Transportation Fix

The following is an opinion piece from State Senator Katherine Clark.

When it comes to adequately funding our transportation system, short-term fixes are unfortunately necessary, but certainly not sufficient.   It is now time to take a hard look at our entire system – from highways and bridges to buses and subways – and consider how we efficiently operate and pay for a system that truly meets the Commonwealth’s needs.

On July 1 a series of MBTA service changes and fare and parking increases went into effect to close the T’s fiscal year 2013 budget gap.   In addition, in June the State Senate passed an emergency funding package that will help the T close its budget deficit for this year.

The bill requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to transfer $51 million in vehicle inspection fees to the Massachusetts Transportation Fund and distribute $2 million to the RTAs and $49 million to the MBTA. In addition, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) must transfer $1.5 million in surplus from its snow and ice budget to the Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs).

The legislation also increases fare evasion penalties and authorizes the MBTA and RTAs to share information with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services so that the RIDE program might be eligible for MassHealth federal reimbursement.

Finally, the legislation requires the board of MassDOT to develop a long-term transportation financing plan for the state by December 31, 2012.

This last point is crucial.  Because it is clear that our current system of funding and operating our public transportation network is inadequate and untenable.  We can no longer afford annual emergencies and patchwork solutions.  Nor, as has been recently pointed out by top transportation officials, can we afford to finance operating costs with debt.  Instead, we need a long-term, comprehensive plan that supports a transportation system with sufficient capital to keep fares reasonable, expand routes, modernize our infrastructure, and improve services.

A necessary first step is acknowledging that our transportation system is a community wide issue that impacts not only our district and the Greater Boston area, but the entire Commonwealth.  Whether we are talking about roads and bridges or buses and trains, the entire transportation system is critical to our economic development, to job creation, and to our collective effort to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. 

While there is no easy solution, we need to start with a comprehensive plan that reflects true costs and contains common sense assumptions about what we need and how we should pay for it.   A thorough planning process and an open conversation will force us to look at the tough decisions that must be made to bring the MBTA and our highway system to an efficient operational model that serves the needs of the whole state.

Among the proposals that have been suggested are open highway tolling, more efficient fare collection, distance based fares, regionally based revenues, gas tax increases, increased fares and service cuts, and selling naming rights for 11 MBTA stations.  There are other options as well, and I am very interested in your thoughts on this issue. 

I encourage you to contact me with your suggestions as we move forward; my website is www.KatherineClark.org.  Working together in a constructive and open manner, we can develop a true long term solution.