Public transportation in cities was created to make it easy and cheap for people to get from point A to point B without the use of a car of their own. However, in many U.S. cities, the public transportation that is active is failing to do its job for many of the people who need it the most. Public transportation is not necessarily unavailable in a sense that it is not there, but unavailable because of poor maintenance and lack of funding. This is negatively impacting underserved communities within these cities. To narrow down the grand scale of public transportation issues, I have taken a closer look at the public transportation problems that we are facing here in Boston, and how it is affecting the community. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation …show more content…
In many circumstances public transportation is seen as more of an inconvenience; unreliable due to delays and breakdowns. There is a huge lack of funding associated with the MBTA, which is greatly connected to the $5 billion of outstanding debt from “The Big Dig” project done between 1991 and 2006 to create better highways throughout the city (Vennochi). Not only did The Big Dig put Boston this far into debt, but it also did little to improve the conditions of the public transportation already in place throughout the city, which was arguably the more common use of transportation over the highways. In fact, because of the project, there was a funding cut for transportation projects by $2 billion over the next decade. Due to the debt that has accumulated and the budget cuts that have taken place, the MBTA has recently decided to increase its fares because they believe it is needed to “put the MBTA on firmer financial footing”. On July 1st of this year, the MBTA will increase its fares by 9.8%, and …show more content…
This could potentially fix part of the problem by creating a more reliable form of public transportation. Replacement of old machinery could be costly, but could also be paid for by stopping the construction of unnecessary highway work, or building projects within the city center. I believe a significant increase in fare would be unnecessary if the T was being funded by other means. However, I do believe that a slight fare increase is necessary to get the system back on track. I think the fare increase could be income based, making a more proportionate way of dealing with the issue, while also allowing people in lower income homes the ability to pay for public transportation to have access to jobs and education. While I understand that public transportation is an enormous expense within a city, it is also a necessary expense. I think in most ways the protests and suggestions already in place are some of the best possible ways to handle the transportation issue in cities, I also believe that it is flawed. I do not see how adding more buses to the routes of crowded areas will help to decrease the pollution in those areas, but I will agree that more buses are necessary. I also do not think that my ideas are entirely the best way to go about things because it is still causing a problem for the people who really can not afford the fare hikes. As a result I believe that solving this problem will require compromise, both from the community and the city, because
When construction takes place, it is usually way before it is actually needed. Of course it is helping prevent dangerous and fatal occurrences but for the most part some of these changes can wait. Instead of spending so much money on our transportation category we should be putting more into education. “The money that the Federal Budget gives for education covers college aid loans, special education programs, free lunch to students in need, anti-discrimination efforts, research, and special programs” (Document D). Education is one of the most important things a person can have. ”
This essay will encounter The Long Island Rail Road first years making. The rail road was developed because the rail roads planners wanted to expand a way to get to Boston. In order for this view to happen, the service needed to make rail-road through Long Island, so they made the LIRR with the help of legislature supplying the money with 1,500,000$. This caused for New York or Brooklyn to be linked to Boston. Even though the money was good start for making the rail road, it was still very difficult to make so they to find ways to make it more efficient.
MARTA provides economic benefits to the state and national economy. The University of Georgia conducted a study and concluded that MARTA is responsible for about 2.6 billio...
Many mass construction projects in the history of the United States have had a major impact on the economy and culture; however, not many of these have had as large as an impact as the Interstate Highway Act of 1956. The Interstate Highway Act revolutionized the way that we think about highways today. The act created an extremely easy mode of transportation for people across the country. Not only was the Interstate Highway Act extremely helpful in making rural and urban transportation for normal people, but it also helped commercial businesses in increasing sales across the country. These businesses were now able to transport their goods cheaper and faster. The Interstate Highway Act was tremendously beneficial in regards to its economic, social, and cultural significance. The legislation was significant economically in the way that it promoted business and cut travel costs, it was significant socially in the way that it allowed people to see friends and family even if they did not live close, and it was significant culturally in the way that it allowed people to move out to the country for low costs in order to live a happier life.
A good chunk of people in the Big Apple (New York City) feels that the MTA makes their ride efficient, cheap, easy, and convenient way of getting around town. On a scale of 1-10, N...
The Elizabeth River Tunnel, downtown, and midtown tunnel tolls are completely unfair for anyone who lives or works in Portsmouth; people shouldn’t have to pay to drive to work, or even simply drive in their state. The tunnel tolls have forced people to rearrange their whole life because of one simple tax. There happen to be upsides to this new tax, which is that over the course of 58 years the infrastructure of the tunnel will be a lot stronger since the population in Virginia has increased.
and France, American roads were being built everywhere. In an attempt to make money, private investors financed many turnpikes, expecting to profit from the tolls collected. Although they did not make as much money as expected. these roads made it possible for cheaper (not cheap). domestic transportation of goods and services.
The first and most challenging problem associated with building the Mackinac Bridge arrived long before the bridge was even designed. Financing such an enormous project was no easy feat. In 1928, the idea of connecting the upper and lower peninsulas was proposed to Congress for the first time (Brown 4). At the time, the suspected bridge project was very much under government scrutiny and control. In fact, the initial boost in interest in pursuing the construction of a bridge came about due to the depression. The Public Works Administration (PWA) had been created under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal economic plan which would fund certain construction projects with th...
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad has a very interesting background on why it started. Many years after the American Revolution a large number of people began to migrate west over the Cumberland Narrows, which is two mountains with a narrow gap in-between located in western Maryland. The Cumberland Narrows was also an early traveling path to the boat building centers located in Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh. It was also the same route George Washington took for Braddock’s Expedition, an attempt to capture the French Fort Duquesne which failed. The route had become famous as the Cumberland Road which was one of the five passes through the rough Appalachians. Now that multitudes of people were moving to the West, it was a chance to make profit. While water transport and travel was the hottest technology of the day, some of Baltimore’s business community wanted something new and different that would also generate wealth. The intelligent comm...
Pollution is a major problem for all of us. People need to recognize this situation so we can start making a difference to this problem. In order to start making a difference, the federal government should increase gasoline tax by one dollar a gallon. Fifty percent of this dollar will go towards public transportation, since passenger cars and trucks are a major contribution towards air pollution, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, E.P.A (10/4, http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/emsns.html). Due to the expected increase after this is put forth, the remaining fifty percent of the dollar will go towards safety on these transits. When public transportation increases, air pollution will decrease, which will lessen the harmful health risks towards the environment.
The Central Artery Tunnel Project, more commonly known as the Big Dig, is said to be the largest, most complex and technologically challenging highway project in American history. It is the culmination of decades of planning and forethought and is hoped to alleviate the traffic congestion that has plagued the Boston area since the invention of the automobile. The project incorporates a major underground highway system, a revolutionary cable-stayed bridge, and a series of impressive tunnel crossings, each a considerable feat on their own, all constructed in the midst of a bustling city.
Public transportation is an essential part of a city. A good public transit can encourage a city’s economic activities and can provide its citizen a convenient life. Does our Phoenix public transit work well? Does it provide sufficient service to the citizen? From my experience, the answer is no. This November I tried to attend the popular State Fair in Phoenix. However, I found that there were not any buses or metros could take me to the fair directly. It means I need 2 hours or more spend on the public transits. As the sixth most populous city nationwide (“Phoenix Quick Fact” 1), compared with Los Angeles and other big cities in America, Phoenix’s public transportation is indeed subpar. Due to Los Angeles has 154 bus lines and 30 metros (“Schedule”), New York has 316 bus lines and 28 subways(“Maps & Timetables”), while Phoenix only has 98 bus lines, and the number of metro line is only one! (“Route Schedules & Maps”) The problem is
Should students take advantage of the public transportation more seriously than owning a car? The public transportation can solves to numerous problems; the bus transportation can be a universal antidote for bigger issues such as global warming. By taking the bus can save students’ time and money, rather than students who have a car have deal with traffic and expensive parking fee. Students who own a car might experience sitting in such a long traffic, where during the traffic cars may produce noxious gases relieving particle of air that can contribute the affect to human health. The public transportation is the best solution for an enormous population of students, so students’ needs to get on the transit a try. The transition system in the
In this essay, I will discuss the topic of urban public transportation and how it relates to the Church and Wellesley BIA. The nature of transportation in Toronto is a highly complex topic. As discussed in the article Transportation: The Bottleneck of Regional Competitiveness in Toronto, there are many concerns with transportation in regards to international transport, roads, highways, rails, bike lanes, buses etc. (Keil, Roger, Young, 2008). These transportation variables all have a greater economic, health, and environmental impact. The article goes on to describe that mobility in Toronto suffers because its management is uncoordinated, and there is a gap in regional interaction (Keil, Roger, Young 2008). The scope of this essay will be to
Most people take the urban public transportation system for granted. It is used in every aspect of our daily lives: work, education, medical necessities, recreation, etc. It is also important for the transportation of goods and services, which aids the growth and maintenance of our economy. Urban public transportation is the critical component of our quality of life and economic stability. The MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is Boston and Eastern Massachusetts’s major transportation service. The MBTA has played a central role in the development of Boston and surrounding cities and towns for more than a century; providing service from 175 cities and towns into Boston. On an average weekday over 1.2 million trips are made on the subway, buses, commuter lines and other services in the mass transit system. With an international airport, a ship port, the highways, and the rail lines to connect regional cities and towns to national and international destinations and markets, Boston’s urban public transportation system has made the region’s growing role in the global economy possible.