Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Group holds People's Assembly inside State House.
The sound of “No” echoed through the halls of the State House Wednesday as more than 100 protestors affiliated with Occupy Boston gathered at the base of the Grand Staircase to protest the MBTA’s budget plan. The MBTA Board voted 4-1 today to approve the plan, which boosts fares by 23 percent, but spares Melrose's MBTA service from any cuts. The group, which began its rally outside on Beacon Street, declared public transportation a civil right and said that protests at recent MBTA hearings had gone unheard. “[So,] we are creating our own hearing, and we’re having it inside the State House,” said Katie Gradowski. She and Noah McKenna led the rally from the front steps, joined by a giant-sized puppet of “Charlie” bearing a “99%” button. …
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/articles/occupy-boston-protests-mbta-fare-hike-e9fc3862
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The MBTA faces a budget deficit heading into the next fiscal year which begins July 1.
After all of the talk, public hearings, and protests over the past three months, the MBTA Board voted Wednesday afternoon to boost fares 23 percent and cut back service in an attempt to close a projected $161 million deficit in the next fiscal year. Board members approved a plan in a 4-1 vote that will raise most subway fares by 30 cents, bus fares by 25 cents, and commuter rail fares by at least $1.25. Single-ride commuter rail fares for Melrose's three stops, all in Zone 1, will rise from $4.25 to $5.50. The cost of a monthly Zone 1 pass will increase from $135 to $173. Meanwhile, some cuts in service—mainly involving bus routes, The Ride, and the commuter rail—were also approved. The five bus routes with stops in Melrose would all …
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MBTA Wyoming Hill Station
40 W Wyoming Ave, Melrose, MA
/articles/mbta-approves-plan-to-boost-fares-cut-service-video-294a53be
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MBTA Cedar Park Station
Cedar Park & W Emerson St, Melrose, MA
/articles/mbta-approves-plan-to-boost-fares-cut-service-video-294a53be
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/locations/6729130
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MBTA Melrose Highlands Station
497 Franklin St, Melrose, MA
/articles/mbta-approves-plan-to-boost-fares-cut-service-video-294a53be
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Fares will increase by 23 percent next year under the MBTA's latest plan to fill next year's budget deficit.
Editor's note: This article was updated at 12:35 p.m. The MBTA announced a new plan to tackle next year's budget deficit that would increase fares by 23 percent and make $15 million in service cuts—but none affecting Melrose's bus or commuter rail service. According to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) emailed Wednesday morning, the MBTA would eliminate four bus routes and modify 14 others, but the five bus routes with stops in Melrose—106, 131, 132, 136 and 137—would all remain unchanged, according to the MBTA. (PDF of proposed bus route cuts attached.) Melrose's weekend commuter rail service would remain intact; it would be eliminated on the Kingston-Plymouth, Needham and Greenbush lines. …
42.452017
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MBTA Wyoming Hill Station
40 W Wyoming Ave, Melrose, MA
/articles/mbta-plans-23-percent-fare-hike-more-limited-service-cuts
271849
/locations/6679490
42.45916
-71.07032
MBTA Cedar Park Station
Cedar Park & W Emerson St, Melrose, MA
/articles/mbta-plans-23-percent-fare-hike-more-limited-service-cuts
271861
/locations/6679491
42.468777
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MBTA Melrose Highlands Station
497 Franklin St, Melrose, MA
/articles/mbta-plans-23-percent-fare-hike-more-limited-service-cuts
271866
/locations/6679492
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The official public comment period on the proposed fare hikes and service cuts ended last night, but the Metropolitan Area Planning Council still has a point to make.
After months of debate over the MBTA's two proposed scenarios for cutting services and raising fares to meet their projected $161 million budget deficit, the period of public comment ended last night at the MBTA's final public hearing, held at a senior center in Brighton. In a Boston Globe article on the meeting, MBTA GM Jonathan Davis explained how they were going to move forward. According to him and the Globe, "neither of the two previously released scenarios will be selected by the agency’s board," but, "Instead, the committee that drafted those two proposals will take testimony from all of the hearings’ speakers and feedback from more than 5,600 e-mails and draft new recommendations." The decision comes with little surprise. …
Friday, March 9, 2012
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council created an online calculator that allows residents to choose how to close the T's $161 million budget gap.
There's been an outcry over proposed MBTA fee hikes and services cuts that the agency says are necessary to close a $161 million budget gap next year. So what would you do? The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) created an online 'Fix the T' calculator at fixthet.mapc.org that allows residents to choose how they would make up the MBTA's current shortfall. Included are fare hikes and service cuts initially proposed by the MBTA; options presented by the MBTA Advisory Board; and others. According to a release from the MAPC, the MBTA is preparing to adopt a budget by April 15. "MAPC created this budget calculator to collect these ideas in one place and give people an opportunity to come up with their own plan," the release said. Even …
42.452017
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MBTA Wyoming Hill Station
40 W Wyoming Ave, Melrose, MA
/articles/fix-the-t-calculator-how-would-close-the-budget-gap
271849
/locations/6546320
42.45916
-71.07032
MBTA Cedar Park Station
Cedar Park & W Emerson St, Melrose, MA
/articles/fix-the-t-calculator-how-would-close-the-budget-gap
271861
/locations/6546321
42.468777
-71.068488
MBTA Melrose Highlands Station
497 Franklin St, Melrose, MA
/articles/fix-the-t-calculator-how-would-close-the-budget-gap
271866
/locations/6546322
Friday, February 24, 2012
Should the money go to the MBTA as the Governor proposes, or do you have other ideas for it?
With a winter of record high temperatures at least partially behind us, the state government has only used about $10 million of the $50 million set aside for snow and ice removal, according to a Fox News article. Governor Deval Patrick wants to give that money to the MBTA. As he says in this Patriot-Ledger article, "We’ve had a good and calm and relatively snow-free winter so far. If the winter continues as it has been, there will be unspent snow and ice budget. That may be part of the one-year fix." The fix he is referring to is the MBTA's estimated $161 million projected budget deficit for fiscal year 2013, but we at Patch are wondering if you see other things that need fixing. Where do you think the money saved this year should go, and …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Seniors, students and commuters all came out to make their voices heard.
No protesters interrupted the MBTA's 20th public meeting on proposed cuts for next year's budget, though transportation officials still got an earful from angry commuters Thursday night. During the meeting, 137 speakers took to the podium on behalf of students, seniors, the handicapped, the ill and more, with a common message to MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis: these proposals are unacceptable. Officials say a mixture of service cuts and fare hikes are necessary to close a $161 million deficit in next year's operating budget, with one proposed scenario eliminating all bus routes in Melrose. “I don't know what the answer is to the MBTA deficit, but I know in my heart it's not what's being proposed tonight,” Malden Mayor Gary Christenson…
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200 Pleasant St, Malden, MA
/articles/nearly-400-turn-out-against-mbta-cuts-in-malden
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137 speakers from Melrose, Malden and neighboring communities took to the podium to speak their mind—here's what some of them had to say.
Just under 400 people comprised the overflow crowd at Malden City Hall Thursday night, as MBTA passengers from Melrose, Malden and surrounding communities came to express their concerns about proposed cuts to local bus services.
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200 Pleasant St, Malden, MA
/articles/video-highlights-from-mbta-cuts-meeting-in-malden
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
With a public meeting with MBTA officials slated for 6 p.m. Thursday night at Malden's Government Center, here's a list of info to keep handy during the proceedings.
Tonight's public meeting with MBTA officials at 6 p.m. in Malden's City Council Chambers (200 Pleasant St., third floor) will allow residents an opportunity to speak their mind about proposed cuts that could eliminate as many as 12 bus routes from the city. Here's eight things you need to know going into the meeting: 1. Follow our live coverage: If you use Twitter or follow Malden Patch on Facebook, Malden Patch editor Chris Caesar will be at the meeting live, tweeting updates under the Twitter hasthag #Tcuts. If you have questions or comments during the meeting, feel free to interact on either social media outlet, and we'll hold a live chat as the meeting unfolds. You can also watch a livestream of the event—courtesy of MATV—on Malden …
42.427329
-71.073397
200 Pleasant St, Malden, MA
/articles/eight-things-you-need-to-know-about-tonight-s-mbta-meeting
/locations/6393369
Daniel DeMaina
3:48 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The MBTA has released an open letter from MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey and MBTA Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis. It's available here: http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=24023&month=&year= ... here are some key outtakes: "Since January, nearly 6,000 of you attended our 31 public meetings, with nearly 2,000 individuals offering public comment. In addition, we received 5,850… more ›