Of all the states in the country, Massachusetts is arguably the most willing to pay substantial taxes in return for reliable services. In this respect, public servants are in an enviable position; and as a result, they owe it to the rest of this state's residents to provide creative solutions — or at least not backward ones.
By refusing to address the vast majority of problems highlighted in a grave report that was released this month, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is making a very poor decision and tempting fate. Perhaps more importantly, it is once again exposing the inherent flaws in its operating system.
A report commissioned by Gov. Deval Patrick has turned over yet another one of the MBTA's dirty rocks, outlining 57 projects that it deemed necessary to maintaining a safe transportation system. One of the the report's biggest concerns was that the T's Red Line trains are at risk of derailment between the Alewife and Harvard stops. This portion, which includes Tufts' Davis Square stop, suffers from water leakage that is making track fasteners and concrete slabs deteriorate. And the MBTA is not doing much about it.
The agency has implemented plans to deal with only six of the 57 suggested projects; one of the many unfunded initiatives pertained to the precarious Red Line situation. Why would the MBTA commit such a glaring oversight? The answer has a lot to do with the serious debt the agency has accrued over the past decade. This debt comes in part from an overly rosy approximation that Massachusetts made in 2000, when it decided that all the MBTA's tax revenue would come from 20 percent of the annual state sales tax. The 2000s did not follow in the unsustainable footsteps of the "roaring" 1990s, and sales tax revenues proved far less abundant than the government had hoped.
All the while, the MBTA has steadily accrued a costly debt, piling it up bit by bit. The state legislature has been sitting back, often too timid to step in and demand with something stronger than rhetoric that the agency make cuts, add sources of revenue and generally implement a more functional system.
There are clearly important changes to be made. Not only do T passengers ride for $0.55 less than do New York subway commuters, the MBTA does outrageously little to maintain an efficient work force. Of 100 employee files reviewed by the governor's investigators, not one mentioned an employee's performance. Additionally, no one has been fired for lackluster performance alone in over 10 years, and over a third of MBTA workers have standing medical notices preemptively permitting them to temporarily leave work.
If after an earnest attempt the MBTA simply cannot make its operations profitable, the state must step in with a more reasonable tax revenue source. Bumping up highway tolls would be an excellent place to start — it would incentivize using greener transportation methods like, well, riding the T while also reining in money that could go toward Massachusetts' reeling public transportation system.
This article has been modified from its original version for purposes of accuracy.
