The Boston City Council agreed today to look at withholding the more than $85 million the city coughs up for T service every year until the T can meet performance guidelines that would be set after public hearings across the city.
Councilor Althea Garrison (at large) proposed the hearing because, she said, the T is looking at increasing fares for a system that she said remains biased in favor of richer suburbs instead of poor urban neighborhoods, in particular in Boston.
Garrison's proposal won the quick approval of Councilor Michelle Wu (at large), who has been visiting T stations of late to collect signatures against the fare increase, now scheduled to go into effect this summer. The fare increase is "regressive, backwards for so many reasons," including the potential to increase car traffic and its resultant pollution, she said.
Councilors Frank Baker, Lydia Edwards, Annissa Essaibi-George, Ed Flynn, Kim Janey, Josh Zakim, Andrea Campbell and Wu signed on as co-sponsors of the measure.
Campbell said she would forward the measure to the council's committee on planning, development and transportation, which Wu chairs, to consider alongside measures Wu has proposed to force better service out of the T.
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Comments
bus lanes
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 2:57pm
The city could do their part by building more than one bus lane, keeping bus stops clear, enforcing double parking, etc.
And the police need to
By Matt
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 6:30pm
And the police need to actually keep people out of the bus lanes. The ones in Chinatown might as well not exist.
Enforcement means more than
By Pfhlick
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 6:01am
Enforcement means more than just ticketing, too. A friendly, uniformed individual, politely directing motorists to clear the lane, would be quite effective. Sounds like low hanging fruit.
Where's the magic money tree
By anon
Fri, 03/01/2019 - 5:18pm
for your police detail? How 'bout cameras pal
This doesn't excuse breaking
By anon
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 2:52pm
This doesn't excuse breaking the law, but IMO a lane for a bus that only runs every 12 minutes seems inefficient. Would it really carry more people per hour than a general lane?
I'm sure they didn't even think of this
By SwirlyGrrl
Fri, 03/01/2019 - 6:45pm
Right?
You might want to look up the studies done on these bus lanes, as well as the trial runs.
Because this isn't something that some planner just pulled out of his or her pants.
City Record Feb 25 City of Boston Mayor, City Council President
By theszak
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 2:57pm
City Record February 25, 2019 Vol. 111 No. 8 City of Boston Mayor, City Council President https://www.boston.gov/departments/procurement
They should also request that Pollack resign her office
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 2:57pm
Boston will not get the performance results they desire until the state leadership changes.
Pollack has been surprisingly
By Pfhlick
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 6:03am
Pollack has been surprisingly moved by smart public advocacy. Not saying she's the perfect leader, but who should replace her?
Poftak, Gonneville. Fiandaca, Osgood Are Better Fits
By anon
Fri, 03/01/2019 - 5:15pm
Take your pick. All of them have more transportation experience. Pollack has "DeVos experience". A rich donor who likes to play leader. The recent transport decisions are empty PR. Move a project from one fake column to another fake column. Pick a highway project that doesn't work from an engineering standpoint. It's time for a change.
How about withholding funds
By Kinopio
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:01pm
How about withholding funds for street plowing until Boston drivers go one week without killing or seriously injuring someone? How about charging more than $0 for the billions in hand outs Boston drivers get via free street parking?
You do realize
By Waquiot
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:26pm
T buses run on those very streets.
Someone hates bus riders.
You do realize
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:54pm
It has been a long while since a poorly driven T bus killed somebody.
Buses will run faster if private cars are banned for those without disabilities.
Without plowed streets, buses
By dotratfromwayback
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 4:41pm
Without plowed streets, buses may very well kill people, wouldn't you agree?
Well I mean if we are playing this game
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 4:49pm
If the roads aren't plowed, then it would be too dangerous to allow buses to run, wouldn't you agree?
So you agree the streets
By dotratfromwayback
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 6:58pm
So you agree the streets shouldn't be plowed?
Re-read Kino’s quote
By Waquiot
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 5:56pm
He says that the streets shouldn’t be plowed after snow storms until there are no more fatal vehicle crashes.
Also, someone being killed by a T bus is not as distant an incident as you might think.
Not to mention
By Hardy Har Har
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 7:46am
Ambulances and fire trucks.
uhh
By hux
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 4:02pm
Pretty sure more pedestrians and bikers would be in danger with unplowed streets.
Great idea! Then we can call
By dotratfromwayback
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 4:14pm
Great idea! Then we can call ourselves one of those shithole cities like your idol Trump does!
Street parking for residents isn't a free hand-out
By ScottB
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 6:22pm
Given that city residents paid $52 million in motor vehicle excise taxes to the city in FY17, that street parking isn't a hand-out. And street plowing is necessary for emergency vehicles, school buses, the MBTA, delivery vehicles, transporting the disabled, construction vehicles, service providers, etc.
The City doesn't spend anywhere near "billions" annually on drivers. The City's budget for the streets cabinet in 2019 is about $240 million -- but that also includes services like trash collection and street cleaning, as well as the city's own vehicle fleet, street lighting, and improvements that benefit pedestrians and cyclists.
the fact that the city of
By anon
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 8:28am
the fact that the city of boston pays the administrative overhead - staff, mailing, enforcement - for resident parking without charging at least a NOMINAL fee to cover those costs means it's a handout. excise tax goes to road maintenance not parking costs. its' ridiculous that the city gives them out for free, when cambridge/somerville have shown that charging a nominal fee works EXTREMELY well. but then, somerville also has a very functional guest parking program, which boston still can't figure the fuck out, so I don't know why I'm surprised.
Spare Me
By NorthEnd3r
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 9:57am
Did you pay $4,680 in excise taxes? That's how much it would cost to leave a car in a metered space 24/7.
Of course you didn't. Of course, your excise tax also goes towards many other service and maintenance needs for the road.
Spare me the claim that you've paid enough for parking.
The price of metered parking
By ScottB
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 10:28am
Has exactly zero to do with the cost of providing that space. It's just a revenue generator for the city as well as a way to encourage turnover in spaces. And in areas like Beacon Hill and the Back Bay, some resident spaces turn into metered spaces during the day and that resident sticker doesn't exempt the car's owner from feeding the meter or observing the two-hour limit.
Almost there...
By fungwah
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 12:13pm
Right, because it's heavily subsidized (and good luck trying to raise it without drivers throwing a fit). Look at the price of private parking around these areas - that's a lot closer to what the city should be charging for these spaces if it actually charged people for how much they're worth and cost to maintain.
Even metered parking is subsidized
By fungwah
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 12:10pm
Look at the prices to keep a car parked in a private space 24/7 and compare the difference. Drivers are getting a huge value in free or cheap parking for the tiny amount they pay in excise taxes.
If the T becomes free to ride
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:03pm
If the T becomes free to ride and Boston withholds payments what's the plan to maintain and repair the T infrastructure? I'm not sure I see how squeezing future revenue, threatening/actually withholding current revenue and then telling the T to go fix things is going to work.
SUV owning Boston residents should be for this!
By Pete Nice
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:14pm
The T would need to raise rates to offset the amount correct? (or fire some people/cut costs and routes)
Seems counter-productive?
By fungwah
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:17pm
I'd bet there's a decent chunk of the people in charge of these things who would just take a loss of funding as an excuse to cut services. Feels like this could easily just lead to a death spiral in terms of "can't meet performance guidelines, loses money, so cuts services so it's even more unlikely to meet performance guidelines". How about removing money from some other bucket, or even better, offer additional funding if the MBTA is able to improve services?
Does this mean that the
By Murkin
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:24pm
Does this mean that the citizens of Mass who don’t ride the T or see any other benefit from it withhold their $0.01 per $1 of the sales tax that they pay? I doubt it.
Don't see a benefit?
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:56pm
Lets have a special holiday where T users all drive into work and are allowed to leave their cars wherever they please to park them.
But we already know that you can't seem to bother doing basic math even if you can point at numbers.
Also, lets take a quick lesson on where that money goes: HINT - it does not all go to the MBTA! It ends up all over the State!
Ok thats fine, we can keep it
By Murkin
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 6:19am
Ok thats fine, we can keep it at $0.01 for western Mass. Then based on the rules of diminishing returns of investment based on distance, people inside I495 can pay $0.02, inside I95 $0.03 and in Boston you can pay $0.04. You benefit the most, you pay the most.
Time to start paying your "fare" share.
the 128 belt...
By anon
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 8:38am
subsidizes the rest of the state. stop crying, or maybe we will start withholding money for worcester and berkshire counties.
Good start
By anon
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 10:24am
Now let Western Mass pay back that $50 million tab for repairs after Hurricane Irene.
And pay for all the stupid little roads that the towns won't pave that serve six people.
Fair is fare.
All MA citizens see benefits
By hux
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:57pm
The T helps the economy of Boston, and the economy of Boston drives the economy of the state and subsidizes the western part of the state.
As soon as the rest of the state isn't subsidized by the Boston economy, we can talk.
I dunno
By erik g
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 9:54pm
I pay into state sales, excise, and income tax, which nominally should fund public K-12 education for every state resident. It doesn’t seem to have helped you.
"don't see a benefit"
By anon
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 8:30am
>implying that western mass wouldn't be Cow Hampshire 2.0 without Boston's economic success being funneled into subsidizing that whole bumfuck area.
not logical
By hux
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:59pm
Sure, I hate the T and think the entire system is broken as much as anyone, but this is not a good idea.
Withholding funds is not going to increase performance, instead the state will just use it as an excuse to further cut service.
"Since Boston is withholding funds, we will be cutting X + Y bus routes, and reducing service on line Z."
"That project that we semi-committed to doing by 2050 will now take until 2150."
Perhaps the MBTA can make a
By Pfhlick
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 6:15am
Perhaps the MBTA can make a constructive response here: dear Boston, this is the budget, this is what your funds are earmarked for, here's the potential impact of your spending or withholding. Now, Boston, instead of taking your toys and driving home, do you want to give your feedback?
How about an even better idea?
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 3:57pm
Why doesn't the City Council lead a blockade of the parking garage on Beacon Hill?
Can i withhold
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 4:13pm
My Property Tax until the schools improve? They're worse than the T.
Also, couldn't the T turn around and refuse passes for students? A bunch of geniuses down at city hall....
Better yet
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 7:02pm
Lets withhold their pay until they do their job.
This proposal proves how useless they are.
What’s this even mean
By Jules
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 5:11pm
“a system that she said remains biased in favor of richer suburbs instead of poor urban neighborhoods, in particular in Boston.â€
She didn't elaborate, but ...
By adamg
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 5:59pm
I doubt I'd be going too far out on a limb to suggest she's comparing things like the proposal to build a new commuter-rail line to New Bedford with the bus service that people in parts of Dorchester and Mattapan have to rely on.
What like the
By anon
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 7:06pm
Fairmount line? I take it regularly and the (100s) millions they’ve spent would exceed our lifetime to pay for itself.
Not to mention the vandalism at station on said line.
Sure, because New Bedford = suburb for the rich.
By section77
Wed, 02/27/2019 - 7:42pm
Everyone knows that. Although I agree we shouldn't spend billions to bring rail service to another city that will then balk at the fare, and also insist they should get a free ride in the name of Social Justice.
Do you think Mattapan needs a
By anon
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 6:15am
Do you think Mattapan needs a commuter rail Adam?
Yes
By adamg
Fri, 03/01/2019 - 10:45am
Of course, one could also ask if Wellesley and West Roxbury need three commuter-rail stations each.
Here's a factoid for you
By Waquiot
Fri, 03/01/2019 - 11:24am
Beverly, MA has 5 commuter rail stations.
I agree, this is confusing
By suburban commuter
Thu, 02/28/2019 - 12:00pm
Are they expecting us (perceived-as) rich suburbanites to pay a greater proportion of the T's budget, or are they trying to keep fares low enough and/or service good enough that we don't climb into our cars and drive in on our worst-in-the-nation congested roads during rush hours? (Or do they actually want both, and don't see this as a tradeoff?)
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