The fact that the MBTA chose a cramped meeting room on the third floor of the Salem City Hall annex, rather than a larger, more convenient venue, for Wednesday night's meeting on proposed fare hikes and service cuts, could be taken as a sign of indifference or incompetence.
We choose to give the transit agency the benefit of the doubt. The top brass showed up, after all, and they spent three hours listening to commuter complaints about those proposed fare hikes (between 35 percent and 43 percent) that could make the system unaffordable to many and service cuts that could drastically alter the quality of life in the communities served by the T's trains and buses.
Certainly, the crowd that packed the main meeting room and spilled into another, was evidence of the deep concern here in Greater Newburyport and on the North Shore over changes that could alter the very character of a region for which public transportation has long provided a critical link between its residents and the many cultural, medical and educational institutions in Boston.
Eliminating late-night and weekend service on the commuter rail line is simply not acceptable. Nor is the fact that fares go uncollected. And pressure must be maintained to reduce MBTA wages and benefits so they are more in line with those performing comparable jobs in the private sector.
Fare hikes, while inevitable, must be kept to reasonable levels, lest our already congested highways become even more crowded and those unable to drive become prisoners in their own homes. And legislators, several of whom were in attendance Wednesday, must also recognize their responsibility to come up with a reliable, long-term financing mechanism for this debt-ridden, but very essential, service.
It's been about 15 years since the MBTA extended its rail commuter line from Ipswich to Newburyport, and in the years immediately afterward, it was viewed as one of the reasons why Newburyport had become a very desirable place to live for Boston-bound workers. It helped add more fuel to an already hot local real-estate market, a market that has remained remarkably stable and strong, despite the downturn in the economy and the collapse of real-estate prices nationwide. The MBTA station at the Route 1 traffic circle has a value to this region that is not fully appreciated.
Some of Newburyport's long-term plans have been put together with the MBTA station serving as an important component. It's the hub of the city's still-developing network of rail trails. It's also an important piece in the city's relatively new plans to draw eco-tourists here by encouraging city dwellers to ride the rail to Newburyport, walk or ride on our rail trails, visit out local sites — and leave their car at home. The MBTA's potential plans to reduce or eliminate weekend rail service would clearly be a big blow to Newburyport's efforts.
Newburyport's access to Boston via the train is certainly a benefit for the city, one worth preserving and protecting.
A second regional hearing will be held Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. at Lynn City Hall.
Wild weather for Memorial Day weekend
Inspiration for the class of 2012
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
Will Smith & Josh Brolin on "Men in Black 3"
80-Year-Old Skydiver's Nightmare Jump
JWoww Sizzles in a Black Bikini
Sliders on the Grill
Cruise ship crunch
Backstage With Beyonce
Ultimate Creamy Potato Salad
Pope's Personal Butler Under Arrest
Jenny McCarthy's New Man
Tyler's Classic Coleslaw
Britney Spears Under X Factor Fire
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Victim Hits Milestone
Hurricanes and Heat Waves Across America
Kristen Stewart Is Red Hot
Shark Attacks Australian Fishing Boat
Bradley out for playoffs
Kayaker Survives Trip Over Washington Waterfall
