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EOT says Silver Line improvements coming ’certainly by 2010’ by Dan Devine
MySouthEnd.com ContributorTuesday Jul 28, 2009 ARRA funding should jump start efforts to improve service and rider accommodation
Big-picture issues like funding shortfalls and stalled construction often lead Boston’s transportation headlines. But when it comes to the city’s Silver Line bus service, South End residents and transit advocates say officials might do well to focus on the small stuff.
"People on the Silver Line haven’t had the best service," said Lee Matsueda, an organizer with the T Riders Union, a public transit advocacy group.
Recent developments centering on line extensions, fare hikes and project delays, however, have left some observers wondering whether passengers of spans like the Silver Line’s Washington Street route - which sees more than 14,000 riders each day, according to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) data - are getting short shrift.
"I would say that they are not being overlooked," said state Secretary of Transportation James A. Aloisi Jr. "We have a plan, and I’ve been talking to staff to deal with some of the issues [being] talking about."
Many the issues addressed recently have dealt more with system-wide concerns than customers’ experiences.
In early May, Gov. Deval Patrick joined city and state officials in Roxbury to announce an influx of $114 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The stimulus funds are earmarked for revamping the Route 28 bus line linking Mattapan to Roxbury and creating a direct Silver Line connection from Downtown Crossing to South Station.
Next, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that the cost to complete the controversial third phase in the Silver Line project had grown to more than $2 billion.
Given the economic landscape and the skyrocketing estimates on the project - a planned 1.1-mile tunnel that would connect the above-ground bus line between Roxbury and Downtown Crossing with the spur that travels from South Station to Logan International Airport and the South Boston waterfront - the FTA labeled the plan "infeasible," all but ending the state’s chances at receiving federal matching funds to get the project moving. As a result, work on Phase III has been delayed indefinitely.
On top of that, the MBTA earlier this month proposed a fare increase of nearly 20 percent and scheduled a series of workshops to discuss potential solutions to its continuing fiscal woes.
Amid the political and financial machinations, Matsueda said, Silver Line riders in the South End and other neighborhoods maintain relatively simple requests.
"Right now, a lot of the things I hear, at least from folks on the Silver Line, is, ’I would pay more if we were getting a service that’s actually worth it,’" he said. "All the other complaints are still there. ... A lot of it is very much the basics - customer service, cleanliness, frequency of service, experience on the trip.
"Those things haven’t changed; they’re sort of timeless problems, unfortunately."
Time itself was a bit of a problem for Anne Marie Costantino last Friday afternoon, July 24.
The 37-year-old communications professional found herself staring at the "Next Silver Line Arriving" sign as she waited at the Worcester Square inbound station. The electronic sign promised a bus in 4 minutes. About 15 minutes later, she was still waiting.
The Worcester Square resident chalked the freeze up to an odd coincidence, however, noting that the service "usually is on time and accurate."
"And I like knowing," she said, nodding toward the sign. "Sometimes when you’re waiting on the Orange Line, you can be waiting forever."
Costantino said she rode the Silver Line every day before recently losing her job, and that she now rides once or twice a week. Her primary complaints are with the CharlieCard system of paying fares - she doesn’t like the fact that you can only pay at the front of the bus, which she said slows things down.
"Outside of that, I love it," she said. "It connects you to the city."
A South End resident and self-described "frequent user and observer" of the Silver Line, Aloisi said the forthcoming extension from the Temple Place stop in Downtown Crossing to South Station will amplify that connection. He also said it will provide significant benefits to Silver Line riders who get on along Washington Street.
The direct connection line will travel up Washington Street, turn right onto Essex Street and travel straight down Essex to Atlantic Avenue. A left turn onto Atlantic will bring passengers to a planned new street-level bus terminal at South Station.
That new "mini-station, if you will, would have a sheltered waiting area with a heater, as well as some advance fare collection equipment, seating, next bus arrival information" and more, according to Clinton Bench, deputy director of planning for the state’s Executive Office of Transportation (EOT).
From South Station, the line will feed out along the southbound Surface Artery to Kneeland Street, turn right, then travel on Kneeland to Washington, turn right and start again.
Other capital improvements funded through the stimulus allotment, according to Bench, include the implementation of a bus-only lane on Essex Street and, potentially, a small bus-only lane on Atlantic Avenue between Essex and Summer streets, a congested one-block stretch.
An important element for riders who hop on along Washington Street, Aloisi noted, is that existing Silver Line routes will not be replaced to accommodate the new loop.
"We’re going to add additional service - I hope once every 15 minutes, to start - that will bring people to South Station," said Aloisi. "... We hope it makes it more convenient for people to get to work, or to Logan, or to that part of town."
The secretary acknowledged, however, that the job of improving service along the Washington Street corridor is not yet done. One area that requires more attention is parking enforcement.
"The MBTA needs to do a better job enforcing double parking so we have a true dedicated bus lane on Washington Street," he said. "The frequent laxity of the transit police to address double parking along Washington Street is a real significant impediment to the mobility of our buses, so we have to deal with that. ... If we do a better job with parking, we’ll do a better job with trip times."
Messages left with the MBTA were not returned.
"I think [the Silver Line is] a good service; I think it can be a lot better," said Aloisi. "I appreciate the point of view of those who take the view that it has not been a successful replacement for the old Orange Line service."
Stephen Burton, 44, remembers the old Orange Line fondly, but said he has "no complaints whatsoever" about the Silver Line.
"They’re running every five or 10 minutes up and down Washington Street, all day," the Worcester Square resident said, pointing to the "Next Silver Line Arriving" sign as he waited for an inbound bus at Massachusetts Avenue. "You can’t beat that."
Bench said the EOT would like to devote some of the approximately $8 million in resources already approved for use on enhancements to making improvements on bus shelters located between Dudley Square and the Turnpike along Washington Street.
He declined to provide specifics about the improvements, citing the early stage of discussions. He noted, however, that the EOT has heard feedback from residents calling for improved seating and enhanced rain and snow protection at shelters. The Worcester Square stop, for example, has no overhang above its row of curbside seats.
"We’re planning to explore [shelter improvements] very soon," Bench said. "We’ve already begun doing some conceptual design internally and we’re looking forward to speaking with members of the community over the next several months."
Bench said the EOT intends to implement whatever capital improvements would be made under ARRA "certainly by 2010."
"If not this year, certainly next year," he said. "We’d like to make these as soon as possible."
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