Letter to the Jamaica Plain Gazette

Franklyn Salimbene, Chair, Arborway Committee

June, 2001

So much ink has been spent on the issue of Arborway transit that I hesitate to write this letter. In view of the patent falsity of much of the MBTA's statistical analysis of proposed CNG bus service as shown in the June 8 issue of the Gazette, the letter seems unnecessary. The T's analysis needs no rebuttal; it speaks for itself. For example, who really believes that a bus can travel during rush-hour from Forest Hills to Park Street in 41 minutes? And who really believes that 120 parking spaces will be lost if light rail is restored when a City of Boston study indicates that light rail service would actually result in an increase of three parking spaces in the JP business district? And who really believes that air quality along Centre Street would be the same regardless of whether the T ran zero-emission light rail vehicles or 60-foot long motor buses?

Rather than responding to the T's foolish proposal, however, I write in response to a letter by Mr. Jim Lord that appeared in the same issue of the Gazette. The letter, while a statement of apparently sincerely held views, misrepresents important aspects of the factual record regarding light rail service and seems to dismiss generally the role that public transit service plays for a significant number of Jamaica Plain residents.

First, Mr. Lord states that when Green Line streetcars operated on Centre Street, they were a "massive inconvenience to everyone except the people riding on them." He claims that they tied up traffic and generally made life in Jamaica Plain unbearable. Did they? Rather than relying upon the convenient memories of individuals who favor or oppose restoration of light rail service, I suggest that new and old residents alike refer to the factual record. In 1986, a referendum question on the issue of restoring Arborway light rail service was put on the election ballot in 12 Jamaica Plain precincts along the Green Line route from Heath Street to Forest Hills. People who voted in that election were in a very good position to make a judgment about light rail versus bus service because they had lived with light rail service in 1985 and with bus service in 1986. And what did they say? They voted 67% in favor of light rail and only 33% in favor of bus service. Is it possible that a significant majority of Jamaica Plain residents would have voted in favor of a transit service that was such a "massive inconvenience" to the community? The answer is obvious.

Second, Mr. Lord implies that automobiles are the favored mode of transit. He bemoans the fact that light rail vehicles would "slow down traffic" and touts automobiles as the "normal preference of rational human beings." I own a car, and I do not contest that transit vehicles, be they bus or light rail, would slow down traffic. But rather than unquestioningly accepting the notion that traffic ought to be able to move where it wants and at what speed it wants, we as community ought to be asking how we build an infrastructure that promotes viable alternatives to automobile use. Failing to provide attractive public transit and encouraging more folks to drive their autos to Centre Street as if we lived on a prairie in Kansas is not sustainable in a city like Boston. Fortunately, people are beginning to rethink the relationship between the auto and the urban street-scape. Traffic calming has become part of the discussion in Jamaica Plain from Hyde Square to the Arborway. And restoring Arborway Green Line service is part of a traffic calming strategy.

Third, who are the people in Jamaica Plain who take public transit? Are they irrational human beings? The MBTA's statistics on Arborway transit ridership are instructive. The latest Route 39 passenger profile compiled in 1996 shows that more than 20% of riders on the Arborway line report annual household incomes of less than $20,000, 40% do not own an automobile, and 60% of riders are female. The line also carries significant numbers of school children and the elderly, and accounts for 25% of all wheelchair passengers in the entire MBTA bus system. As a community that prides itself on its diversity and that seeks to retain that diversity by promoting low-income housing and other amenities, should we not also be advocating for a level and quality of public transit service that protects the interests of those who need and rely upon it? Isn't good public transit also an issue of fairness and equity?

Yet, what has been the level of service provided to the community by the Route 39 bus? Again, MBTA statistics and information are instructive. Sixty percent of all Route 39 trips do not operate on time. Also, during certain times of every weekday buses operate at as much as 153% capacity. Further, the T readily admits that Route 39 buses bunch. This results in buses operating in convoys of four and five during rush-hour leaving wide gaps in service and patrons waiting at bus stops for long periods of time for the next bus. According to the T, bus bunching is caused by the complicated traffic patterns along the very long route to Copley Square, a route that will only become longer and more complex if bus service is extended to Park Street.

The T proposal to operate 60-foot articulated buses on the Arborway Line will not solve any of these problems. Poor on-time performance and bus bunching will persist. And because bus bunching will be exacerbated by extending the line into the heart of downtown, overcrowding on many of the buses is bound to continue despite the larger size of the bus.

While there is no magic wand that can solve all of Jamaica Plain's transit problems, and while restoring Green Line service is not a perfect solution, it is the best solution available. Light rail will provide faster service to downtown, will provide three times the capacity of 60-foot bus service, will operate zero-emission vehicles, will promote traffic calming efforts, and will provide a quality of service that befits those you need and rely upon it.

Rather than being mired in nostalgia, as alleged by Mr. Lord, light rail efforts in Jamaica Plain are in tune with similar initiatives all across the country from Portland to Dallas and from Phoenix to Atlanta. America is rediscovering light rail not only in subways and on dedicated rights of way, but also down the middle of main streets. And they are doing it because it works.

While I continue to be amazed by the passion that this issue has generated on all sides, when all is said and done, and Arborway light rail service is finally restored, people will stand back, scratch their heads, and say-"what was all that fuss about?" Further, and more importantly, they will also use the service, and then we'll all be better off.

Franklyn P. Salimbene