Friday, February 24, 2012
Should the money go to the MBTA as the Governor proposes, or do you have other ideas for it?
With a winter of record high temperatures at least partially behind us, the state government has only used about $10 million of the $50 million set aside for snow and ice removal, according to a Fox News article. Governor Deval Patrick wants to give that money to the MBTA. As he says in this Patriot-Ledger article, "We’ve had a good and calm and relatively snow-free winter so far. If the winter continues as it has been, there will be unspent snow and ice budget. That may be part of the one-year fix." The fix he is referring to is the MBTA's estimated $161 million projected budget deficit for fiscal year 2013, but we at Patch are wondering if you see other things that need fixing. Where do you think the money saved this year should go, …
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Boston's Mayor, the coalition Transportation For Massachusetts, and members of the Occupy Boston movement are all speaking out against the MBTA's two proposals.
"Riders should not be forced to shoulder the entire weight of this debt," said Mayor Menino in a letter to MBTA General Manager Richard Davey, as quoted in this article in the Boston Globe. The Mayor also came out in favor of a gas tax or "another levy" to close the T's revenue gaps, and recommended that the Big Dig debt that the T is carrying be forgiven, a stance that is also popular with some members of the Occupy Boston group, Occupy The T. In an article from the Boston Occupier, writer Doug Greene says that several present at a recent Occupy The T meeting, "argued that the banks should cancel the T’s debt." Meeting attendees also supported greater taxes on the nation's top 1% of earners. Somerville resident Joe Ramsey said, “…
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
In the wake of the Occupy Boston movement and the MBTA's announcement of service cuts and fare increases, "Occupy The T" has emerged to add to the discussion. Do you agree with their assessment of things?
Recently the group "Occupy The T" held its first meeting, and, according to an article in The Boston Occupier, activists, organizers, and community members there painted a picture of the options the MBTA has to eliminate its debt different from the two scenarios the MBTA has presented. At the meeting, "Attendees stressed the importance of rejecting the state’s claim that there is no alternative to the two proposed regimes of cuts and fare hikes," writer Doug Greene said. He added, "Instead of deciding between the MBTA’s two proposed plans, 'Occupy the T' hopes to expose the role of for-profit financial institutions in creating and perpetuating the MBTA’s budget crisis. Several present argued that the banks should cancel the T’s debt …
TrainSafety
11:42 pm on Friday, March 2, 2012
Kasey sounds like a T employee whose job is to promote the transfer of snow funds to the MBTA. The riders who've used the train have seen what I've seen, because it's impossible that I've witnessed only the flukes. My eyewitness accounts are what I've given. When I've asked an Information Booth person a simple question about the Green line, I was told "How the F### should I know, I don't live … more ›