The citizens present–a mix of bikers, transit riders, and transit enthusiasts–could not have agreed more and want action. The time to invest in transportation throughout the state is now. The consensus was clear; we need 21st century transportation solutions to our 21st century problems.
Please share widely!
I would really, really love to see more integration of the MBTA and RTAs. Many of the RTAs overlap with MBTA services. It would be great to be able to transfer between the services (as I believe the MWRTA is beginning to do) or if the services could share routes. For example, service could be doubled along Rt 28 if the BAT buses could also serve the MBTA’s 240 bus customers in Avon, Randolph, Milton, and Dorchester
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p>Could the DOT take over the Charlie Card program and make it statewide? That would make service integration relatively easy, especially if the commuter rail fully transitioned to the card.
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p>Another step that would go a long way would be to show RTA connections on MBTA system and commuter rail maps. Maybe a statewide transit map including all the TAs would be helpful. A printed version would be too messy, but maybe an online graphic for smartphone users?
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p>The improved service connections would make transit much more attractive in the suburbs and exurbs.
and I’ll one up you… could the Charley card use the same system and account as FastLane/EZPass? Why not have a single transit account, set up to keep a balance of $10-$25, automagic credit card ding, etc., like FL/EZP does now? Let it work for MBTA, for MBTA commuter rail (it doesn’t now), for other RTAs, heck, even for taxi rides. Why not also for parking meters? For Boston Harbor-to-Cape ferry rides? Why not?!
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p>The other bit though is this: you need mass to have mass transit. Are the other RTAs willing to have enough population density? Lots of folks complain that they don’t have good mass transit, but then fight off any increase in density in their neighborhood. You can’t have it both ways.
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p>I hope the RTAs including the MBTA get more funding. I hope that the RTAs including the MBTA work to integrate their systems as much as possible. I hope that they’re able to find economies of scale by working together — eliminate redundant IT infrastructure, save money with bulk buys and trainings, etc.
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p>I also hope the other RTA users (including PVTA) don’t make it a fight to simply get more funding going to the underfunded MBTA. Let’s get a bigger slice of the pie, not fight over our meager portion.
I think that in order to get more people to ride the PVTA, they need to get past a significant image problem — essentially, that buses are only for poor people who can’t afford a car.
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p>Riding a bus in Boston is part of the urban experience. Riding a bus in the Pioneer Valley is not something that most people do.
To Randolph’s and stomv’s idea about cooperation/route sharing/charlie card sharing between the RTA’s and the MBTA (basically just a bigger RTA). It’s great idea, by the way.
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p>Why didn’t the state merge them all into the new transportation department last year? I think we the whole transportation system could use better integration.
The Fitchburg Railroad and later Boston and Maine ran passenger rail service from Boston to Troy, NY as late as 1960. The route more or less paralleled Route 2 and goes through the famous Hoosac Tunnel, which was the second longest in the world at the time of its construction. While taking the train all the way to Troy would probably not make much sense, service could be restored to Greenfield, where a connection could be made to Amtrak’s Vermonter, which is being relocated to the west bank of the Connecticut River, or perhaps to North Adams. I’m not sure if this makes any sense financially, or if there is too much freight traffic on the line, but people need to start thing big about transit in Western and Central Mass. Our once great passenger rail network could be revived.