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We gotta talk, T

Tory Bullock is not a fan of the impending MBTA fare increases.

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Comments

What's so special or funny about this bloke? I don't get it.

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hes fairly humorous.

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he doesn't use terms like "bloke" to try and seem erudite and sophisticated.

Or maybe he does?

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Get Pollack's true colors on tape. A good question to ask her: why are you pushing to remove the Mattapan train under the claim that overhead wiring is too fragile to maintain in Massachusetts; yet at the same time you're building a new 2.3 billion overhead wired GLX in Boston's northern suburbs?

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Though mind you, when the Green Line Extension opens, that will be 3 tracks. We should go on our first ride together.

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Its right up there with the Fairmount vs. suburban train swaps.

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This one's just kind of meh.

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The point is that he is using humor to bring issues into the forefront of a "viral" obsessed culture . Effectively trojan horsing thoughts and topics that wouldn't of been talked about otherwise. If you want comedy then you should probably go watch a stand up or that video of cats breakdancing. But this...this right here is a brilliant young guy using a platform to make ppl talk while others use it to take selfies. His vids have gotten petitions signed, offensive posters taken down, and entertains. , I gotta respect that.

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The point is that he is using humor to bring issues into the forefront of a "viral" obsessed culture . Effectively trojan horsing thoughts and topics that wouldn't of been talked about otherwise. If you want comedy then you should probably go watch a stand up or that video of cats breakdancing. But this...this right here is a brilliant young guy using a platform to make ppl talk while others use it to take selfies. His vids have gotten petitions signed, offensive posters taken down, and entertains. , I gotta respect that.

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I really, really did. And I was going to watch it with an open mind.

Then he got to his first gripe- replacement shuttles that are used when the rails are being repaired. I mean, how would he propose the T get the system up to a good state of repair? Even everyone's favorite (failing) transit system 20 miles southeast of here closes lines for repairs from time to time.

Sorry, but even though I think replacement bus service is annoying (which I do), I see it as a necessary evil. Of course, if the T were to not raise fares, or even abolish fares, they wouldn't have money for maintenance, so there would be no closures to maintain the rails, which means no replacement buses. If that's his idea of success, it's a winner. I'd like the rails and signals to be functional, but that's just me.

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Tax one of the richest institutions in the world that is regularly used as a tax write off for donations from the rich people and has an endowment larger than the budgets of most countries and fares could be free forever.

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How about giving the T over to the private sector without subsidies.

Boy, it’s fun making lame ass suggestions, isn’t it?

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Just make a one time dedicated Mass State Tax surcharge to fix the existing infrastructure , and be done with it . Then debate , dialogue , whatever , till the cows come home on the expansionist eleganti ideas with the normal obstructionist pace . Just do it.

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Since 1985, the Green E Line service has been truncated to Heath Street, with continuing service to Arborway provided by the 39 bus. 34 years of replacement bus service is a very very long time...

https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/b845nj/it_was_not_to_be/

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But Tori wasn’t alive when that happened. I mean, at one time three trolley lines went through Roslindale Square.

That said, he was griping about the T doing weekend work on the Orange Line. He can hate it all he wants. I want a trip without speed restrictions.

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You've obviously never taken their bus shuttles, especially the terrible green line shuttles this past weekend. Sorry excuse for 'service'

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In fact, I've used the buses for the very project Tory mentioned- the Orange Line.

But hey, if you're happy with the quality of the rails, signals, and power on the Green Line, fair play to you. From what I've heard, they could use an upgrade. Perhaps they'll rethink doing any repair work on the Green Line, just to make you happy.

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I tried to watch this. I really, really did.

Please don't ever attempt anything truly difficult, like standing in line at the RMV on a not-busy day - not if that's your benchmark of "Waquoit can't do".

And I was going to watch it with an open mind.

Suuuure you were.

Then he got to his first gripe- replacement shuttles that are used when the rails are being repaired. I mean, how would he propose the T get the system up to a good state of repair?

I thought you didn't watch it.

I mean, clearly you didn't, or you'd know that the objection is to a "shuttle" that's a wee bit longer than one or two stops.

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Has problems with reading comprehension.

But hey, since you are dying to know what I do with my time, here's what I did:

I was scrolling through facebook on Sunday night and ran across this. I find the guy entertaining to say the least, so I clicked on it. I went through his intro. When he got to his first point, I lost it. That he lead with his objection to infrastructure improvements caused me to stop.

So in sum, I gave it a try and he disappointed me a few minutes in.

But still, why do people hate the idea of the T trying to improve service? Should they just let things deteriorate? Do people really think that rails and the beds they lie on can last forever? Do people really think that signals and power do not need to be worked on? I mean, what kind of fantasy world to you people live in? Give me some kind of alternative. And if you were thinking or looking a bit south, or maybe a bit further south, you might want to research the "best practices."

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The MBTA is littered with Vanity Projects, also known as Pork Projects - which if removed would save the state upwards of 7 to 8 billion. Here's a quick rundown, including Bullock's main example. Why spend millions on a glass block to frame Boston City Hall at GC when State, Park, and DTX are crumbling. Why build a pricey abstract whale as an Aquarium station head-house only for it to flood the station. Why build a huge futuristic Ashmont station when the Mattapan Line is on its last leg. Why build a multi-billion dollar Green Line extension with stations every few blocks in a community where buses run at 50% capacity. Why fix up and polish the artzy unusable furniture at Alewife when the actual station is crashing down on cars. Why build a new Blue Hill Station when you don't have the equipment and personnel to run reliable train service on the Fairmount. Why build massive swanky BRT stations in Chelsea only for the buses to stop 30+ mins at the Chelsea Bridge. In Greater Boston Politicians, special interest groups, and transit enthusiasts push vanity projects that don't gel with the MBTA's needs. These vanity projects will likely lead to MBTA & MassDOT bankruptcy or a major transit collapse the state cannot recover from.

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You got me to watch the whole thing. In the end, it wasn’t the worst thing he has done.

Still, he did not say what you claim he said, in that he’s okay with the GLX, as is a wide swath of public opinion. Didn’t mention the commuter rail at all. No mention of Chelsea. In short, you heard what you wanted to hear.

Good work, GLX troll.

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1. Clearly you're a fan because you watch his work (" In the end, it wasn’t the worst thing he has done.")

2. He's speaking on why spend money on certain things when other things need it more. Was he expected to say every example of how the t is failing ? Seems pretty clear to me

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He only said that the Government Center redo was a waste of money. I would infer that he feels that avoiding things like that would magically keep fares down. You decided that since you have an axe to grind about a popular and well vetted project to make it about that.

Seriously, Tory probably thinks the Fairmount upgrades are great, if only frequency was improved. That said, I have as much to go on as you do. The GLX is most likely as off his radar as South Coast Rail is.

And yes, Tory Bullock creates interesting videos. I may not agree with them, but they are typically interesting to watch.

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This sums it up simply, Jackson Browne - Boulevard

https://youtu.be/kzQM_NfT-Jc

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Prices go up on almost everything , so yes only a matter of time before MBTA raised fares. I long for the days when my Zone 2 pass was $72 and parking was $1/day at the Route 128 Lot (pre garage). So I paid $92/mo whereas the same commute would be $357.75 now.

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Where are the gas tax increases? Last one was a 3 cent increase 6 years ago, yet the MBTA wants to raise fares every 2-3 years (by a lot more than 3 cents). We are always cool with pushing the rising costs of public transportation onto the public but continue to artificially subsidize driving.

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The T has been on some petty Virgo sh*t for a while. Fare increases don't seem to correlate to any improvement in the quality of T service.

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as a Virgo, but I'm not sure horoscopes or sun signs have a whole lot to do with the T's track record with regards to service.

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It takes meticulous planning, attention to detail, and commitment to service (among other things) for the T to function...all things associated with the sign of Virgo.

I hear you though, Coyote. The constant litter, piss, human waste, etc. on the T are admittedly very un-Virgo.

I still love thinking about the astrological signs of non-human entities. The City of Boston is a Virgo, too (7 September 1630) as is Harvard University (8 September 1636). The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is apparently an Aquarius sun (good Lord). Massachusetts General Hospital is also a Virgo.

America is Virgo is you count the Treaty of Paris as it's birthday but in every sense of the phrase: America is a Cancer.

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nah, america is a scorpio - crazy as a bag of cats

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The sign of Cancer is June 22nd to July 22nd.

Thems the breaks, folks.

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