Service cuts on the MBTA will put a major dent in the Boston economy, impede workers from getting to their jobs, stifle real estate development throughout the region, damage important cultural institutions and make sporting events more expensive, according to a report issued by A Better City, formerly known as the Artery Buisness Committee.
In a position paper about the two proposed scenarios for service cuts and fare hikes on the MBTA, which have been the subject of raucous public hearings over the past weeks, including one in Somerville, the organization argued “the Massachusetts economy cannot afford either scenario.”
The report paints a picture of the T as being integral to the economy of Greater Boston. Among other things, it says:
- “55 percent of work trips into Boston involve the MBTA system”
- 70 percent of the state’s residents live within the T’s service area
- The MBTA’s proposals would add 55,000 to 92,000 more cars on the road each day
- That “additional congestion could cost Massachusetts $66 million a year.”
Impacts to real estate development
The report also points to the region’s efforts to build more affordable housing near public transportation, saying, “The T is absolutely essential to real estate development, not only in downtown Boston but also in communities like Quincy.”
Cultural institutions
Service cuts would also adversely impact arts, sports, entertainment and cultural institutions, the report says. Cutting weekend service on the E Branch of the Green Line would eliminate weekend public transportation to the Boston Symphony, Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, some of Boston’s most important cultural institutions.
Sports
Similarly, the report says, without night and weekend Commuter Rail service, suburban fans of the Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics will be forced to drive, which will drive up parking rates.
Conversation about revenuesÂ
The report calls for a long-term solution to fiscal problems facing the state’s transportation system. “It is clear that a conversation about additional revenues for our entire transportation system needs to occur,” the report says.
Read the Metro’s coverage of the report here.
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