Boston 1st in savings from forgoing car
It's a tough leap to ditch the car completely, but a new survey says that Boston is the most cost-effective place in the country to live without one.
The survey claims you can save $13,490 a year in Boston by switching over to public transit. That's more than second-place New York ($13,431), third-place San Francisco ($12,648) - and far more than 20th place Pittsburgh ($8,589).
The American Public Transportation Association compiled the survey using the cost of monthly transit passes, parking rates, and a driving formula developed by the American Automobile Association that factors in gas, car insurance, maintenance, and other costs of car ownership. (Note the bias. APTA represents public transit agencies and really wants you to junk your car and hop on a bus. But they have no special love of Boston that I know of.)
Not all of the survey's assumptions will work for everyone. For example, the parking data are based on a Colliers International survey mentioned recently in this column that seems to zero in on the most expensive downtown parking garages in calculating rates. Many people work outside the core of the downtown, where parking is much cheaper.
The survey also assumes everyone who drives a car travels 15,000 miles per year. That's true for the nation as a whole, but Massachusetts commuters drive less than that on average, about 12,000 miles per year, according to the most recent federal data using 2006 driving patterns.
Still, it raises an interesting question about how we calculate transportation costs. Certainly, time is a factor. But that value changes based on the salary of the person doing the commuting. It may also change for people who can work on an uncrowded train versus those squeezed into a crowded one. And then there's the annoyance factor. Is there an exact monetary value on drivers cutting you off, rude subway operators, or malodorous stations?
I'd be curious if any readers have another methodology. Write in. If I get some good ideas, I'll publish them in future columns.
Car-less downside
Here's one example of why living without a car can be a pain, unnecessarily, no matter how hard people try to change their lifestyles:
Arlene Ash, of Boston, was on her way home at about 10:30 p.m. last Tuesday - from the Waban to the Fenway stop on the Green Line - and had her fold-up bicycle with her.
She waited as two out-of-service trolleys passed her. The third stopped, but the operator would not let her on, she wrote in an e-mail.
"The driver said he would not let me on unless the bike was 'in a bag,' " she recounted.
This seemed silly. The bike was folded. The late-night trolley was nearly empty, with about three passengers, she wrote.
But no budging. Then the rain came. So, after waiting all that time, she had to ask a friend to waste about 40 minutes to drive her from Newton to Boston and back.
It was "not only mean. It was stupid," she wrote.
In fact, the T changed its bicycle policy six weeks ago to allow cyclists to carry fold-up bikes on the Green Line without a carrying case. The old rule required a case. (The Green Line is the only subway line that does not allow conventional bicycles).
MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said it is possible the operator did not know the new policy. "The operator will be interviewed by his supervisor, who will determine if discipline is warranted," Pesaturo wrote in an e-mail. "Meantime, the Green Line chief will remind operators of the policy change."
Pesaturo also promised to fix the MBTA's website, which did not reflect the rule change on Friday afternoon.
Addressing diversity again
The MBTA is once again confronting diversity questions about its work force, an issue with a long history that includes monitoring from the state attorney general's office.
At last week's board meeting, several Hispanic employees told board members that they lacked opportunity for advancement and that outreach efforts to bring in new employees were insufficient. Craig Dias, head of a group called Latino Alliance, said employees have once again been meeting with the attorney general's office, which dropped its official monitoring role in 2005.
The discussion at the board meeting grew fiery, as board member Janice Loux accused General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas of having an "abysmal record" on diversity and maintaining the old political patronage system. Grabauskas said the claims were untrue and other board members asked Loux to halt the personal attacks.
Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, a Jamaica Plain Democrat, said it was obvious the T needs to spend more time on the diversity issue and asked the T's board and management to "please work with the people that you have, that are interested in working with the agency in a positive manner."
Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen, the MBTA board chair, promised a renewed effort from the executive office to work with minority groups. "I thought we were headed in a good direction. It's clear there're some serious embedded problems," he said.
MBTA reviews schedules
The MBTA is holding a series of very important public meetings this month on a plan that will determine the future of bus and ferry service. This is part of a review process that happens every two years, when planners look at ridership and costs to decide which areas get more service and which ones get less.
The bus service changes could go into effect in the spring, following board approval. The ferry changes could happen sooner, according to Lydia Rivera, an MBTA spokeswoman. To review the plan, go to:www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/?id=12769.
Here is a list of meeting times and places:
Monday: Noon-1:30 p.m. O'Neill Federal Building, Auditorium, 10 Causeway St., Boston.
6-7:30 p.m. Abigail Adams Middle School, Auditorium, 89 Middle St., Weymouth.
Tuesday: 2-3:30 p.m. Hinton State Laboratory Institute, 305 South St., Jamaica Plain.
Wednesday: 6-7:30 p.m. Waltham Government Center, Public Auditorium, 119 School St., Waltham.
Thursday: 2-3:30 p.m. Northeastern University, Curry Student Center, Room 333, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston.
Sept. 22: 6-7:30 p.m.Lynn Community Minority Cultural Center, 1st Floor, 298 Union St., Lynn.
Sept. 24: 6-7:30 p.m. State Transportation Building, Conference Room 2 & 3, 10 Park Plaza, Boston.
Sept. 25: 6-7:30 p.m. Northeastern University, Egan Research Center
Sept. 29: 6-7:30 p.m.Malden Government Center, Council Chamber, 200 Pleasant St., Malden.
Please send complaints, comments, or story ideas to starts@globe.com The column and a listing of major road closures and other transportation advisories can be found at www.boston.com/starts. 