ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Morning rush hour traffic near the Rumney Marsh Academy heads to Boston on American Legion Highway. North Shore commuters have few options and more frustration.
This week, in a series entitled, “You can’t get there from here,” The Item detailed the congestion plaguing North Shore roadways and the frustrations experienced by commuters packed into trains or denied alternate transportation options like a Lynn-to-Boston ferry.
Americans waste an average 111 hours annually in traffic gridlock. That is time away from jobs and family and a drain on the economy. It’s hard to imagine anyone living on the North Shore or in Massachusetts thinking the state has an efficient and modern transportation system with reliable rail service and well-maintained roads.
ALSO: You can’t get there from here: Part 1
You can’t get there from here: Part 2
You can’t get there from here: Part 3
You can’t get there from here: Part 4
If the popular consensus is the transportation system is failing, and drivers and mass-transit riders literally “can’t get there from here,” what is the solution?
State Sen. Thomas M. McGee, arguably the legislator most well-versed in transportation, rejects the notion that Massachusetts taxpayers will not pay more money to improve roads and mass transit systems.
He convincingly points out how the transportation network is “imploding” and he has repeatedly made strong arguments linking the quality and efficiency of Massachusetts roads and trains to the state’s economy. Simply put, if people cannot get to work on time; if businesses cannot move goods efficiently, the economy suffers.
McGee is also a champion underscoring the inequities burdening North Shore commuters. Residents south and west of Boston have their pick of commuter rail and upgraded subway lines along with highway access to the city.
Every weekday morning North Shore commuters pour into a giant funnel with the spout ending at the tunnel and bridge routes into Boston. Modernization benefiting MBTA Orange, Green and Red Line customers has not extended to the Blue Line, despite the simple economic arithmetic supporting the Blue Line’s extension to Lynn.
For years, Massachusetts governors and transportation secretaries have insisted that the commuter rail is sufficient for the North Shore. Several facts contradict their claim: Lynn’s mostly-empty commuter MBTA garage; commuter rail terminates at North Station and not a central Boston location; there is no direct access to Logan Airport; and North Shore commuters drive to Wonderland station.
The conclusion is obvious: Commuter rail does not work for Lynn.
McGee supported legislation to tie gasoline-tax increases to inflation. It was struck down by voter referendum, but he had the right idea. Another possible solution is adding tolls on select roads across the state. In addition, the Legislature can revisit Massachusetts’ casino law and designate a significant portion of money from gambling to transportation improvements.
Cutting costs and trimming state budgets will not fix Massachusetts’ transportation mess. Investment is the answer and that means taxes.
Gov. Baker and rest of the state’s residents witnessed the collapse of the MBTA in the winter of 2015. A popular governor and anti-tax advocate, Baker saw the real cost to the economy of an imploding transportation system. He has styled himself as a bipartisan leader and he can prove that claim by joining McGee in crafting real and sensible taxation approaches to finally fixing Massachusetts’ transportation mess before it spawns a disaster that takes lives and leaves politicians asking, “Why didn’t we address this sooner?”
Until then, maybe you can’t get there from here.