Mass Pike Public Hearing in Framingham Tonight

We received the below announcement from Stop the Pike Hike. Since many of our readers live in MetroWest, we thought this could be of interest.

Public Hearing in Framingham
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Framingham Memorial Building
Nevins Hall
150 Concord Street
Framingham, MA 01702
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
RALLY STARTS AT 5:45

Attending tonight's hearing will be State Senator Scott Brown (R), MTA Board Member Mary Z. Connaughton and Chairman Framingham Board of Selectmen Jason Smith.

If you want to attend the public hearing, you can speak at it. The hearing allows for the public to give up to a three minute speech. You can contact info AT stopthepikehike.org if you want to speak.

Stop the Pike Hike has some recommended speaking points including:

• Explain how life will be changed for you and your family because of the increase in tolls. Bring in a chart showing how the increase in tolls will affect your family budget.

• If you own a business, explain how much this will cost you and what cuts you will have to consider making?

• Ask why it costs 79 cents in overhead for every dollar taken at the tolls, when the average state spends only 40 cents per dollar taken at their tolls?

• How will this alter your commute?

• Bring a bag of change showing how much the increase will cost you over the course of a week or a month.

• Have there been any studies done on what the ramifications will be if this toll hike is enacted? The traffic in communities such as Everett, Chelsea, Somerville, Charlestown, Medford, Newton, Brighton, Allston, Brookline, Wellesley, Natick, and many more may become unbearable, as gridlock will take over local roads.

• Has anyone considered the costs that the upkeep and maintenance of local roads will have on local government?

• The Real Estate Values in these aforementioned communities will be severely impacted in a negative way.

• Local Businesses will also suffer greatly due to lost revenues and increased costs.

• The MBTA on certain routes, which are already overcrowded, will hit breaking points.

• The Turnpike board claims to eliminate the tolls would cost 100 million dollars.

• Have any public officials: Mayors, City Councilors', or Elected officials been consulted regarding the effects of the toll increase?

• Has the board considered any other solutions to the problem, such as the Christy Plan?

• Why did the proposed toll increase jump from 70 million dollars to 100 million dollars on the morning of the vote?

If you can't make the hearing, but you still want your voice to be heard, the Stop the Pike Hike recommends you call Governor Deval Patrick at 1-888-870-7770.