How strong is the grip of auto-centric thinking in the “progressive” state of Massachusetts? Pretty strong. Stronger, in fact, than you might think. In the state whose voters rejected increasing […]
James Aloisi
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
The wars at the T have to stop
THE CARMEN’S UNION NEEDS A LITTLE HELP with public relations. When the MBTA pitches a softball and you not only swing and miss but also hit the batboy in the […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
More thoughts on the Seaport District
MY RECENT THOUGHT PIECE on how to address the growing mobility mess in the Seaport/Innovation/Fort Point Channel District (the District) triggered a fair amount of reaction, and prompted me to […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
5 fixes for Seaport District
CALL IT THE SEAPORT DISTRICT, the South Boston Seaport, the Innovation District, Fort Point Channel – call it whatever you want, Boston’s busy development boomtown is in the throes of […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
‘Twas the night before …
‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS And I jumped out of bed With visions of runaway trains In my head. My dreams, once sullied by Goblins and witches Now were […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
A tale of two transit systems
OUR FUTURE, ROBERT KENNEDY ONCE SAID, lies beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control. This was an optimistic view of our ability to anticipate (rather than […]
Posted inOpinion
How to deal with the complexities of terrorism
I RETURNED FROM a recent business/pleasure trip to Europe to observe a nation nearly unhinged by the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. The reaction to the Paris events, based in […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
No MBTA fare hike until service improves
IF YOU DOUBT FOR A MINUTE that we continue to be mired in a mid-20th Century way of thinking about transportation, consider this: in a state that recently went to […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Stay the course on Green Line Ext.
THE DISCLOSURE OF A BREATHTAKING potential billion-dollar cost overrun for the proposed Green Line Extension was unwelcome news. Not only did it take everyone by surprise, it undermined confidence in […]
Posted inOpinion
Remembering Alec Gray
A LOT CAN HAPPEN in 10 years. Ten years go by, enough time for the world to change irrevocably. In 10 years a job can be outsourced, or made obsolete […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
It’s time for Boston 3.0
SO NOW WHAT? Our Olympic wrestling match is over. The international sports spectacle will move on to another venue, most likely in Europe, and most Bostonians (in our unerring spirit […]
Posted inOlympics, Politics
Olympic end signals bright future for Boston
THE END OF the Boston 2024 Olympic bid says a lot about Boston 2015, and what it says bodes well for our future. Perhaps the most important take-away is that […]
Posted inTransportation
What the T fiscal control board needs to do
NOW THAT THE MBTA’S fiscal control board is in place – a board that reflects a consensus approach to creating an additional power center at 10 Park Plaza – we […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Reaching an MBTA consensus
IN 1990, when John Silber became the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor, I supported Bill Weld and Paul Cellucci in their gubernatorial bid. I’ve been a lifelong Democrat (although lately […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
Tax debates rage across New England, but not in Mass.
THERE ARE TWO TAX DEBATES happening in New England that are worth watching, both for their substance and political theater. In Connecticut, big business has declared war on Gov. Dannel […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
Senate T vote is cause for optimism
I’M A PESSIMIST BY NATURE, which has proven to be a generally good trait because it means that I’m rarely disappointed. Today, however, I’ve allowed myself to lapse into a […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
New CW video: MBTA control board — savior or sideshow?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoON8bqCCqY
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Time for action on MBTA
A FOG OF CONFUSION threatens to obfuscate the hard, persistent facts that ought to dominate our thinking about how to restore and rejuvenate our public transportation system. That confusion comes […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Baker panel kicks the can
IN THE AFTERMATH of the drip drip drip of a series of strategically placed leaks, the governor’s special commission on the MBTA has finally issued its report. It is a […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
Time to pop this trial balloon
I KNOW SOMETHING about trial balloons. I launched a few myself when I was state transportation secretary. It’s a tried and true way for public officials to test whether there […]
Posted inOlympics, Opinion, Transportation
Pride alone won’t fix things
PRIDE IS A tricky emotion. Even in ancient times, thought leaders cautioned people about the dangers of pride. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall,” is […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
A Jeffersonian take on the Internet and T
THE IDEA OF American democracy has its roots in the Declaration of Independence’s affirmation that people are entitled to the benefits of certain unalienable rights – rights that are so […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
A short and long-term plan
THE RECENT MBTA meltdown has impressed upon the general public the critical importance of a reliable transit system to their daily lives. The T’s utter failure to provide reliable service […]
Posted inOpinion, The Back Story, Transportation
Five takes on the T
EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT the collapse of the T and wondering whether, to borrow a phrase from departing GM Beverly Scott, even God Jr. could get the trains running on time […]
