It's Groundhog Day At the T. Again.
It's just like that movie with Bill Murray where he wakes up on the same day every day, day after day.
After getting exactly what they asked for from the legislature in return for promising not to raise fares, the T is proposing to raise fares again, by 20% across the board, saying "without further action soon we will simply be back in a deficit again next year, and the year following."
I've got news for you, bitches: with or without a fare increase this year you'll be back in a deficit again next year, and the year following, and the year after that.
Of course, they know this at the T. They know that their debt burden is what's killing them. They know that raising fares will not solve the long-term problem of spiraling debt, fare hikes, and service cuts.
They also know that lawmakers like shameless Senate President Therese Murray will play political football with public transportation, drawing a false line in the sand that pits motorists' interests against those who use the T, when actually if the T goes down motorists will be as severely impacted as T-riders, not to mention the impact on local business and industry.
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Once fare hikes are seen as a quick
fix for long-term problems for which
they're obviously not a valid or viable
solution, there's no stopping them.
_____________________________________________
Once fare hikes are seen as a quick
fix for long-term problems for which
they're obviously not a valid or viable
solution, there's no stopping them.
_____________________________________________
Affordable and efficient public transit should be a fundamental priority for the region, not an afterthought. And certainly not a political football that feeds into and inflames race and class stereotypes.
Trust me, by 2011 a single subway fare will be up to $2.50. Once fare hikes are seen as a quick fix for long-term problems for which they are obviously not a valid or viable solution, there's no stopping them. That's exactly what we're seeing now.
Fares will continue to increase by 20-30% every other year until we hit that critical mass, when ridership drops below a sustainable level, and the whole system goes under. That's not good for riders, motorists, local businesses, or the region's economy.
Bill Murray finally breaks out of the cycle of endless Groundhog Days when he learns the lesson that got him stuck there in the first place. Likewise, there are solutions for the T, but without serious thought about real reform on the one hand, and a real commitment to debt relief for the T on the State's part, we're doomed to repeat this ritual ad infinitum, or until the T's been effectually shut down, and Metro Boston's economy with it.
I remember my college days at Tufts when the T was 25 cents. Coming from SoCal, I found the public transport awesome. Why I could even take a train (who could believe it!) to outlying areas, the Cape, north to Freeport ME. You're correct: public transport should be a priority. And sometimes you just have to write down the debt, forgive it, declare BK, and move on. Vowing, of course, never, ever, ever to repeat the bad behavior. Thanks kindly for your blog.
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