Failure to invest in #publictransit has cost Boston area big bucks

View from the Senate: Addressing urgent public transportation needs - News - The Reading Advocate - Reading, MA: "The MBTA provides public transit services to 176 communities across Massachusetts, servicing a population of nearly five million, making it America’s fifth-largest mass transit system. A modern, reliable, affordable public transportation system is of critical importance to the greater Boston area, including our communities. It is necessary for the Commonwealth’s economic health and growth; just consider how many people-hours of work were lost due to the MBTA’s shutdowns and delays. Further, public transit vastly improves our environment by giving commuters an alternative to increasing automotive traffic. Finally, an excellent public transit system vastly improves the region’s quality of life."

You can't get there from here via public transportation if you don't have any

Maine Sunday Telegram: "BRIDGTON — Use public transportation! This directive is always on a Top 10 list of ways to reduce our carbon footprint or aid in healing the planet of its man-made environmental troubles. The question is: How many of us in Maine have a public transportation option?"

Snowstorms expose the failure of car culture

The Boston Globe: "These workers illustrate the disproportionate hardship the snow has imposed on the area’s lowest-paid workers. For them, it’s more than a temporary inconvenience. It’s a financial blow that can make all the difference in paying bills, making the rent, and putting food on the table."

Young people leaving Vermont in search of #publictransit, #walkability

Rutland Herald Online: "Not only are young adults dissatisfied with Vermont’s transportation services, they believe that the state’s limited public transportation options, combined with its limited number of bicycle-and-pedestrian facilities, are causing many of their peers to either move away from the Green Mountains or not consider Vermont when choosing a place to live, work, and raise a family."

Report: To Attract More Millennials, Vermont Must Improve Transportation Services

Vermont Public Radio: ""Young Vermonters are looking for options," said Zicconi. "They do not want to be tied to their automobiles, or even have to have an automobile at all.""

Mass Gov. admits, autosprawl does not work in snow

CBS Boston: "Baker said people should who drive should expect a difficult commute, including icy roads in southern areas that see sleet and freezing rain in the afternoon. He also said drivers should remember that a parking ban takes effect in Boston at 6 a.m. and other communities also have parking bans and snow emergencies."