BOSTON – Calls for change at MBTA run deeper than requests for shorter wait times and shorter commutes.
Concern about the is growing shortcomings of the agency and its potential impact on the quality of life of people living in the greater Boston area.
Kate Dineen is COO of A Better City. The organization consists of 130 companies and institutions focused on improving the region’s competitiveness.
“Even if you don’t take the T frequently, your life will definitely be impacted by the fact that the system isn’t safe, affordable, or reliable,” Dineen said. “If the system doesn’t work, it will have far-reaching implications for our competitiveness and our ability for companies to retain and hire talent and continue to thrive and grow.”
Data released this week by MassDOT showed road traffic was at pre-pandemic levels. MBTA released similar ridership data, which showed levels are half what they were before the pandemic began.
Stacy Thompson works with the Livable Streets Alliance. “There really isn’t a major city in the world that has a thriving economy without a transit system,” she said. “It really comes down to the fact that people can’t come downtown to go to a great restaurant, they can’t go downtown to go to work, they can’t drive across town to go to one to come to a doctor’s appointment.”
Jarred Johnson is the head of TransitMatters and said Boston doesn’t function without the T. “We think traffic is bad now,” Johnson said. “Add another two to three hundred thousand people to the streets.”
Johnson added that if these security issues persist, it will ultimately hurt Boston’s reputation as a business hub. “All the tax breaks in the world are not going to encourage employers to stay here or find jobs if we have a failing transportation system,” Johnson said.
Brandon Truitt
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