The MBTA is crying wolf… again, predicting a deficit of $111 million in its next fiscal budget. The potential solution? Raise fares on riders, again. Governor Baker seems to agree, stating on Valentine’s Day that the MBTA should be discussing a fare increase. I’m not sure that was the best way to spread the love, especially to…
Feb 21
2018
2018
Nov 25
2017
2017
Green Line Extension Back on Track
CLF has been steadfast in our push for the Green Line extension (GLX), but making it a reality has been a rollercoaster ride with twists and turns that threatened to derail this critical public transportation project before it could get off the ground. However, last week, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) took a significant…
Nov 5
2017
2017
We’re Not Waiting for Trump’s Promised Infrastructure Investment
If there was one issue where candidate Donald Trump seemed to offer a promise that both sides of the aisle could get behind, it was his vow to spend $1 trillion on public works over the next decade. It would be an investment, he said, in repairing and upgrading the nation’s transportation systems. Unlike the…
Mar 2
2017
2017
#DeleteUber Campaign Could Be Good for the Environment
If you recently deleted your Uber app in response to the consumer boycott over the ride-hailing company’s behavior during the protests against Trump’s travel ban, you may want to think twice before you reinstall it. While Uber has amassed at least three more scandals since then, a new report is also giving us a first…
Feb 10
2017
2017
Latest Report on Massachusetts Transportation Financing Finds Progress, But Much More to Do
The Transportation for Massachusetts coalition – of which CLF is a member – today released the latest in a series of reports evaluating the implementation of the Commonwealth’s landmark Transportation Finance Act of 2013. The Keeping on Track reports are aimed at ensuring the new law’s success at addressing the most pressing needs of the…
Feb 10
2017
2017
Keeping on Track 2017
Keeping on Track is the third in a series of reports planned at ensuring the success of Massachusetts’s Transportation Finance Act of 2013 at addressing the most pressing needs of the state’s transportation system. New this year, the report also includes progress on the implementation of the 2009 Transportation Reform Act, in order to provide…
Nov 3
2016
2016
MBTA Creates a Storm on the Fairmount Line
It may seem that the Snowmageddon of 2015 is a distant memory, but for many MBTA users, the winter season lives on as a cold reminder of being stranded in crowded stations and wondering when the next train would be arriving, if at all. This year, the Fairmount Line on the commuter rail, which runs…
Jul 27
2016
2016
Cap on T Fare Hikes is Lowered
… Advocates for more public transportation cheered the governor’s approval of the Legislature’s language. “There’s been a lot of confusion over many years about how fares can go up, and this will give us clarity,” said Rafael Mares, a vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation. “This is such an important change that it would…
Jul 27
2016
2016
Federal Complaint Filed Over Eliminated MBTA Late-Night Service
… The complaint filed Tuesday by the vice president at the Conservation Law Foundation claims the MBTA didn’t properly measure the impact on low-income and minority riders before ending its service in March. The T’s fiscal control board voted in February to end late-night service, saying it wasn’t “cost-effective.” Rafael Mares, an attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation,…
Jun 22
2016
2016
Funding for Pioneer Valley Public Transit Improvements Restored
On Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Board of Directors took a major step in ensuring that millions of riders in the Pioneer Valley have a transit system that can meet their needs. In its announcement of adding $500 million to the state’s five-year capital investment plan, MassDOT righted its previous omission and included…