Why does local news coverage keep saying that the T has been running smoothly when, in fact, it hasn’t? Wednesday’s Metro had an article to that effect and today the Globe editorializes that the city and MBTA both need to encourage commuters to ride the T during snowstorms like the last one. It argues, “Boston is fortunate that so many people…decided to come downtown when the weather warmed on Wednesday. It would have been better, though, had they taken the MBTA, not tried to navigate the drift-clogged streets by car” - adding, “The MBTA comes into its own in a blizzard, when it is usually more reliable than automobiles.”
Now, I’m all for encouraging public transit ridership as the position papers on this website show. But did the editors take any part of the T this week other than the Red Line? Having faced an hour-and-a-half commute Wednesday morning, I’m not convinced that automobiles - or walking - would have not been quicker. And consistently, commutes have taken 20 to 30 minutes longer on the Green Line this week. I’m not sure that this is the MBTA’s fault; in fact, the T seems to be crowded precisely because the increased demand (more people ARE taking it) combined with weather-related technical difficulties and the difficulties of navigating snow-clogged streets. Getting more people to ride the T this week would have added to the logistical difficulty. Maybe it would have led to less congested intersections, but I’m doubt the Globe’s claim that it would have encouraged T ridership in the future. An hour and a half commute rarely does.
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