Creating a 'culture of safety' at the MBTA won't come cheap

By adamg on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 8:46am

WBZ Newsradio reports members of a panel set up by the T to figure out how to reduce all those derailments and fires and stuff aren't working for free - one of them, a former federal transportation secretary, charges $35,000 a month.

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The T

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Comments

I may be wrong

By Waquiot on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 9:17am.

But I feel like the Herald did this story at least a month ago.

That’s the panel

By Freida on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 10:19am.

The T wouldn’t say how much it all cost

Deferred Maintenance

By BostonDog on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 9:18am.

The MBTA has what, $4 billion in deferred maintenance? The "culture" of safety would come from the state spending serious money and time on this backlog. You can be the most safety conscious employee ever but that's not going to stop an axle from splitting and derailing a train into a switch bungalow.

One has to assume the delayed trains and frustrated riders takes a toll on the employees too. Maybe if so many trains weren't delayed and canceled the public would be more accepting and the T's employee culture would change as a result.

Culture changes come from the top.

It must be very demoralizing

By Patriciax on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 11:23am.

It must be very demoralizing to be a T employee. I'm sure there are many hacks on the payroll, but I also think there is just as many, if not more, employees that really want to provide a service.

People that get satisfaction from doing a good job don't want to work at the MBTA.

Fire Pollack. Make LaHood the Acting MassDOT Secretary

By anon on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 1:32pm.

That's a better solution. Save $35,000 a month, have a transportation secretary who knows something about transportation, and hold Pollack accountable for her long list of failures. Baker can return his Pollack donations and start fresh

$499 an hour

By anon on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 9:28am.

Retail pricing psychology, or is $500 a different bracket of some kind?

To be fair

By polarbare on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 9:49am.

that's only like $48 per hour if he works 24 hours a day for 30 days a month. I'm sure he's worth that.

If our transportation secretary was competent. We would pay $0

By anon on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 1:54pm.

These payouts happen when Governor's fill their cabinets with donors and try to backfill each department with consultants. Lots and lots of waste.

Not for nothing but looking

By brianjdamico on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 10:33am.

Not for nothing but looking at the WBZ story, the $35,000/month pays Ray LaHood and a 2nd advisor, Joan DeBoer. Depending on what the split is and how many hours all of them are billing for, LaHood may not be the highest paid.

Culture of Safety?

By anon on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 10:36am.

Ron Nickles the former head of the safety department goes to the FTA and documents safety concerns on the subway. He is fired and becomes a whistleblower and files a lawsuit. The MBTA responds by hiring the former heads of the FTA to defend them against his claims. Checkmate MBTA.
As far as safety on the MBTA now that an additional 10,000 kids will be riding the trains on a daily basis I hope the 260 men and women of the Transit Police are actually riding trains and buses during school dismissal times to protect the students especially at Forest Hills and Ashmont stations.

if the MBTA isnt immediately overhauled in a project size

By Old Groucho on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 11:24am.

that rivals the Big Dig, all of this is just flushing money down the terlet and is only making it harder for our kids and grandkids to solve.

And since our wholesome and not-at-all-corrupt city government and construction industry titans handled the Dig so well, I'm pretty sure Boston won't be granted ANOTHER blank check from the Federal Government for another 400 years.