T safety, East-West rail, e-bikes, and EVs get boost in transportation bond, climate bills sent to governor
“I wouldn’t call this bold, ambitious, or strategic,” said Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a public transportation advocacy group.
Read morePitch to Dismantle T Called ‘an Attempt to Distract’ from Problems
“I disagree with Rep. Straus about restructuring the MBTA,” Thompson said. “Obviously, we all want to have a good transit system, but it’s very much putting the cart before the horse, and frankly, I think it’s potentially an attempt to distract from the core issue, which is deep underinvestment in the system.”
Read moreMBTA spent millions with politically-connected PR firm
“The T should be spending much, much more on communications. Compared to other transit authorities, the T spends significantly less on marketing,” Thompson said. “That’s probably why the public feels like they aren’t getting the information they need.”
Read moreMA: How to fix the MBTA: One idea would give the governor more power, but does that ignore the real issue?
“I’m not surprised,” she said in an interview with MassLive. “This sort of like ‘we’ll have someone else take it over, we’ll restructure as the solution’ is definitely something that we’ve seen in many conversations previously, and it doesn’t work.”
Read moreWhat to make the MBTA right now as safety incidents pile up
State Rep. William Straus, chairperson of the joint committee on transportation; Stacy Thompson, executive director of the LiveableStreets Alliance; and Jarred Johnson, executive director of TransitMatters, join us to make sense of how recent events might affect the agency and riders' experience moving forward.
Read moreAdvocates want governor, Legislature to treat T problems like 10-out-of-10 crisis
In the meantime, Catherine Gleason, Public Policy Manager at LivableStreets Alliance, wants the T to offer fare-free days or discounted fares to riders who have to endure the longer wait times and safety concerns.
Read moreLow-income fare for T riders could bring much-needed relief to poor squeezed by inflation
Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a public transportation advocacy group, said low-income fares aim to keep money in the pockets of people who need it most, and eliminating bus fares can boost ridership and make service more reliable by reducing the time it takes people to board.
Read moreMBTA: Investigation ongoing, driver ‘re-trained’ after slow speed accident on Green Line in June
Transit passenger advocate Stacy Thompson puts the blame squarely on the Baker Administration for underfunding operating costs at the T for years.
Read moreT says it’s making progress on safety, fixing failures found by feds
While riders are enduring reduced service and longer waits for trains, Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a public transportation advocacy group, said the T should be offering discounted fares and fare-free days, as well as increased commuter rail and ferry service.
Read more‘Brutal' Wait Times Continue as MBTA Deals With Staffing Issues
Stacy Thompson, a transit advocate with LivableStreets, said she understands the process takes time, but she wishes the MBTA would be more transparent with the public about the hiring process and invest more into it going forward.
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