Restored Green Line serivce is good for people and fair to transit users.
Jamaica Plain transit users are our neighbors. Almost 10% of route 39 riders are elderly; 40% do not own an automobile; and the number of disabled riders is higher than on any other bus line. They represent a part of Jamaica Plain that contributes to the diverse fabric of the community. We want fair housing and we want fair transit. Yet they are subjected to bus service that is not on schedule 60% of the time and that operates at 153% of capacity during rush hour. (MBTA statistics)
Green Line service would create transit equity for our neighbors. They are entitled to a level and quality of transit service equivalent to suburban commuters and those who use private automobiles. They deserve vehicles that are pollution-free, comfortable, and convenient. They deserve vehicles that are large enough to carry them and not pass them by. They deserve vehicles like the Green Line that adhere to a schedule. Of all urban transit vehicles available, people invariably choose light rail vehicles as the most attractive.
Jamaica Plain is the original streetcar suburb. Electric trolleys have contributed to the growth and character of the neighborhood for 100 years.
But the few bus enthusiasts still claim that bus service can be a first class service. They're wrong! Since Arborway light rail service was suspended in 1985, the MBTA has operated buses along the route from Copley Square to Forest Hills. During these 15 years, the MBTA has had ample opportunity to improve its bus service, to make it first class. But it has not done so! The issues of poor on-time bus performance and passenger overcrowding will continue to plague the service because they are endemic to bus operations along the Arborway corridor. Buses operating on city streets are victims of their operating environment. They are impeded along the 5-mile route by significant traffic, more than 35 signalized intersections, and hundreds of pedestrians. Buying new buses, painting them special colors, and calling them "rapid transit" won't solve the problem. In the Boston operating environment, buses cannot be "rapid." And it's simplistic to think otherwise.