Wednesday, February 28, 2024

The MBTA remains a joke (Day 38)

I had made an appointment to see a friend today in Back Bay, and later in the day I wanted to meet my son and husband in Brookline. Great, I thought yesterday, I'll just get on the C-Line (a section of the Green Line). Then, because I have learned something living here all this time, I checked a trip itinerary, and, oh yeah, I would actually need to take a shuttle to get there. But no worries, since both my point of origin and my destination were very close to the pick up/drop off spots.

Apparently I haven't lived here long enough, because the ride took so long that I was almost moved to tears (and the fact that my husband misinterpreted our meeting time meant that I was, in a way, that much later). Given the time I waited for the shuttle to "fill", and the amount of time the trip took, if I had walked I wouldn't have missed too much time.

I have no idea what is causing the MBTA shutdowns of the Green Line this time--something about track work through March 8--but it is ALWAYS something, and the improvements have been negligible. Which is insane at a time when lanes are being changed in order to make it more difficult for cars to drive through (and I would still lose my mind if one of my children were going to bike through the main streets of Boston). I love public transportation, but Boston and Massachusetts need to stop acting like they can wish a good system into existence--or repair the one we have now into something that is usable and reliable. We have to start from scratch, and the sooner we do so, the better.

Deb in the City

No comments:

Post a Comment