare increase

Amendments on hearings, audits, and uncollected fares fail to pass

By Chris Lisinski Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA 0 Comments Mar 8, 2019

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE SENATORS slammed the MBTA’s rollout of proposed fare hikes on Thursday, arguing that outreach about the increases was insufficient and that it was unfair to raise prices when the transit authority is letting millions of dollars in existing fares go uncollected. The criticism, including jabs from Senate budget chief Michael(...)

How to start dealing with congestion

It’s time to put words and ideas into action – and quickly

By James Aloisi Transportation 0 Comments Mar 7, 2019

HERE’S WHAT we know. Traffic congestion in metro Boston has grown, is worsening, and is now measured as the worst in the nation – worse even than Los Angeles. There is no strategy, no plan, to relieve this congestion in a meaningful way. Here’s what we know. Ridership on the MBTA Blue Line is skyrocketing,(...)

Walsh wants to pilot 2 more dedicated bus lanes

Also plans to open pickup-dropoff zone for ride hailing apps

By Bruce Mohl Marty Walsh, MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Mar 7, 2019

BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH is launching two more dedicated bus lane pilots this year and plans to begin community discussions about a separate lane for buses along the length of Blue Hill Avenue. Aides to the mayor said he will announce a dedicated AM peak bus lane on Brighton Avenue in Allston and an all-day(...)

Baker, T board members at odds on revenue strategy

Tibbits-Nutt: ‘We’ve just been kind of kicking the can’

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, MBTA, Taxes and Budget Issues, Transportation 0 Comments Mar 6, 2019

GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and several of his appointees to the MBTA oversight board appear to be at odds over whether a T fare increase should be accompanied by hikes in fees and charges on other forms of transportation. The issue first surfaced on Monday at a meeting of the Fiscal and Management Control Board, where(...)