Good morning!
I was tied up yesterday. Commute-a-holic is still caught up in a bunch of projects at work. Yesterday's commute was fine.
Boy is it frigid outside. To think - by tomorrow we'll think today's temperatures are warm. It looks like all the warm weather is caught in a January heatwave out west. Even Northern California is seeing some pretty nice temperatures.
The P508 was about 5 minutes late pulling into Grafton this morning, but we arrived at South Station for 8:24 a.m., so we weren't too late. The train was right on time yesterday morning, which was so nice because we didn't have to stand around on the cold concrete platform. Anyho, we made up time during this morning's trip. Luckily it was quite warm on the train as well.
Unfortunately, not all this morning's commutes were as smooth as the P508. One of my coworkers, who takes the Providence line into Boston, wasn't so lucky. He tried taking the #800, which departs Providence at 5:07 a.m., but waited on the platform for 45 minutes and ended up getting on the #802 instead. Once the train reached the Route 128 Station, all the lights and heat shut off and they rode the rest of the way into Boston in the dark and cold.
The big news this morning, well it was announced yesterday, is Mass Trans. Massachusetts State Senators want to make sure we first focus on some of the structural/system issues plaguing transportation in Massachusetts before determining revenue adjustments (i.e., toll increases). The Senate proposes creating a new entity called MassTrans (Massachusetts Surface Transportation Authority). This bipartisan Senate proposal, which basically emanated from other ideas floated over the last few years, would eliminate the MBTA and the Mass Pike. So, along with the functions and services of the MBTA and the Mass Pike, MassTrans would also absorb all state roads and bridges, meaning Massport would relinquish control of the Tobin Bridge. I heard on WBZ-Radio last night that MassTrans could save the state $6 billion or so over a twenty year period. You can read all about it here:
Manners seem to be all the rage. Check out this article posted yesterday to the Bostonist. AJ and Framingham Rider both made really great comments about manners on Tuesday. I couldn't agree more. Simple acts of consideration can go a long way towards making everyone's easier, smoother and faster.
Stay warm Boston!!
Showing posts with label WBZ Radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBZ Radio. Show all posts
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Could Have Used a Train Nap
Due to a post-work commitment this even, I had to drive in this morning. I was sad to not be on the train today. I'm so tired from the weekend, I could have used a train nap.
Yesterday's Boston Sunday Globe ran an article about how the MBTA is approaching dire financial straits. Due to the T's financial situation, fare increases and service cuts are very likely to occur sometime over the next 12 to 18 months. The T's budget deficit is expected to be about $142 million during the 2009-2010 budget year.
One project that may not see the light of day is the last phase of the Silver Line. This project was touched upon in both the main Globe article and in yesterday's "Starts & Stops" column. Since the T is essentially broke, the Federal Transit Administration does not want to grant matching funds, so the T won't be able to move this project to a final design until it can prove it has the money to support it.
An interesting inquiry was raised in yesterday's "Starts & Stops" column: the inability of transit riders to park at a MBTA lot and take the commuter rail to Logan. Basically, since you can't park in a T lot overnight, if you want to park your car and (to crib the slogan of a famous NY-NJ Port Authority commerical) "take the train to the plane." In reading why you can't park overnight, I'm thinking that sometimes the T should just not answer questions. This is why you can't park overnight:
Yesterday's Boston Sunday Globe ran an article about how the MBTA is approaching dire financial straits. Due to the T's financial situation, fare increases and service cuts are very likely to occur sometime over the next 12 to 18 months. The T's budget deficit is expected to be about $142 million during the 2009-2010 budget year.
One project that may not see the light of day is the last phase of the Silver Line. This project was touched upon in both the main Globe article and in yesterday's "Starts & Stops" column. Since the T is essentially broke, the Federal Transit Administration does not want to grant matching funds, so the T won't be able to move this project to a final design until it can prove it has the money to support it.
An interesting inquiry was raised in yesterday's "Starts & Stops" column: the inability of transit riders to park at a MBTA lot and take the commuter rail to Logan. Basically, since you can't park in a T lot overnight, if you want to park your car and (to crib the slogan of a famous NY-NJ Port Authority commerical) "take the train to the plane." In reading why you can't park overnight, I'm thinking that sometimes the T should just not answer questions. This is why you can't park overnight:
Joe Pesaturo, the MBTA spokesman, said the lots are not staffed overnight, and parking is prohibited in those hours for liability reasons. He said overnight parking is allowed in several subway garages and ferry yards, which could work for passengers such as Fraser if she is willing to take the Quincy ferry directly to Logan, the Red Line from Braintree, or some other route with an overnight option.
Joe - let me ask you a question - have you actually been to a MBTA commuter rail lot? Guess what - most of them aren't staffed during the daytime. Does that mean we shouldn't park our cars there?
Good grief - what stupid answer.
Considering how much it is to park and pay tolls at the airport, you would think more people would be encouraged to use other means to get to Logan. Logan Express may not be handy to a lot of people, so why not be able to take the train. Also, what if you want to take Amtrak to NYC? Unless you park at the Route 128 lot, you really can't. So I couldn't get on a Worcester line train and either take it inbound to Boston or outbound to Worcester to hop onto an Amtrak train if I needed to park my car overnight. That's nuts, huh?
The Stop the Pike Hike protest tomorrow has been altered. Instead of not using the Mass Pike, the organizers have asked participants to not use their Fast Lane transponder and to pay in cash instead. They recommend paying with coins. Read all about it in this report from WBZ.Thursday, November 13, 2008
The P508 Was Late Again Today
What an exciting morning. I was thrilled to be quoted in the "Grumbles greet hike in T lot fee" article from today's Boston Globe. But my favorite quote in the article was one from the lips of MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo:
My commute on the P508 was OK this morning. We arrived to South Station at 8:28 a.m., 5 minutes after the scheduled arrival time of 8:23 a.m. I can't recall when we've been on time in the last few weeks.
I hope something can be done about the T. We need reliability above all else. I think that's why people are so up at arms. Just run on time for heck's sake.
The Universal Hub post from Tuesday about why Channel 4 made a big to-do about the catered lunches at MBTA Board meetings had a lot of "so what?" comments. One comment by WBZ reporter David Wade really hit home with me:
Frankly, I'm happy that WBZ's I-Team took the time to investigate this issue. I'm sick and tired of hearing "the T wants to be treated like a private business." Guess what - they don't act like a private business and they're not funded like a private business.
First - private businesses (at least the good, successful ones) actually care about their customers. I went to college in Western New York. There is a wonderful supermarket chain based in Rochester that is renowned in upstate New York called Wegman's. Wegman's provides great customer service and their customers are passionate about shopping there. In fact, Wegman's is lowering their prices due to the current financial climate. They see how their customers are impacted, they are listening to their customers and they make some changes.
Second, when private business don't have money, they cut their fringe benefits. I have a lot of friends who used to be able to get a free lunch at work or a free cup of coffee. When the revenue dried up, so did these perks. Such is life.
Third, the only thing the T seems to do is provide excuses. "We don't have enough money." "We have an old system." "We have to deal with unions." Excuses, excuses, excuses. But there are no solutions.
"We have no money," yet we have 60-odd employees who commute to work using a T-owned vehicle. They're deemed "essential." You know - a doctor is essential. A police officer or a firefighter is essential. I doubt that a PR flack or an attorney or an accountant or any other of the 60-odd employees driving to and from work using a T car (with T gas) is essential.
"We have no money" yet we're catering our board members lunches. Guess what - the T isn't the only state entity managed by a board of directors. Lots of state divisions have operating boards. Board members serve without pay or benefits and they don't get a free lunch. I don't negate the efficiencies of working lunches, but why should my tax dollars and commuting fees be used to pay for these lunches? What about having a lunch and paying out of pocket for it? That way - you're not putting the caterers out of business and you're effectively managing your budget.
I can't stand the fact that Dan Grabauskas was quoted on air as saying "we never thought to eliminate this lunch." Are you kidding me? Do you even try to see what you can cut out of your budget or is this all a joke? Are you just taking the enormous salary you are paid and running with it to the bank, smirking at how dumb commuters and citizens of the Commonwealth are?
Look at how irate Americans got when they learned that AIG kept their sales meeting at that California spa after our tax dollars bailed them out.
Maybe if the T ditched the cars they would have a little bit more money to maintain their equipment.
I understand that running a transit system is complex and it can be expensive. But I get so frustrated when I visit other cities and I see that their transit systems are bigger and more efficient. Maybe it is because they actually collect their fares (i.e., you can't ride for free on a NYC subway). I love Boston. I think this is a great city. We deserve the best run transit system in the nation. This is the home to the first subway system in America.
Unfortunately frustrated riders do not just take the commuter rail. They take the entire system. Check out Beth Adelson's comments on her "Shooting (Myself) blog."
He added that the state's recent move to acquire theUm, Joe, guess what? Since the "new" Worcester-Framingham schedule was put into place a few weeks ago, the trains haven't been running on time. I know this is where the MBTA gets to blame either the MBCR or CSX for the service delays, but riders are tired of the delays. We've received a lot of comments over the past few weeks regarding delays. Some commuters feel that the on-time performance of the Worcester line is now a non-issue, as the schedule has been "increased" and the negotiations with CSX are almost completed. Guess what - we depend on the train and this isn't a non-issue for us. So many commuters work at companies that either have had layoffs or are planning layoffs. Job performance - including showing up to work on time - is a huge issue.CSX Corp.'s train tracks between Worcester and Framingham, among other sections of the state, will lead to improved track and signal maintenance and better on-time performance for commuter-rail service.
My commute on the P508 was OK this morning. We arrived to South Station at 8:28 a.m., 5 minutes after the scheduled arrival time of 8:23 a.m. I can't recall when we've been on time in the last few weeks.
I hope something can be done about the T. We need reliability above all else. I think that's why people are so up at arms. Just run on time for heck's sake.
The Universal Hub post from Tuesday about why Channel 4 made a big to-do about the catered lunches at MBTA Board meetings had a lot of "so what?" comments. One comment by WBZ reporter David Wade really hit home with me:
I certainly understand that this free lunch can be viewed as small potatoes. (Pun anyone?) But here's my take. Thanks.He wrote a longer post on the WBZ blog Conversation Nation.
Frankly, I'm happy that WBZ's I-Team took the time to investigate this issue. I'm sick and tired of hearing "the T wants to be treated like a private business." Guess what - they don't act like a private business and they're not funded like a private business.
First - private businesses (at least the good, successful ones) actually care about their customers. I went to college in Western New York. There is a wonderful supermarket chain based in Rochester that is renowned in upstate New York called Wegman's. Wegman's provides great customer service and their customers are passionate about shopping there. In fact, Wegman's is lowering their prices due to the current financial climate. They see how their customers are impacted, they are listening to their customers and they make some changes.
Second, when private business don't have money, they cut their fringe benefits. I have a lot of friends who used to be able to get a free lunch at work or a free cup of coffee. When the revenue dried up, so did these perks. Such is life.
Third, the only thing the T seems to do is provide excuses. "We don't have enough money." "We have an old system." "We have to deal with unions." Excuses, excuses, excuses. But there are no solutions.
"We have no money," yet we have 60-odd employees who commute to work using a T-owned vehicle. They're deemed "essential." You know - a doctor is essential. A police officer or a firefighter is essential. I doubt that a PR flack or an attorney or an accountant or any other of the 60-odd employees driving to and from work using a T car (with T gas) is essential.
"We have no money" yet we're catering our board members lunches. Guess what - the T isn't the only state entity managed by a board of directors. Lots of state divisions have operating boards. Board members serve without pay or benefits and they don't get a free lunch. I don't negate the efficiencies of working lunches, but why should my tax dollars and commuting fees be used to pay for these lunches? What about having a lunch and paying out of pocket for it? That way - you're not putting the caterers out of business and you're effectively managing your budget.
I can't stand the fact that Dan Grabauskas was quoted on air as saying "we never thought to eliminate this lunch." Are you kidding me? Do you even try to see what you can cut out of your budget or is this all a joke? Are you just taking the enormous salary you are paid and running with it to the bank, smirking at how dumb commuters and citizens of the Commonwealth are?
Look at how irate Americans got when they learned that AIG kept their sales meeting at that California spa after our tax dollars bailed them out.
Maybe if the T ditched the cars they would have a little bit more money to maintain their equipment.
I understand that running a transit system is complex and it can be expensive. But I get so frustrated when I visit other cities and I see that their transit systems are bigger and more efficient. Maybe it is because they actually collect their fares (i.e., you can't ride for free on a NYC subway). I love Boston. I think this is a great city. We deserve the best run transit system in the nation. This is the home to the first subway system in America.
Unfortunately frustrated riders do not just take the commuter rail. They take the entire system. Check out Beth Adelson's comments on her "Shooting (Myself) blog."
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
MBTA Ridership Up 5.3%
WBZ News Radio 1030 with a report about how the T's ridership has increased 5.3% over the same time last year.
Buses saw the biggest jump in daily ridership, with nearly 50,000 people a day. Subway ridership is up to 20,000 a day in May 2008 versus May 2007.
No big surprise for the reason why - the high cost of gassing up our automobiles.
On a different note, this is the 300 post to the Train Stopping blog.
Updated at 2:27 p.m.:
Boston.com just published an article similar to the WBZ update. Not only is ridership across the T up, but Mass Pike usage is down. The Turnpike saw a 3.4% decrease in the number of vehicles that drove on through the system - so 600,000 fewer cars in May 2008 versus May 2007.
Also, AAA is predicting a decline in national traffic for the upcoming 4th of July weekend. AAA reported on Monday that the state average for self-service gas is $4.07 a gallon. What was it this time last year? A meager $2.93 a gallon. And we thought THAT was expensive.
Buses saw the biggest jump in daily ridership, with nearly 50,000 people a day. Subway ridership is up to 20,000 a day in May 2008 versus May 2007.
No big surprise for the reason why - the high cost of gassing up our automobiles.
On a different note, this is the 300 post to the Train Stopping blog.
Updated at 2:27 p.m.:
Boston.com just published an article similar to the WBZ update. Not only is ridership across the T up, but Mass Pike usage is down. The Turnpike saw a 3.4% decrease in the number of vehicles that drove on through the system - so 600,000 fewer cars in May 2008 versus May 2007.
Also, AAA is predicting a decline in national traffic for the upcoming 4th of July weekend. AAA reported on Monday that the state average for self-service gas is $4.07 a gallon. What was it this time last year? A meager $2.93 a gallon. And we thought THAT was expensive.
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