Monday, November 26, 2007

Commuting in Massachusetts

From MassPIRG's Transportation agenda:
74% of commuters drive to work alone in Massachusetts, while only 10% take public transit.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has 15 regional transit authorities that provide public transportation to 231 cities and towns across the state. While public transportation extends across the Commonwealth, I've noticed that within Massachusetts more and more businesses seem to be moving to the suburbs. I have quite a number of friends who live in metro-Boston but work in the suburbs. They've said that commuting on the Mass Pike to the Western Suburbs (including Waltham, Framingham, Hopkinton and Westborough) has become more and more difficult. Unfortunately, most of the suburban office parks are not located near commuter rail stations. And the commuter rail schedule is far too limited to encourage "reverse" commuters.

MassPIRG also noted that the MBTA is facing a downward spiral in which the transportation authority cannot generate the revenue necessary to achieve a state of good repair. This means that the T is unable to improve the service and quality needed to retain and attract riders and increase revenue over time.

No wonder I seem to maybe make it ontime to the office 2 out of 5 days during the week (on those weeks when I am only taking the commuter rail).

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