Left In Lowell

I am all a-twitter (not Twitter) about this executive press release today regarding the New England Governors’ joint vision for plastering New England with new and better rail service. When I say plastering, I mean slathered on thick!

NEW ENGLAND GOVERNORS PURSUING JOINT REGIONAL VISION FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL
States Will Use Stimulus Funds to Strengthen Existing Rail Network, Connect Cities, and Spark Economic Growth

BOSTON – Monday, July 13, 2009 – The New England Governors today announced they are working together on a coordinated regional vision for high speed rail that will connect major cities and airports, and support economic growth throughout the region. The Vision for the New England High Speed and Intercity Rail Network lays out key projects to strengthen passenger and freight rail service along new and existing rail corridors. The goal is to double passenger rail ridership in the Northeast by 2030.

You know how I loves me better public transportation.

With no specific mention of Lowell or the Lowell line, I wrote to Colin Durrant of the EOT (Executive Office of Transportation) to confirm that indeed, the Capitol Corridor refers to the extension of the Lowell commuter rail line to Nashua, Manchester, Concord, through to Burlington VT, and up to Montreal. What’s more, it’s listed on the map of this plan as a “Designated High Speed Rail” corridor. Whoo hoo!!

Here’s what the document and press release have to say about it:

New Hampshire’s Capital corridor will create easily accessible passenger rail service for more than 500,000 residents of Southern New Hampshire with stops in the cities of Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Boston. The rail line will also stop at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, creating a much-needed connection for tourists and travelers from across northern New England. Eventually, this service will extend north to White River Junction, VT and to Montreal fulfilling the vision of this designated High-Speed Rail Corridor.

Durrant also mentioned that Massachusetts provided support for NH’s pre-application for this particular corridor, again signifying movement on this long-talked-about rail expansion. I know it’s “just a vision,” but it was a collaborative one between all the states’ Governors, and that in and of itself is a huge new development. The trickiest part of regional rail is getting the various jurisdictions on board. With the stimulus money to boost this and all leaders working together, I don’t see why this can’t become a reality.

Also, this corridor is just the tip of the iceberg in the plan, which includes 5 other major regional rail expansions, though the one that most affects us here in Lowell is the one I’ve outlined here (all politics is local after all). But if you’re a central or western Mass resident, there’s plenty to love about this plan as well.

Well, earlier I had a short-ish post almost fully written about today’s public meeting with Governor Patrick on his transportation reforms and revenue proposal, but the PDA ate my text. Suffice it to say that it was pithy and informative and all that. I’ll try to recreate my thoughts as best I can post-3-hour-movie at quarter to midnight. (I’m also hoping to get some - really crappy quality - video up sometime tomorrow.)

First, I wanted to say that it is good to see Patrick again coming back to these local open forums to talk about a major proposal and to hear feedback. Connecting to people is one of his strong suits and leadership is something we in the Commonwealth, battered by poor economic news, really need. Thanks to the Governor and his staff for doing these statewide meetings.

(Update - Jackie was there, too, and posted her thoughts.)

(more…)

Gov. Patrick is stopping in Lowell tomorrow for his transit reform listening tour. He’ll be at the Pollard Library from11:30 – 1 pm.

Update - what in the bleeping heck is that character standing in for a dash up there?? I posted this from the hair dresser’s on the PDA and so I just noticed it now while reading comments and such. I won’t correct it, if only because I find it interesting, and doubt I could recreate it. It kinda creeps me out! Mystery icon. Or am I the only one seeing it? It looks like a box with two zeros over “96″ inside it. Please tell me I am not crazy!

If you are not a Blue Mass Group reader, you should check this out. Charley posed a bunch of interesting questions and a lot of discussion followed. Including a response on the thought process from the Governor’s office from Doug Rubin, Gov. Patrick’s Chief of Staff, among other notable comments. The whole thing is worth a read.

Now that is change you can believe in. Or am I mixing up my campaign slogans?

Apparently the Globe didn’t report the whole story last night on the gas tax proposals (evidently, plural):

But administration officials, responding yesterday to a leak reported in the media, said the governor also was considering a gas tax increase as low as 5 cents and that no decisions have been made.

So there’s a range of proposals, only one of which got leaked, which was presumably not something Patrick would have wanted. I assume anyway.

One thing Ryan and I discussed on today’s Left Ahead! (podcast will be up eventually for downloading) was that the best thing that could happen with a large increase in gas tax is the elimination of highway tolls. Ryan’s more adamant than I on total elimination, but it does make sense.

I think this is the bigger issue:

The reports yesterday angered top lawmakers with transportation expertise who have not been briefed by the administration but who have been prodding the governor to take a leadership role on a gas tax for months.

“I come from the school where the number one rule is no surprises,” said Representative Joseph Wagner, a Democrat from Chicopee who has been the House’s top transportation official. “These proposals are surprises. It’s not my preferred way of doing business.

Though Patrick might have been doing just that (putting together a proposal for lawmakers) and wasn’t interested in this being released “piecemeal.” Apparently, someone else was.

For several days now, I’ve seen people with signs at the Gallagher depot when dropping off my husband at the train. The first day I couldn’t really see what the signs said (it’s not a good idea to mill around if you want drivers, in the split second they have when turning into the Gallagher, to see what you’re standing in support of, even if it’s cold…) but the second day, it was clear they were bus drivers voicing support for a new contract.

I thought to myself, what, are they striking already? But no news of that, so I assume these are off-duty drivers hoping to put pressure on the negotiations.

I sympathize with both the LRTA drivers, and the management, at this point. Yes, the workers deserve a fair contract. And yes, the state funding for LRTA is already seeing a dip, which means previously balanced budgets are no longer. And in between are the riders, and I hope no one really wants to see the rates rise too dramatically, since the people who really rely on local public transit are often the most economically vulnerable.

The two sides, besides being in negotiations, are battling it out in the Lowell Sun, which gives the management an advantage, since the leadership at the Sun is obviously and consistently anti-union. But the point of a negotiation is for both sides to come together, and both sides will hopefully give a little. Let’s try to avoid a messy strike.

The Sun reports that the results of a vote from the LRTA (Lowell Regional Transit Authority) unions wasn’t yet known, but they are considering a strike if “contractual demands were not met.”

I didn’t realize the LRTA was in this sort of a pickle, and don’t know the details of who is or is not doing what, but this can’t be good. Though I have a lot of problems with the LRTA (like, the fact they don’t run past much past 6pm, or that their website and route information sucks and cannot be deciphered), the most vulnerable populations rely on public transit and a strike would not be good news.

In my opinion, this town could use a better transit system with longer hours, and a way online to discover when and where a bus will be and where it’s going (not those annoying nonstandardized PDF’s with the schedules of each line, with no map to figure out which line is best for you). The community is underserved by its transit system. Problem is, which comes first, the ridership or the routes? Who pays for that?

Do you think the LRTA coverage is adequate, and what would you want to see change? For myself, I’ve never even considered taking the bus anywhere - but I’d like to. For environmental reasons, and also because parking near my office downtown can be tough (or expensive). But the way it stands now, it’s completely useless to me. I imagine that’s the same problem most people have with it.

Because I am lazy, and Blue Mass Group always gets there first. Heh.

So the Patrick administration pressured Grabauskas to back down on the raises for MBTA managers. Though on surface this is a good thing (and it appears to be a 9% raise, though it’s really a 3% raise over three years), I wonder.

I mean, the MBTA has been royally screwing up lately, partly due to mismanagement. The service is degrading. It’s in the red (thanks in part to its becoming “autonomous” from the state in that convoluted way). It’s struggling to pay its bills and its debt, and there’s talk of fare increases (though, who can blame anyone with gas prices, even with recent trends?). So, asking for the managers of the MBTA to get raises seems a bit much.

But if you think moral is dismal at the T these days, wait til this sinks in. In the private sector, a 3% raise (which appears to barely, if ever, keep up with inflation) is pretty standard. These are people who, Ryan says, have not gotten a raise in three years.

Oh yes, service is only going to get worse before it gets better - and there will be few smiles left now from employees for subway and bus passengers. The T needs a structural overhaul, and it starts with finally admitting that the best T is a subsidized T. Once upon a time, our fares were so affordable (the best in the nation) that lots of people swore by the T. It is in our best interests to get people to use public transit, reducing congestion (and therefore road repair costs), pollution (health care costs) and increasing the amount of business which can be done in our very crowded metro Boston area. Not to mention affordablity (can you afford to park daily in downtown Boston?)

Let’s just hope this move is followed by the drastic steps needed to control the downward spiral that is the MBTA. And if Grabauskas’s to blame, let’s remove him, but if we’re scapegoating and ignoring the hard truths, then we need a better direction. Governor Patrick? Let’s hear your alternative!

Edit: Remember “forward funding“? It ain’t working, folks. It was obvious from the start that it wouldn’t.

The Sun reports that three of Lowell’s bridges are going to be worked on at the same time.

I am SO glad I moved down from that part of town several years ago. Yeesh!

The University Avenue bridge will likely have to be shut down to traffic entirely starting sometime later this summer …

Meanwhile, Woods said construction is expected to begin this fall on the state-funded, $10 million overhaul of the Hunts Falls bridge, which carries Route 38 over the Merrimack, connecting the Belvidere and Centralville sections of Lowell.

She said the $3.7 million repair of the Rourke Bridge, which runs from Middlesex Street to Pawtucket Boulevard, connecting the Highlands and Pawtucketville sections of the city, will begin later this summer and involve the closure of the bridge at night, between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Oy. It’s all necessary (many say way overdue!) but I feel for all you folks in Pawtucketville and Centralville and such. Crossing the river is a pain even at the best of times.

Of course, the price of oil doesn’t just affect those at the gas pump, but the cost of food, services, and goods. So everyone is affected no matter what.

However, I’m struck by how much my husband and I are immured from the direct cost increases of gas. And how this showcases a better way for everyone, if only we had the courage to take it on, I think.

First, I drive a very old car, a Toyota Corolla. It gets maybe 26 or 27 miles to the gallon, so, real high compared to most of the crap people are driving, but certainly not stellar. And yet, its small tank (maybe 10.5 gallons?) gets filled maybe once a week, and the difference between $3/gal and $3.60/gal gas is only $6/week for us.

The bulk of our traveling (between the two of us) is by train - he commutes to Boston for work. It’s not the best of situations…the monthly pass does cost a bit (though, I think we’re now making out ahead on that versus driving due to the high gas) and it’s a looong commute, certainly not great for one’s standard of living (though, he gets lots of reading done!). Once he hits the city, his pass allows him T transit, or he walks. Mostly he walks. It lengthens the commute but also keeps him really healthy.

I of course work in Lowell, about 3 minutes away from our house. Now that summer is here I’ll probably bike more, and I’m moving my studio/office downtown, so I’ll be within walking distance from a lot of restaurants and other amenities (especially once the Hamilton and JAM developments are underway). I partly chose where I wanted to move my business on that center-of-town convenience.

So that got me thinking - what’s so bad about avoiding commuter traffic, saving gas, and using less fossil fuel? Well, for most people, it’s the fact that public transit doesn’t go where you need to go.

Personally, I think we should consider expanding the rail lines. For instance, connecting the outer “gateway” cities, Haverhill to Lawrence to Lowell to Worcester. Connect the spokes of the hub which is the commuter rail, and suddenly the train becomes a potential alternative to driving (I hate driving to Worcester). Once you get to your city, perhaps an expanded bus route could take you exactly where you needed to be. Unfortunately, the geography between these cities is densely packed, and it would cost a lot to create new rail line, but once created, it could reduce the traffic congestion and our overuse of the highways. What about connecting the inner circle? Reading/Woburn/Lexington/Waltham. In fact, it might be easiest to build new track along the same route as 128 or 495.

That would all be a very ambitious project. And the trend in this country for rail is a decline, not renaissance. However, that’s only because our emphasis is on widening highways and building new ones. Our usage of rail in the Boston area is quite heavy, and I expect many commuters who are frequently stuck on 128 on a daily basis might opt for an alternative if they had it.

It probably wouldn’t cost any more than the Big Dig did, anyway. And it could help save the planet.

Update: In the realm of if-they-can-do-it,-why-not-us, California is contemplating high speed rail Japanese-style.