It's so disappointing to see the Governor, Environmental Affairs, & the GM seek to activately kill demand for transit, or at least let the agency wither on the vine. Excuses are being made about "the changing nature of work", but they're just excuses.
Baker has hated transit since he loaded the T we/ debt to make the Big Dig's numbers work. He wouldn't have ever taken any interest in the T if not for the 2015 winter storm. COVID is providing the perfect excuse for Baker to launch a partisan attack on transit riders & workers.
Our peer cities aren't cutting transit, quite the opposite. Is the Baker Administration smarter than officials in Philly or Montreal? No, this administration and Governor have no vision.
Philly and SEPTA unveiled a collaborative plan to enhance transit across that region just weeks ago. Many of the transformative elements that the T started in recent years, but has now delayed or underfunded, are key elements of Philly's plan. nbcphiladelphia.com/news/transport…
Toronto is rapidly expanding as well. They presented in front of the T two years ago on transforming their Commuter Rail and moving ahead while the T dithers on true Regional Rail. urbantoronto.ca/news/2021/02/m…
In Montreal, the STM is doubling down on transit. Increasing bus service, expanding a subway, transforming Commuter Rail, and building light rail. This what a growing region does.
https://twitter.com/jblumgart/status/1358852144586231813
Hell, even much more suburban car oriented places like Austin passed multi-million dollar transit plans in the middle of a pandemic. communityimpact.com/austin/central…
Moderate-to-conservative Hamilton County, home to Cincinnati, voted for a tax that will generate more than $130M a year in taxes for better bus service- again during a pandemic. usa.streetsblog.org/2020/05/15/pan…
The Cincinnati region is showing its commitment to minority communities by investing in them, not saying "hey we cut your buses less, be happy". That's real equity. Not just "forging ahead" with cuts you wanted to anyway.
So, at the end of the day, there isn't a valid reason. If the Boston region intends to compete as a world class city, it needs a transit system to match. Any even our regional peers and regions half our size are investing. And they aren't changing course because of COVID.
In fact, some cities passed transit funding ballot votes, and some governments announced expansion plans during COVID. Prosperous communities that care about socioeconomic mobility invest in transit. Period. Regions that care about climate change are pushing mode shift. Period.
This is happening because the Governor is a politician who will pose with black voters in one moment and then kick the can down the road on projects that serve to repair years of racist transportation policy. He doesn't care beyond the surface.
This Governor appoints Latino agency heads, but leaves people in Haverhill stranded on the weekends. The Governor will soon use our tax dollars to commission a cynical report that will confirm his corporate raider mentality and give him cover to strip funding from the MBTA.
This chart showing the future of the T's projects, maintenance, & safety being cut in half by the end of the decade makes perfect sense when you hold it beside the cynically named Decaebonization Road Map which makes no secret of the Admin's plan to sideline the T in favor of EVs 
This is a plan that will under this Governor will disproportionately favor high-income, white, suburban residents. How do we know? It's what he's been doing. Getting them into EVs is great, but that shouldn't come at the cost of a robust transit system. mass.streetsblog.org/2021/02/18/ana…
The T is more just a public transit system. It's the key to less traffic, more economic growth, safer roads, better air quality, and so much more. Baker is robbing the Boston region and the whole Commonwealth of a greener, more just future.
Why? So he can tell voters in Iowa he didn't raise taxes? Or he hates cities? I have no clue.
I just know the MBTA needs champions. In the Legislature, the media, in business, in academia, in city and town halls. Everywhere. The MBTA's current trajectory is a smaller agency that defers needed maintenance, safety, and expansion projects.
A smaller MBTA means a poorer, less healthy, more congestion Boston region. And the disproportionate impact of the Baker's plans MBTA will fall on low-income and minority resident. We must fight back.
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