Transit Funding Panel sponsored by Budget For All MA

On October 24, 2015, Budget For All hosted a discussion on the state of transit in Eastern Massachusetts and strategies to achieve increased state and federal funding for the MBTA and other public transportation services.

TransitMatters believes that while cities should prioritize MBTA operations to make them faster and more efficient, our region is in desperate need of major transit investments to keep pace with soaring population and employment and rapidly growing ridership. These service improvements are not possible without significant additional revenue.

See the full agenda here. My comments, about 22 minutes into Part 1, focuses on existing conditions and our vision for transit in Boston, then we answer some questions. 

NOTE: If you don't see Parts 2 & 3, visit transitmatters.info/podcast.

Let us know your thoughts, ideas and suggestions, and get involved with Budget 4 All or Transit Matters to join the fight for high quality public transit for everyone. Feedback? Use the contact form, email feedback@transitmatters.info or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Podcast 11 - Transit Polling with Rich Parr of MassINC

MassINC Polling Research Director Rich Parr shares his recent work and perspectives on what people think about the transportation dilemma in Boston. After the MBTA collapsed, a follow-up poll showed a dramatic increase in perceived important of transit, and most people now recognize that the region suffers without good transit. Still nobody can agree on how to fix it, and myths such as wasteful spending and mismanagement continue to lower the discourse.

Selected fun facts:

• The population of Boston has increased nearly 10 percent since 2000, with similar growth in Cambridge, Somerville and Quincy.
• MBTA ridership is up nearly 30 percent on the Red and Orange Lines, and 10 percent on buses, since 2004 (the Green Line is at capacity). However, no trains or buses have been added during this time.

We think we know how to fix the T but we struggle with how to raise money. Listen in and share your thoughts and ideas >> contact us.

NOTE: Check your podcast feed. If you don't see this episode in there, please subscribe to the new feed. Simply paste that in iTunes (updated iTunes link coming) or another feed reader. Let us know if you still have trouble.

Did we miss something or get it wrong? Send us your questions, comments and ideas for topics or guests  Or share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Transit Matters Podcast is your source for transportation news, analysis, interviews and more. We focus on sustainable transportation planning, operations and policies in Boston and beyond. Transit Matters is a joint project of local transit advocates Marc Ebuña, Jeremy Mendelson and Josh Fairchild.

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Podcast 06 - Dealing with Overcrowding | Guest: Amateur Planner

We are joined by the Amateur Planner to talk about transit challenges such as crowded trains and buses, planning and managing bus routes, taxis, parking, fares, and some ways we can do to improve our transit system.

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Over Capacity:  This train sat in the Downtown Crossing station for 2.5 minutes due to overcrowding.

Links to news and other items mentioned in this show:

• Boston City Council moves to regulate Uber & Lyft

• Boston Hubway stations open through December

• New parking garage opens in Salem

• Boston offers free parking on Saturdays during the holiday season

• MBTA reports record ridership (again)

• The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup (UCLA)
• The Walkable City by Jeff Speck
• EZ-Ride shuttle from North Station to Lechmere, Kendall, Cambridgeport
• Cities in Motion 2 game
• Watertown seeks more, better bus service (letter)
• MBTA Route Performance Indicators (pdf)
• Traffic Hackers data on driving times (project of Amateur Planner)
• EVENT: Livable Streets 10 in 1 Street Talk, Tuesday 12/16 at 6pm

Visit the Amateur Planner site for even more informative transit analysis, including a fantastic look at Route 70 and 70A in Cambridge, Watertown and Waltham.

The Transit Matters Podcast is your source for transportation news, analysis, interviews and more. We focus on sustainable transportation planning, operations and policies in Boston and beyond. Transit Matters is a joint project of local transit enthusiasts Marc Ebuña, Jeremy Mendelson and Josh Fairchild.

Read more about the podcast and send us your questions, comments and ideas for topics or guests >> contact us.  Or share your thoughts on anything we discussed in the comments below.

Like this project? Share it around, tell your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to the RSS feed (iTunes) to be notified of new posts and episodes.