Slow Going

Thanks to some sort of issues on the train ahead of us, the p508 was over 1/2 hour late pulling into South Station this morning. I was quite irritated that after leaving Back Bay, we sat outside of South Station for 10-15 minutes waiting for a track to open. We finally arrived at around 8:55.

Needless to say, I've already submitted my reimbursement.

Saw an interesting article in the Metro, about how MBTA riders save the most money by commuting into Boston rather than driving and parking downtown as compared to riders in other cities with high transit use. A survey by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) found that Boston commuters save $1,053 a month, and $12,632 annually, by taking public transportation instead of driving. (The other cities that rounded out the top five in commuter savings include New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. Bostonians’ savings narrowly edged that of New Yorkers by $4 a month). The APTA calculated the figures using parking costs and the May 5 price of gas ($2.079 a gallon).

Let's just hope we can continue to reap the benefits of a functioning transportation system!

Sleety Icy Work from Home Day

Due to the weather conditions in Central Massachusetts, I'm working from home today. If anyone has updates about today's MBTA/MBCR commutes, feel free to share them as comments or email either myself (worctrainrider AT gmail.com) or Commute-a-holic (commuteaholic AT gmail.com).

From today's The Boston Globe, an article about the state's transportation situation. There is a real possibility that Mass Pike tolls, T fares and gas taxes will increase in 2009. It might be one increase, say just a gas tax increase, or increases across the board. Our transportation system is broken.

Also in today's Globe, an article about how the T is still showing a strong increase in the number of riders. The article mention that more riders are evident on the MBTA's/MBCR's commuter rail lines. Across the country, transit systems have noticed an increase in riders. Transit experts say it is too soon to say if Americans have undergone a paradigm shift and are moving towards mass transit.

With all the information about the increase in ridership, it would be nice if the MBTA/MBCR could publish their on-time performance stats for the commuter rail lines. I would love to see information about the commuter rail performance for 2008 and also a monthly breakout.

New INRIX National Traffic Scorecard Special Report

INRIX released a special report today showing how the increase in fuel prices has effected driving behaviors across the United States. The INRIX National Traffic Scorecard Special Report includes an analysis of traffic patterns during the first part of 2008. Additionally, the report features data from a Harris Interactive Survey conducted in October 2008.

The report found that 96 of the nation's top 100 markets experienced a drop in traffic congestion levels in the first half of 2008 compared to 2007. Across the nation, there was a 3% decrease in peak commute hour travel. Also, 2/3rds of consumers surveyed said they changed their driving habits as a result of the increased fuel prices. The habit changes included everything from car pooling to using public transportation and alternative methods (such as bicycling).

The cost of gas increased from $2.29 in January 2007 to $4.09 in June 2008, but prices began to decrease in October. As of the week of October 10, 2008, the average price of gas nationwide was $3.30.

Income level was a determining factor in the behavioral change. Those earning less than $35,000 were most likely to decrease their driving compared to people earning more than $75,000.

"It is fascinating to see the disproportionate response that the impact of gas prices has on traffic, particularly how consumers changed their behavior more in markets like Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and throughout the Midwest. You would think that major metros with significant public transit infrastructure such as in NYC and D.C. would have shown a much stronger correlation with gas prices through increased ridership,” said Bryan Mistele, INRIX founder and CEO. "Although we can't predict the future price of fuel, we can predict the potential impacts to traffic congestion. As a whole, the population appears to have made lasting changes to their behavior, which we expect to persist at some level even if gas prices revert to pre-2007 levels.”

Springfield, MA was one of the cities that ranked in the Top 10 with the strongest and most significant correlation between gas prices and the Travel Time Index. Traffic decreased in Springfield 1.7%.

Interesting data.

Sacramento's Urban Planning Experiment

Train Rider should be somewhere over the Atlantic right now, flying to London for a quick two-day meeting.

The news on the MBTA/MBCR front has been pretty quiet. I think a lot of people are out on vacation this week. At least, that's what the traffic reports want you to believe. Until you hit an accident or some other traffic stoppage, the roads are pretty empty. Which is nice.

I read an article in yesterday's The Wall Street Journal about Sacramento, CA's seven-year urban planning experiment. Since a lot of the content in the WSJ is subscription-only, you may not be able to link to the article.

Urban planners are looking to Sacramento to see if their urban plan, which is now in its 7th year, can be copied and used in other US cities. It does seem sort of strange that a "model" plan is coming from a state more synonymous with freeways, limited public transportation, horrible traffic, suburban sprawl and smog, but I guess we have to start somewhere.

Sacramento is following a "smart growth" model. Here are some excerpts from the article:

For decades, backers of "smart-growth" planning principles have preached the benefit of clustering the places where people live more closely with the businesses where they work and shop. Less travel would mean less fuel consumption and less air pollution.

Sacramento -- yoked to the car and mired in one of the lousiest housing markets in the country -- offers an intriguing laboratory for that idea. Four years ago, just as oil was gaining momentum in its torrid climb to $140 a barrel and beyond, the six-county region adopted a plan for growth through 2050 that roped off some areas from development while concentrating growth more densely in others, emphasizing keeping jobs near homes.

Between 2004 and 2007, the number of projects with apartments, condominiums and town houses for sale in the region increased by 533%, while the number of subdivisions with homes on lots bigger than 5,500 square feet fell by 21%, according to housing-research firm Hanley Wood Market Intelligence.

While the project isn't perfect, they are seeing some benefits. It will be interesting to see what ends up happening due to related transportation costs.

Dump the Pump Today

Another day in Boston, another rolling victory parade. Will these parades ever get old? I doubt it. I hope people decided to use public transportation to head into Boston for today's Celtics' parade. I heard that the city is going to start closing downtown streets around 9:30 a.m. this morning.

Beyond the Celtics' parade to celebrate their 17th NBA Championship, today is Third Annual Dump the Pump Day. Dump the Pump is designed to raise awareness about the benefits of using public transportation - both from a personal economic standpoint and an environmental standpoint. With gas over $4.00 a gallon here in Massachusetts and in other parts of the country, I think there could be a captive audience listening to ways to "dump the pump."

Even the MBTA is getting in on the action. Did you notice the fancy graphic they created to "dump the pump"?

The MBTA is using "Dump the Pump" to kickoff a promotional campaign designed to encourage more residents to ride the rails (or use the buses and commuter boats). According to Progessive Railroading.com, the MBTA's campaign components include interactive elements along with radio ads and commuter-rail train wraps. Oh, seeing a commuter rail train wrapped with a message could be cool. I wonder if the wraps make it even harder to look out a window?

I heard on Channel 5 this morning that the MBTA will begin modernizing Blue Line stations starting this Saturday, June 21st.

• Phase I will run from June 21st through July 3rd. The Wonderland station will be closed.
  
• Phase II will be from July 5th to August 1st. The Wood Island station will be closed.
  
• Phase III will be from August 2nd to August 15th, closing Revere Beach station.
• Phase IV will be from August 16th to August 29th, shutting down the Beachmont station.

The MBTA will be using buses to transport riders between stations. In some cases, riders may have to take a Blue Line train to a different station. It seems a bit confusing, but I'm sure people will figure it out.

Amtrak has rescheduled the Connecticut Bridge Replacement project. The project will now start on June 24th and end on June 27th. You can read about it in this article posted yesterday afternoon to Boston.com.

Finally, here is an interesting editorial that was published last Friday (June 13th) in The Milford Daily News. The editorial is about different mass transit options for the Metro West area.

Corporate Communicators and the High Cost of Gas

For my "day job," I am a marketer for a high tech company. As a result, I subscribe to a lot of different newsletters regarding marketing/communications.

I read the following article in today's Ragan.com, a website for professional communicators. Since I've worked in corporate communications in past jobs, the article made me chuckle (only because internal communications is tough). Since Ragan sometimes requires an account to view articles, I'm posting the article in its entirety.

Employers help workers handle high gas prices By Sarah McAdams sarah_mcadams@yahoo.co

With three in 10 workers looking for jobs closer to home, communicators must get the message out that the company cares U.S. gas prices are hovering around record $4 per gallon across the country, and people are panicking—and looking for jobs they don’t have to commute to. And that’s got employers concerned. A new Robert Half survey revealed that higher gas prices have affected the commutes of 44 percent of professionals—and 30 percent are looking for jobs closer to their homes. Not wanting to lose valued employees, many companies are exploring ways to ease their anxiety— and internal communicators need to get this message to their audiences. “Employers may be missing an opportunity to improve morale and reduce turnover by helping their staff cope with the burden of rising gas prices. Often, it can be as simple as communicating to employees what programs are already in place,” says Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. "Companies can build loyalty and motivation by showing employees that they are empathetic to their concerns during challenging times.” The survey also reports that workers are more frequently carpooling or ridesharing (46 percent), driving a more fuel-efficient vehicle (33 percent) and telecommuting more frequently (33 percent). Meanwhile, TransitCenter, a nonprofit that promotes the use of mass transit, found that deployment of tax-free commuter benefits programs by U.S. employers in major metropolitan areas has grown 57 percent, jumping from 28 percent in 2006 to 44 percent in 2007. “Today, it is the No. 1 program that employers plan to add to their benefits package in the next year,” Larry Filler, CEO and founder. Not surprising, considering that the American Public Transportation Association reports that workers took more than 10.3 billion trips on public transportation last year, the highest level in 50 years. Technology makes telecommuting easier; the environment benefits Many companies are taking advantage of technology to help keep costs down. Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to quadruple its videoconferencing room by next year, reports The Wall Street Journal. The company’s communicators have also sent newsletters to employees reminding them that about the benefits of car pools, company shuttles and bicycles. Many other organizations are offering increased telecommuting options. JHG-Townsend, a public relations agency in San Diego—where gas prices are more than $4 a gallon and rising—is responding by launching a pilot program called “Virtual Fridays.” Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the company’s 33 employees will work remotely on Fridays while using the latest technologies to communicate with their clients and each other. Another PR firm, HCK2 Partners in Dallas, is doing something similar by creating a rotating “work from home” program this summer. Employees—most of whose commutes are between 30 minutes and an hour each way—are encouraged to work from home one Friday per month. The firm’s leaders say they will revisit the program in September to determine whether it will continue Such programs will also benefit the environment. Using the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator, JHG-Townsend found that by implementing “Virtual Fridays” it will save: 30 gallons of gas each week; 420 gallons of gas during the entire summer program; 18 barrels of oil (assuming 23 gallons are refined from one barrel of oil); 3.64 metric tons of carbon dioxide. “Just think, if 10 San Diego companies of our size did this, we could save 4,200 gallons of gas this summer and take some profits away from oil companies!” says Michelle Brubaker, a senior account executive at the firm. Other employers are suggesting workers take Fridays off altogether. Michigan’s Oakland County, for instance, is considering transitioning public employees to four-day workweeks, reports The Wall Street Journal. County leaders are currently awaiting approval from the commissioners to create a four-day, 40-hour workweek that would remain in place for "the foreseeable" future. They estimate that up to 1,500 of the county’s 4,000 employees would take advantage of thus option; however, if only 800 did, it would save about $300,000 over the course of a year.

Saving Gas by Changing Commuting Patterns

Today's Worcester Business Journal had an interesting article about how 44% of workers recently surveyed by Robert Half International said that the high cost of gas is causing them to change their daily commute behaviors.

In other news, the Boston Herald is playing their typical role days after Wednesday's horrible Green Line accident. I've noticed several "breaking news" stories about people who did extraordinary things on Wednesday, helping some of the severely injured passengers. And I saw a number of "political commentary" articles calling for a MBTA shake-up.

Rising Energy Costs Contribute to "Greener" Options

I read two great articles online at the WSJ.com (The Wall Street Journal's interactive site). While I will provide links to both articles, you may not be able to read them without a WSJ.com subscription.

Due to the rising cost of gas, many municipalities and public institutions are starting to look at alternatives to the traditional five-day work week. According to the "Oil Prices Prompt Four-Day Week" article, a county in Michigan and Suffolk County in New York are considering placing their public employees on a four-day work week. For a traditional 40-hour week, this would mean four, ten hour days.

I think this is a brilliant idea - both for employees and the public at large. If given the option, I know I would rather spend four days in the office than five. It would be nice to have an extra-day off during the week to run errands and just live life. Plus, if the municipalities need to make sure employees are putting in 10-hour days, perhaps public offices would be open longer than 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I know I could benefit from visiting a town office or a state office after 5 p.m. (when most are closed). Not to mention - local traffic would be reduced during the rush hour.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts - which already experiences congestion-clogged roads - should really start to have both state-offices and local municipal offices explore the viability of moving employees to a 4-day work week. And for the private sector . . . I'm really surprised more companies aren't exploring ways to let their employees tele-commute - even if it is for one day. The technology is in place to allow people to work remotely. Plus the ability to tele-commute or work a truncated workweek could be a perk in companies that can't or won't offer raises (on a totally different subject, I read the other day that a 2% raise is about the average that a lot of companies are offering - if you even get a raise).

In today's offline and online Journal, there was an article titled "Railroads Roll With a Greener Approach" about how train companies (such as CSX) have created a series of ads promoting freight trains as a green transportation source. I've heard the ads for CSX here in the greater-Boston area and I think I've even seen some billboards.

Why freight trains can be considered green:

Freight trains now use much cleaner and more fuel-efficient diesel engines, and railroad companies are testing new engines that the industry is touting as "ultralow-emission." Many environmentalists acknowledge that the railroads have a powerful argument, given that freight trains burn far less fuel than trucks and can help reduce highway congestion.

Special Request

Train Stopping has been contacted by a reporter for a national publication who is interested in speaking with Boston-area commuters who have recently started commuting via the commuter rail/public transportation instead of driving to work due to the high cost of gas.

If you have recently started riding the rails or taking the bus instead of driving to work, please feel free to contact me, Train Rider, at worctrainrider AT gmail.com or send an email to Commute-a-holic at commuteaholic AT gmail.com.

The cost of gas impacts all of us. Commute-a-holic said it was the lead story on the Today Show this morning. One analyst believes that gas could go as high as $12 a gallon. Both Commute-a-holic and I remember the gas crisis of the 1970s. It is a shame that we squandered 30 years of dilly-dallying instead of coming up with viable energy options to fossil fuels. Hopefully the rising energy costs is a wake-up call for all of us to be more mindful of our decisions.

In commute-related news, I had a status quo commute. My train arrived to South Station at around 8:22 a.m. today and I took the Silver Line to my office.

More MBTA/MBCR Commuters, Fewer On the Pike

In today's MetroWest Daily News there was an article about how rising costs may be causing commuters to change their commuting habits.

From January 2008 to April 2008, the Mass Pike saw a .86% drop in the number of transactions east of the Weston tolls. So that is essentially the Brighton/Cambridge (or Allston/Brighton if you are traveling westbound) and the airport tunnels. Which is interesting that the drop was only measured for this portion of the Pike, since many of the on/off-ramps no longer require tolls.

The MBTA saw a 6.2% increase in riders from January 2008 to March 2008 compared to the same period last year.

To off-set the toll increase, the Pike factored in a temporary 3% decrease in traffic this year. Whenever there is a toll increase, drivers move to non-toll roads, such as Rt. 9 or 495.

As of April, the Pike's traffic grew .42% on the western portion and did not decrease as much as expected on the eastern portion.

From the article:

"If the population is stagnant then someone is switching and, if they're switching, how many are switching from our road system?" Turnpike Authority Executive Director Alan LeBovidge said during a Monday morning board meeting. "We're dependent on volume. If the volume goes down then something has to change - it might be our budget."

The authority raised tolls 25 cents at the Weston barrier and Allston tolls and 50 cents at the one-way Boston tunnel tolls in January to pay for a scheduled increase in Big Dig debt.

Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen, who is also the authority board chairman, said the spike in MBTA riders is a good thing, but that it is something to keep an eye on when estimating future toll revenue.

By the way, the toll information on the Mass Pike's website is somewhat confusing (unless you actually are a frequent Pike traveler). I feel bad for out-of-state visitors or people in the area who go to the site to figure out how much their trip will cost, but it is a little difficult to understand. It would be great if they had a map of the Pike that let you click on each exit to figure out your start/end points. Then again, maybe more of us just have the Fast Lane or EZ Pass systems and the actual cost doesn't really matter any more?

Globe Editorial On the MBTA's Newfound Popularity

On the heels of yesterday's articles about the rising cost of gas and the increase in ridership across the MBTA, today an editorial about the MBTA was published by The Boston Globe's editorial staff was published.



Essentially the editorial touched about how the MBTA has tried to improve the passenger experience and the fact that the Authority is in a financial pickle. Of course, even with the rising cost of gas, the Globe's editors noted that if passengers do not have a good experiencing using the T, then they will seek other options. Essentially, the state's leadership needs to work with the MBTA to make sure that the transit system functions and doesn't go into debt.



Although the T is publicizing a 6.2% growth in riders for the year, an article in The Salem News focused on how commuter rail riders for some lines is flat or declining on the Newburyport-Rockport line.

Though the T reported an overall 6.2 percent increase in use of all forms of
public transportation, including buses, ferries and subways on weekdays this
year, commuter rail ridership for the most part has remained flat.

The only exception was in February, when commuter trains carried 4,100 more people than in the same month the previous year, according to the MBTA. Despite several requests, the MBTA did not provide specific ridership numbers for the
Newburyport/Rockport line.

So what did the T have to say about the stagnat ridership on some of the North Shore lines?

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said bad publicity may account for the stagnant
commuter rail numbers. Last year, the line was criticized for a summer marked by
many late trains, which turned many people off from rail commuting.

But could there also be another reason?

"Commuter rail tickets are expensive," said Holly Matulewicz of Salem. "It's $10
round-trip and then $2 to ride the T. ... You probably only save a couple
dollars (over driving) because of parking."

Well, maybe if you're heading into Boston from the North Shore, the price to drive is about a break even point. From other destinations on the commuter rail line, the cost of driving is much more expensive. You have to factor in gas, tolls, parking in downtown Boston, etc. Yes, the commuter rail is expensive but so are the alternatives.

Rising Cost of Gas May Break MBTA's 2001 Ridership Record

Today's The Boston Globe ran two separate cover stories on the effects that the rising cost of gas in the greater Boston area.

One article focused on how more commuters are turning to mass transit options in lieu of driving. The MBTA is on course to break the ridership record of 354.1 million riders set in 2001.

The second article was about the issues owners of gas guzzling vehicles are facing. I know that we all have individual choices, but I've never understood why so many people in my suburban community own large pick up trucks. These same folks pay someone to do their yard work, so it isn't like they're using their truck to haul stuff around.

When gas is pushing $4.00 a gallon, I'm happy that I have a short commute!