By Scott Ryder, News Correspondent
Activists are protesting service cuts and fare hikes after the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Board of Directors approved a 23 percent fare increase and a set of service reductions in a 4-1 vote on April 4 as a part of the MBTA’s third proposal to address its $185 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2013, released March 28. The changes will go into effect July 1.
Inconvenience to some Northeastern students will be the elimination of the Green Line’s E Branch weekend services between Brigham Circle and Heath Street.
Additionally, weekend commuter rail service on the Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth and Needham lines will also be eliminated, along with four weekday bus routes. CharlieCard bus fares will increase from $1.25 to $1.50, and subway fares from $1.70 to $2.00.
David Chang, a middler pharmacy major, said that these cuts will make it far less convenient for him to travel to his co-op at a CVS Pharmacy in Needham.
“The elimination of the weekend Needham line is going to rip apart my weekend schedule at work,” he said. “It’s going to ruin it so I’m not going to be able to work weekends, or it’s going to triple the time of my commute from 30 minutes to about an hour and a half.”
Chang said he will have to take the Green Line’s D Line to Newton Highlands, then a bus in order to get to work.
Local activists are equally upset and are protesting the service cuts and fare hikes in front of the Massachusetts State House as part of the Occupy MBTA movement, which started mid-February. The group and several other transportation advocates vowed to camp out in front of the State House near Boston Common until the Massachusetts legislature acts, or until Saturday, whichever comes first.
However, “Camp Charlie” was temporarily evicted from its location by federal authorities on April 9, according to the Occupy MBTA website. Massachusetts State Police officers told the protestors that the Secret Service took jurisdiction of the State House and surrounding area ahead of a visit from the President of Brazil. According to the groups website, protesters cleared their camp, with the aid of trucks provided by the state.
Brett West, a 23-year-old participant in the movement and organizer of Occupy Boston, said he would like to see the Massachusetts State Legislature come up with a better solution to the MBTA’s fiscal crisis than service cuts and fare increases.
“This is our first occupation since [Occupy Boston in] Dewey Square that we’ve taken,” said West in an interview with The News prior to the eviction. “We announced that we’re going to take this space for ten days on April 4, which was the national day of action that we had called on public transportation, and, so, actions took place all over the country and this is an offshoot, a result, of that.”
The Occupy Boston General Assembly passed National Day of Action for Public Transportation March 3, according to the Occupy MBTA website. The Boston Occupier, a publication run by the Occupy Boston movement, reported April 5 that activists in at least 18 different cities, including New York, Portland and Pittsburgh, participated in protests as well. April 4 was selected as the date because it is the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “Beyond Vietnam: Breaking the Silence.”
West said he participates in Occupy MBTA because public transportation is a right and should receive more attention from the Massachusetts legislature as well as citizens of Massachusetts.
“We’re going to be here raising awareness around this issue 24 hours a day until April 14, talking about why public transportation is a right and why it needs to be prioritized by the state, especially at a time when inequality continues to soar,” he said.
Some students said they are concerned that the wrong services were targeted.
Zach Moses, a senior psychology major, said that he occasionally uses the route 39 bus, which starts at Back Bay station and runs alongside the E Line, instead of the train. Despite this, he said that since most E Line riders are unaware of the bus, the MBTA could have eliminated part of the bus route rather than the E Line past Brigham Circle on weekends.
“I know a lot of my friends, especially when we started here at Northeastern, people don’t know the bus routes,” he said. “It’s really hard – the MBTA makes it really hard to research bus routes. So as far as just taking the green line, people know that very well. So, if you’re going to eliminate something, maybe eliminate the bus.”
Joe Parrish, co-owner of Hillway Realty Group on Huntington Avenue, said he does not anticipate any decline in business as a result of the plan.
“I don’t think it would really impact our business whatsoever,” he said. “Worst case, we could just meet people at Brigham Circle and drive them around to places. Also, the 39 bus is still going to run; that runs all the way to Forest Hills, so that keeps coming down.”
Diane Keith, a public relations representative for the Boston branch of the Veterans Administrative Healthcare system, said the VA Medical Center adjacent to the Heath Street stop would be minimally impacted, as the facility is closed weekends.
However, several local activists remain wary of the cuts. Justin Bensan, a middler political science major and leader of the Northeastern branch of Students Against T Cuts, said he is in the process of forming a student group on campus to advocate for the advancement of public transit, bicycling and walking in the city of Boston. He agrees that funding the T is an important, long-term issue and he is encouraging students to become involved.
“Despite the fact that this current proposal is not as drastic [as the first two announced in January], and a lot of it is reasonable, it still doesn’t make me happy, necessarily,” Bensan said. “Mostly because it’s still a temporary fix.”
The MBTA was able to lower its operating budget deficit for next year by taking several one-time payments, like a $5 million lease payment for its North Station garage and for the transfer of another $5 million in snow removal funds from Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), according to the T’s website. In total, the agency spared about $15 million, which is why the proposal that was approved is less drastic than the two released in January.
The T has also improved several fare collection tactics, including a pilot program on the E Line which forces passengers to disembark through the front door only during non-peak hours, which began this past winter. The Red Line also switched to one-person train operation earlier this year, with estimated annual savings of $1.3 million, according to the MBTA’s website.
But the T is powerless over some of its expenses. For example, the RIDE service for people with disabilities is mandated by federal law, but would require legislative approval in order for the T to be reimbursed by the federal government.
“As much as we were successful in terms of a Northeastern point of view, and that the E Line is saved for us, the cuts aren’t as severe for us, [and] a lot of the commuter rail service has been preserved, I don’t think that is any reason for Northeastern students to say, ‘OK, that’s fine now,’” Bensan said. “One, because we’re probably going to have to [fight service cuts] again next year. And two, we live in this Boston community, and just because our service wasn’t cut doesn’t mean that [South Huntington Avenue restaurant] Wok n Talk’s service wasn’t cut.”
West agreed the problems with the MBTA’s financials will resurface again next year, lest something be done by state government officials.
According to state representative and Democrat Alice Peisch, the state legislature is currently working on the issue. Peisch represents the 14th Norfolk District, which includes Wellesley, Weston and South Natick
“I am hopeful that by July 1, some of the less attractive aspects of the plan will be mitigated,” Peisch said in an email to The News, adding that she is is supportive of implementing a long-term solution for the MBTA’s budget and is currently working with other state representatives to craft a proposal for early next year. “In the event that the service cuts implemented July 1 are onerous, I am hopeful that a comprehensive plan will allow us to restore those services when we address the long-term issue next session.”
