# SIERR

A CLU B Massachusett s Chapte r Septembe r 24 , 201 2

Mr . Jerom

e Graf e Departmen t

o f Environmenta l Protectio n Burea u o f Wast e Preventio n On e Winte r

Street , 6t h Floo r Boston , M A 0210 8 Re : Propose d Amendment s t o 31 0 CM R7.3 6 Centra l Arter y Mitigatio n Transi t Commitment s Th e Massachusetts Chapter o f th e Sierr aClu b strongl y support s th e remainin g Ai r Qualit y Mitigatio n Transi t Commitments , whic h th e Commonwealth ha s agree d t o a s part o f it s 199 0 setdemen

t a s aconditio n fo r

buildin g the Central Arter y /Tunne l Project . Fo r thos e wh o liv e o r

wor k i n the city an d depen d o n publi c transportatio n ever y day , the y remai n a

s vita l no w a

s whe n they wer

e firs t negotiated . W e firml y believ e that enlightened , responsibl e transportatio n policy , especiall y i n acompact , congeste d urban area, shoul d discourag e us e o f th e privat e automobil e and encourage the utilizatio n o f mor e benig n alternative s lik e transit , walkin g and bicycling . Thu s w e ar

e appalle d b y th e Massachusetts Departmen t o f Transportation' s proposa l t o tur n it s back o n ye t anothe r o f th e Mitigatio n Transi t

Commitment s stil l outstandin g under th e Stat e Implementatio n Plan : I t seek s t o abando n the fina l design proces s fo r the Re d Line/Blu e Lin e Connecto r that woul dexten d th e MBTA' s Blu e Lin e unde r Cambridg e Stree

t t o Charle s station , whic h woul da t las t provide^'iclrrecFtrans'fe f betwee n thes e tw o transi t lines . Th e Sierr

aClu b ha s lon g advocate d fo r

th e propose d Red/Blu e connectio n betwee n Bowdoi n Squar e and Charles . We believ e tha

t thi s lin k woul dbe o f

grea t benefi t t o th e passenger

s wh o regularl y trave l thes e tw o transi t lines , a s wel l a s t o rider s o n th e othe r

line s wh o mus t

us e tin e downtow n transfe r

stations . Fo r

thos e wh o depen d upo n the Re d Lin e o r

th e Blu e Line , th e benefit s ar e th e mos t

obvious : Traveler s comin g fro mCambridge , Dor

cheste r or Quinc y woul dhave t o endur e on e les s transfe r

t o reach th e Airport . Resident s o f Eas t Bosto n an d Re

ver e visitin g Massachusetts General Hospita l o r it s man y associated clinic s and doctors ' office s woul dsav e them

selves tw o transfers , fo r

aone-sea

t rid e t o thei r

destination . Th e connectio n woul dals o furthe r th e aim s o f envi

ronmenta l justice , connectin g jobs-ric h Kendal l Squar e wit h mor e affordabl e housin g nort h o f Boston . Thi s lis t coul dg o on . Benefit s fo r

odie r subwa y rider s ar

e equally evident : I liv e i n Roxbury an d wor k i n Governmen t

Center , rely

in g o n the Orang e Lin e ever y day . Frequentl y o n m y wa y home whe n I boar d the Fores t Hill s trai n a

t Stat e station , Iencounte

r peopl e arrivin g fro mth e Airpor t an d carryin g heav

y baggag e wh o mus t

als o squeez

e thei r wa y ont o th e alread y crowde d train—ofte n t o g o jus t one stop t o chang

e agai n a t Downtow n Crossing . (Th e overcrowdin g i s s o ba d tha t I ofte n avoi d Stat

e an d g o ou t

o f my wa y t o boar d a

t Haymarket. ) Bot h the

y an d w e woul db

e bette r served b y constructio n o f

th e Connector , whic h woul dallo w the madirec t transfe r t o the Re d Lin e whil e reducin g congestio n a

t the existin g downtow n transfe r stations . Th e MBT A ha

s claime d that

th e ne w "Silver

Line " bu s fro mSout

h Statio n t o th e Airpor t

obviate s the need fo r the lin k underneat

h Cambridg e Street . Thi s ride , however , i s slow , bump y an d unreliable , frequentl y gettin g delayed by traffi c i n the Te d William s Tunne l an d causing man y Re d Lin e Airpor t

traveler s t o vot e wit h thei r fee t an d con tinu e t o us

e the Blu e Line . Too , th e bu s i s o f n o us e t o peopl e wh o liv e o r wor k i n Eas t Bosto n o r

Rever e and wan t t o reach the Red Lin e o r destination s lik e Mass . General . Futur e development alon g th e Blu e Lin e corridor , like the casin o planne d a

t Suffol k Downs , i s almos t

certai n t o increas e it s ridership . Whil e casino promoter s anticipat e tha t the majorit y o f

it s patron s wil l be arrivin g b y car, i t i s onl y fai r

t o assum

e tha t asizable minorit y wil l arriv e by T , a s wil l man y o f it s workers . 1 0 Mil k Stree t Suit e 63 2 Bosto n M A 0210 8 tel : 617.423.577 5 fax : 617.423.585

8 www.sierraclubmass.org

# SIERR

A CLU B FOUNDE D 189 2 Massachusett s Chapte r Th e Connecto r

i s no t afril l bu t

abadly neede d additio n t o the T system . W e als o need t o conside r th e futur e o f the Blu e Line , th e shortes t o f th e MBTA' s fou r

transi t line s an dthe onl y on e terminatin g i n downtown . Extend

in g i t t o Charle s canno t

fai l t o increas e it s ridership—especiall y i f the Lin e i s eve

r extende do n th e othe r

endt o Lyn n —fuelin g th e nee d fo r

mor e interconnectivit y wit h th e res t o f the system . Ove r

the year s there have bee

n variou s proposal s t o exten ddi e Blu e Lin e t o th e west , mos t notabl y t o Kenmor e Squar e an dbeyond , t o reliev e pressur e o n the overburdene dGree n Lin e throug h th e Back Bay . Thes e possibilitie s nee d t o remai n o n th e tabl e an dno t b e preclude db y short-rang e financia l consideration s that ar e no w bein g used t o dictate th e short-sighte d"solution " o f abandonin g the Connector . Bosto n ha s lon g style ditsel f

a s a"worl dclas s city. " Such afailur e t o inves t i n our ow n futur e woul dmoc k

thes e aspirations . I t

woul dbe tantamoun t

t o adeclaratio n o f

economi c defeat , apatheti c admis

sio n tha t we're no t

a s competitiv e a

s w e hadonc e Hke

dt o believe . Afte r lavishin g eve

r mor e mone y o n th e Central Arter y projec t ($2 4 billio n an dcounting!) , i t i s interestin g t o hea r the stat e no w pleadpovert y i n a n attemp t

t o wiggl e ou t

o f anothe r one o f it s 199 0 Commitments . Fa r fro m bein g a n extraneou s add-o n burdenin g it s botto mline , thes e Commitment s spea k t o th e need t o enhance transpor tatio n option s fo r

thos e o f u s wh o liv e o r

wor k i n th e Bosto n area . I t

i s instructiv e t o not e that whil e th e Com

monwealt

h expand s transi t

andcommute r

rai l line s i n al l direction s awa y fro mth e center , i t

ha s systematicall

y ne glectedan

y expansio n t o it s downtow n core—an dthe MassDO T applicatio n doe s no t eve n bothe r t o lis t an y pro pose d remediatio n fo r

failin g t o meet

it s deadline fo r

designin g di e project . Thi s imbalanc e o f prioritie s mus t

stop ! I t urgently behoove s MassDO T t o continu e th e plannin g fo r thi s lin k against th e da y that th e mone y become s avail

abl e fo r it s construction ; i f

the fina l design o f

th e Connecto r

i s neve r completed , w e wil l no t

have an y dat ao n it s cost s shoul dth e occasio n fo r fundin g i t

arise . Suc

h lac k o f foresigh t ha s alread y prevente dth e MBT A fro mtakin g muc h advantage o f

th e America n Recover

y an dReinvestment

Ac t o f 2009 (th e "Stimulu s package" ) becaus e i t ha d preciou s fe w project s o n th e tabl e that wer e "shove l ready. " I n recen t month s th e loca l pres s ha s carrie dnumerou s articles , letter s an dOpinio n piece s addressing th e nexu s betwee n the mushroomin g cos t o f th e Bi g Di g an dth e desperat e stat e o f our chronicall y underfunde dan dcrum blin g transi t

infrastructure . Mos t

notabl e o f

thes e wa s "Surgin g ridershi p coul doverwhel mT " (Jun e 1 4 Globe , http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/06/14/surging-mbta-ridership-could-overwhelm-system-report

warns/gIaIU4WgfyKp'I'WClAodmoK/story.html V I n contras t

wit h comprehensiv e metr o network s i n citie s lik e Londo n o r Pari s o r Ne w Yor k

that cove r fa r mor e o f thei r metropolita n areas , Boston' s rapi dtransi t syste mca n b e bes t describe da

s skeletal , wit h to o man

y rid

er s funnelin g int o to o fe w lines . A t th e ver y least , capacit

y i n th e downtow n cor

e need s t o be significantl y expanded , wit h service extende dint o man y underserve dareas , lik e central Roxbur y an dnorther n Dorchester . Sadly , w e coul d hav e greatl y improve dth e scop e an dcoverag e o f ou r publi c transi t

syste mfo r amer e fractio n o f

th e cos t o f th e overrun s o f

the Bi g Dig . Give n th e expansio n o f commute r

rai l servic e an dpark

andrid e lot s ove

r th e pas t tw o decades , primaril y t o serv e suburba

n riders , th e state' s protestation s o f inadequat

e fundin g ar

e actually ajudgmen t tha t i t view s thos e o f

us livin g i n th e inne r

cit y wh o depen do n it s service s ever y day—it s "captiv e audience, " so to speak—a s second-clas s citizens . DEP , do you r

duty a s publi c servants : Thi s Central Arter y Mitigatio n Transi t Commitmen t

mus t stand . Respectfull y submitted , foh n Kyper , Transportatio n Chair Sierr aClub , Massachusetts Chapte r

1 0 Mil k Stree t Suit e 63 2 Bosto n M A 0210 8 tel : 617.423.577 5 fax : 617.423.585

8 www.sierraclubmass.org