“It’s entirely reasonable for a transit system to have various slow zones throughout the year. It’s common to do repairs,” said Stacy Thompson, executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance. “The reason it’s become a thing is because the T isn’t transparent about why.”

“I think the real question is, was the T transparent about the derailment when they had the information later on?” Thompson said. 

“Planning for something like this is a good thing, they’re probably looking at a pretty extensive slate of repair projects and haven’t figured out the mechanics of how they’re going to do it,” Thompson said. 

“We really want the MBTA to implement a reduced fare program,” said Catherine Gleason, program and policy coordinator at LivableStreets Alliance. She added that an evasion penalty system could disproportionately impact low-income riders, without the balance of lower-cost options.

“Without a low-income fare, you’re just penalizing people because they can’t pay,” said Catherine Gleason of the alliance.

Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson shared their thoughts on MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak’s upcoming departure, and other transit headlines. Aloisi is a former transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters Board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Thompson is executive director of Livable Streets Alliance.

But Stacy Thompson, LivableStreets executive director, said her personal preference would be to stick with someone local.

“I wouldn’t write someone off who isn’t from the Boston area, but it’s valuable to have someone who knows people and who people respect,” she said.

She would like to see the next governor look at candidates with prior knowledge of the system, who weren’t there “when problems were going on, but still understand the MBTA.”

“He took a job that no one wanted, and he stepped into already tough circumstances,” said Stacy Thompson, executive director of Livable Streets. “The problems with the T are problems that the governor and the Legislature created long before Steve stepped into that job.”

LivableStreets Alliance Executive Director Stacy Thompson said Poftak was "a consistent voice who stepped in when other people were unwilling to do it."

Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, said the MBTA needs to be more transparent with “metrics that matter to the public,” such as work to eliminate speed restrictions and hiring efforts to improve train and bus frequency.