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MBTA slowdown ordered after state IDed track defects and T couldn't guarantee repairs had actually been done; some speed restrictions lifted
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Who were the top officials?
Who were the top officials?
The Draft Kings dude ...
Gave shoutouts to Rob Mariano, speaker, and Aaron Michlewitz, chairman of Ways and Means, and both of whom represent districts served by the T. He might have mentioned others, but, to be honest, I wasn't paying that close attention.
Damm the Safety
Full speed ahead said the Captain of the (T)itanic.
Rumors
The rumor (from an anon at Reddit) is that this is due to the MBTA workers responsible for checking the tracks last year were phoning it in and falsifying documents that claimed the tracks were checked and good rather than running the sensors/collecting real data at times.
If this is true, we need some heads to roll. We can't operate a public transit system based on faking numbers and ignoring safety work.
IANAL but seems to me that
IANAL but seems to me that the point where you're faking safety reports is the point at which you've crossed from ordinary laziness into criminal negligence. I bet there are a lot of T employees who are not sleeping real well lately.
When there’s one bad apple…
The MBTA just needs more money and everything will be on time and in good standing.
/s
Track Workers Phoning It In?
I can't believe it.
There used to be lots of track work inspections done through bottles of Schlitz at the bar that used to be where the lobby of 9 Broadway is now.
It was very easy to inspect all the tracks from when you checked in at Cabot and walked over to Dot and Broadway and then walked back 7 hours later.
The culture of maintenance at the T is a legacy of Billy Bulger's Keep Every South Boston Guy Employed policy of the 80's and 90's coupled with Bill Weld sitting on his lap and agreeing with him.
Perhaps our new governor should show up at 10 Park Plaza at about 2 today and see who it there and who is not.
Hurry over to Park Plaza to help!
Maybe you can yell some motivational words from the sidewalk.
Or better yet, get your name on the ballot and raise some campaign funds so Mr. Costello can go-to Beacon Hill and fix the T!
Something something clam up or whatever amirite?
If I Ran The T
Bikes would be banned from bus lanes.
Why let your hobby interfere with a mass amount of people trying to use public transit.
Priorities
I ultimately agree that we shouldn’t have bikes in bud lanes but because we should have fully protected bike lanes. Bikes are not a hobby they are a viable and efficient way to move large numbers of people in urban areas (just ask the Dutch). In fact, bikes have similar capacity and space benefits as buses and both are significantly better than cars in this regard. Bikes also boost the accessibility of transit stations because you can comfortably bike a longer distance than walking.
But really all of that is besides the point because bikes in bus lanes don’t really block buses, parked cars do.
Clam up John!
Put your money where your mouth is and get that campaign rolling!
Though you might find some of your constituents aren't too thrilled with that proposal, make sure you poll the electorate well enough to get those talking points in order.
The Glue Factory Called
They want that dead horse you keep beating.
Come on John, only been a few days on my part
You've got years doing that clam up bit haha
But I look forward to seeing you heed your own advice in the future!
Bike/Bus Lanes
Who goes in those lanes is up to municipalities. Not the MBTA (aside from the ones in the stations).
You knew that ... right? You would if you spent some time in them.
If you ran the T
You'd know that the MBTA has no authority over roadway lanes*, be they all-purpose or bus/bike.
* Of course they have authority over lanes on MBTA property, like some Silver Line. I'm talking about municipal roadways.
Mr. Costello is 100% correct in his assesment
Will we ever have real management, real accountability , and real transparency at the MBTA?
I won't hold my breath.
Btw, it's not "because of the unions", which we constantly read on Uhub and elsewhere. A well run organization can have both effective management and union protections for workers. But the T is the opposite of a well run organization.
"bottles of Schlitz"
Those were the days.
Garbage being passed upstairs.
- Management says we have to have this done by DATE.
- Workers realize this is impossible.
- Management won't relent.
- Workers say WTF and falsify data.
- Management now has data to show everyone that Things Were Done.
- Nothing is fixed.
A familiar story. To everyone involved. Until something explodes.
Where did this story come
Where did this story come from?
Do you have any evidence that: 1) anything was falsified, and 2) it happened because management made an impossible demand?
If only we hosted the
If only we hosted the Olympics in 2024, all these issues would have been fixed.
//sarcasm
wait even later than that
wait even later than that Amazon coming to East Boston was going to solve all our problems, thank God that fell through
for the record I would dig
for the record I would personally dig the Blue->Red connector by hand given a chance
I'm still trying to figure
I'm still trying to figure out the claim I read somewhere earlier today that "thousands of people would be taking the Red Line" to the Saint Patrick's Day Parade.
Funny how the Big Dig got done though.
Car owners and real estate interests win. Mass transit withers.
yup
As I always say. anything is possible if there's political will to do it.
But there isn't political will for transit. Cars will always win, because most people drive cars so everyone is effected.
It sucks and I dont agree. just stating the facts here.
Very true
Add to that, once people get fed up with the T and get a car, it's very hard to get them to come back or lobby for transit issues. Once someone is spending $$$ for a car, their instinct is to demand policies that support that investment.
The T's problem is that it has too few users. If 80% of Boston residents primarily depended on the T, the outcry over the shutdowns & slowdowns would be deafening instead of a background hum.
In all fairness ...
One reason many opposed that at the time was the obvious: they would piss around, cut the budget, then take all the buses in the region for ticket-holders, athletes, support, and other Olympic-adjacent riders only.
Making the most of it
Last Saturday, at the Braintree Public Library, the author of (which is about the MBTA) said "buy my book and you'll be able to finish it before you get to your destination." With these added slowdowns, you'll probably be able to finish the entire series!
Thank you, Adam.
Thank you, Adam. This is by far the best reporting I’ve read on the issue (no offense to Taylor Dolven at the Globe). Perhaps I appreciate the UHub house style of snarkily noting details like the Duck Boat gambling photo-op!
Also thank you, Adam
For the best imagery to accompany these stories.
Does this make Boston a 45
Does this make Boston a 45-minute city?
I'd say it's more like the
I'd say it's more like the old Maine saying, "You can't get there from here".
Your last line is the best one
No one cares about infrastructure, until it affects them personally.
Meanwhile, a bright shiny story like the advent of online sports wagering gets all the eyes.
(Though to be fair, channel 4 lead the news at 11 with the T slowdown.)
Misplaced priorities
I'm betting that all that 4% income tax surcharge (on incomes over $1 million) that was heavily promoted to improve public transportation and roads will be (or already is) funneled right to the General Fund instead. Not one effing penny will go to transit/road improvements.