MBTA cuts must be stopped

By Representative Carl Sciortino (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Imagine bus lines eliminated. Picture trying to get home from work, but your commuter rail has stopped running in the evening or on the weekends. Or better yet, imagine being a disabled person who depends on 'The Ride' to stay connected to your community, your job, and your doctor, but 'The Ride' has been eliminated in your community. This is the reality we as a Commonwealth are facing in a matter of months unless the legislature takes action. These are challenging economic times for all of our families, and many of our small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open. This requires that we, as residents of the Commonwealth, work together to make thoughtful decisions about our priorities. As a legislator, I believe this is the time to act responsibly, be honest about the magnitude of the challenges we are facing, and do what I can to maintain a decent quality of life for our residents. The MBTA is not without its problems. We have heard a lot about the need for 'reforms before revenue.' Reforms that we have already begun to implement, and more, are critical to restoring financial responsibility to the T. And more importantly, such reforms are necessary to restore the public trust in the way our agencies are run. It would be dishonest, however, if I told you that reforms without new revenues would be enough. While we strive for reforms that may bring savings in the tens of millions, the T is facing a deficit in excess of $160 million. And next year's deficit, and the associated service cuts and fare increases being proposed to fill this gap, doesn't even capture the backlog of maintenance that causes delays and service interruptions experienced by T riders every day. The story isn't complete until we take into account the history of fare increases that have already happened. While tolls and the gas tax have been left untouched, T riders have faced fares that have doubled in just a few short years. Fare increases may sound reasonable to some, but the reality is that an increase in fares directly leads to a decrease in ridership. This is bad for road congestion, this is bad for the environment, and this is taking us in the wrong direction at a time we know we should be investing in public transportation. I have heard from many constituents who are concerned about service cuts, whether for the T, for our schools, public safety, or a host of programs that improve our quality of life, protect our seniors, and provide for our children. As the debates proceed around the need for revenues and reforms, it will be your stories and priorities that I and other legislators take into account to inform our decision-making. We have tough choices to make, but I am certain that the severity of the times gives us an opportunity to refocus our priorities and to remember what it is we value about the quality of life Massachusetts offers.