Government

Seniors Can Sign Up for their MBTA CharlieCards in Watertown

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger is sponsoring a Senior CharlieCard Day on Wednesday, May 11, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Watertown Senior Center, 31 Marshall Street, Watertown, the senator’s office announced. Seniors age 65 or older can save a trip to the MBTA offices in Downtown Boston and apply for a Senior CharlieCard at the Senior Center on this one day. Staff from the office of Sen. Will Brownsberger will be on hand to take a photo and process applications which will be provided. Seniors will need to bring a valid, state-issued photo ID that includes date of birth. No advance sign-up is needed.

Transportation

MBTA Hosting Series of Meeting to Get Input on Improvements in Next 5 Years

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will have a series of public meetings – including in Boston, Chelsea and Framingham – to get input on their proposed improvements over the next five years. MassDOT released the following information:

In the fall of 2015 MassDOT held Capital Conversations throughout Massachusetts to solicit public input for the preparation of the MassDOT 5 year Capital Investment Plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2017-2021. This multi-billion dollar program makes long-term, multi-modal investments across the Commonwealth and covers all MassDOT highway and municipal projects, regional airports, rail and transit, including MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities as well as the Registry of Motor Vehicles. MassDOT will hold a series of public meetings across the Commonwealth to present and discuss the Draft 5 year Capital Investment Plan. Please join us as we present the Draft CIP plan, seek additional public comments and answer your questions.

Government

Hear About Progress on the T’s Green Line at Meeting This Week

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MBTA Officials will present an update on Green Line service on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 in Brighton. State Sen. Will Brownsberger will host the meeting, which runs from 6-8 p.m. at the Brighton Elks Lodge, 326 Washington St., Brighton. MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola will present an update on Green Line service and the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. Also attending the meeting will be William McClellan, Assistant General Manager, Rail Operations; Trish Foley, Legislative Liaison, MBTA; Rep. Kevin Honan (D-Brighton); Rep. Michael Moran (D-Brighton); and Boston City Councilor Mark Ciommo (District 9).

Arsenal Street Corridor

State Study Finds Buses Overcrowded, Traffic Slow on Arsenal Street

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The buses that serve Arsenal Street are overloaded at peak times, and are delayed by traffic gridlock in Watertown Square and going over the bridge into Brighton. 

These are a couple of the findings of a study of Arsenal Street currently being done by the Massachusetts Department of Transit (MassDOT) in an effort to improve the corridor that will add many more jobs, housing units and retail stores in the next several years. The area is served by the MBTA’s 70 and 70A buses. MassDOT officials recently came to Watertown to present their preliminary findings (see the presentation here). The Arsenal Street Corridor is served by the 70 and 70A buses and includes 5,710 residents, 2,740 households and includes 6,630 jobs, according to the study. The study looked at commuting patterns, and found:

Watertown residents commute to: Boston (27%) Watertown (18%) Cambridge (11%) Waltham (6%) Newton (5%)
Those working on the Arsenal Street Corridor come from: Watertown (17%) Boston (16%) Waltham (8%) Newton (4%) Cambridge (4%)

Buses
In prior public meetings about the area, many have complained about crowded buses and transit running behind schedule.

Government

New Transportation Committee Looking at Improving Bus Service in Town

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Ways to improve MBTA service in Watertown was one of the top issued discussed during the inaugural meeting of the Town Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation last week. 

The Council has been focused on the issue for the past few years, and it became such a thorn for regular users that a citizen group – the Watertown Public Transit Task Force – formed to advocate for improvements. Some headway was made in 2014 when MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott came to visit town to see the problems facing Watertown’s T users. A change in governors and a historically bad winter that gridlocked the MBTA meant that Scott was out and Watertown lost its connections in the state’s transportation agency. “She’s gone. A lot of people have changed.

Government

Meeting Planned to Discuss Privatization of MBTA Bus Routes

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If you are concerned about the privatization of some MBTA services, and possibly losing your bus route, a meeting is planned to discuss the issue. Governor’s Councillor Marilyn Petitto Devaney invites you to an informative meeting regarding privatization, where she plans to have MBTA officials available to answer your questions. Over the summer, the MBTA announced a proposal to privatize 32 bus routes, including the following routes serving Watertown: 52, 70A, 502, 504 and night service on the 57. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Nonantum Post #440 ,295 California St.

Letters

LETTER: Good Transportation News From Sen. Brownsberger, Rep. Hecht

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With the arrival of cooler weather, thoughts are turning to the coming winter and avoiding a repetition of last year’s transportation woes, especially on the MBTA. The Baker Administration and the legislature did a lot of work on that issue this spring and summer and overall the results were good – a strong MBTA budget (with substantial investments in storm readiness) and new authority and tools for the Governor to make good on his pledge to fix the T.

But as important as it is to fix what we already have, meeting the transportation needs of our area will require much more. Rapid development, changing demographics, and climate change mean we need to think creatively about improvements that will make our transportation system a truly positive factor for our economy and communities. Last week saw important progress in that direction for two of Watertown’s key transportation corridors. First, the state put out to bid a study for the Mount Auburn Street/Fresh Pond Parkway area.

Transportation

The MBTA May Be Privatizing Some Watertown Bus Routes

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MBTA officials have proposed to privatize some of the T’s express buses and the less-used suburban bus routes – including several in Watertown. The proposal calls for privatizing 32 routes, and removing 93 buses and their drivers, according to a report by the State House News Service run by WBUR. The routes on the privatization list fall into three categories – low ridership, express and late-night service. The routes in Watertown that would be impacted, and category are:

52 (Watertown to Dedham) – low ridership
7oA (Waltham to Cambridge) – low ridership
502 (Watertown to Copley Square) – express bus
504 (Watertown to Downtown Boston) – express bus
57 (Watertown to Kenmore Square) – late night service

Joe Levendusky, chairman of the Watertown Public Transit Task Force said he worries about the loss of quality and of middle class jobs if the MBTA privatizes the routes, in a story in on Wicked Local Watertown (click here to read more). The bus routes with fewer passengers have a net subsidy of $3.51 per ride and the routes cost $8.9 million annually while they bring in only $1.9 million in revenue annually, according to the MBTA.