Letter: Public transportation vital to Boston-area communities

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February 8, 2012

The Salem News Wed Feb 08, 2012, 04:41 AM EST

To the editor:

Why is it that when times are tough the MBTA sees fit to make it more difficult than ever to access public transportation?

More people than ever rely on the T to get to school, work, doctors appointments, stores, and for everyday living, yet now the MBTA is planning on rate hikes, ending weekend train service altogether, ending train service weekdays after 10 p.m., and ending some bus routes altogether.

Public transportation is the heart of a community, its nerve center. We must contact our state legislators and Gov. Patrick and remind them what this service means to us.

Budget shortfalls due to the expansion of the highway should not take away from public transportation. If there is a funding issue, it is time to think outside the box and work on new revenue sources. There can be a $5 fee for every parked car in every parking facility in Boston; there can be a $3 fee on every sports ticket sold; colleges and universities could be required to purchase an annual pass for city travel for each student; wind turbines could be purchased so that the MBTA does not have to deal with the fluctuations in gas prices.

Public transportation must be made available and must be affordable to all the cities in Greater Boston, and public transportation must connect in a coherent way the suburbs to each other and the city to the suburbs.

Every person who has a connection to public transportation must take the time to speak up, either to their legislator, the governor, or at the public hearings. Let them know your ideas for funding, let them know how important this is to you. Make yourself heard!

Danby Whitmore

Rowley

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Letter: Public transportation vital to Boston-area communities

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