Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation

The Plan for Reform

The Governor's comprehensive plan will restructure and reform transportation in historic, fundamental ways.

The plan consolidates and radically simplifies the transportation bureaucracy. 

• The Turnpike Authority is abolished. 
• The Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission and Outdoor Advertising Board are abolished. 
• The MBTA Board is restructured and reduced in size.
• The simplified Department of Transportation under the authority of the Secretary of Transportation has four divisions:  Highway, Rail and Transit, Aviation and Port, and Registry of Motor Vehicles.
• The result is a streamlined, consolidated operation with approximately 300 fewer employees.

The restructured Department of Transportation includes fundamental reforms.

• Pension reform ends “23 and out” at MBTA and aligns its pension system with the state system.
• Turnpike and MBTA employees join the state health care system.
• MassHighway employees move off the capital budget and back onto regular payroll, freeing funds for road and bridge maintenance.
• All Transportation Finance Commission reform recommendations are enacted.
• Bidding processes are modernized and tort reform reduces costs.

The reform and restructuring cut costs, improve efficiency, and rebuild public confidence in the transportation system.  To read the legislation and learn more, visit the Reform & Renew web page.

Reforms To Date Saving Millions

The Governor's comprehensive transportation plan puts reform first.  In fact, the Patrick Administration in two years has already implemented dozens of reforms that have saved tens of millions of dollars.  Reform savings at the Turnpike, MBTA, and MassHighway total more than $83 million. 

• Turnpike: $31 million saved by reducing administrative staff and toll collector positions, overtime, and outside consultant contracts along with other cuts.

• MBTA: $46.9 million saved through a hiring freeze for non-direct service jobs, overtime reduced by one-third over three years, and more efficient work rules among many reforms.

• MassHighway: $5.7-7.2 million estimated annual savings from the Governor’s police detail-flagger plan approved by the legislature.

Visit the Reform & Renew web page to learn more about reforms to date and proposed reforms in the plan.  A list of reforms is here. 
 

Current Gas Tax: Where Does it Go?

The Governor's transportation reform plan devotes an unprecedented portion of new gas tax revenues for transportation needs in regions outside metro Boston, including 3 cents for regional rail projects, 1.5 cents for regional road and bridge projects, and 1.5 cents to increase funding for regional transit authorities.  Check the Reform & Renew web page for details. 

That has raised the question: Where does the current gas tax revenue go? 

In 2008, the Patrick administration with legislative approval completed the first significant reform of the gas tax in over two decades and simplified the allocation of the current 21-cent gas tax:

• 20.96¢ (99.85%) is credited to the Highway Fund for transportation-related purposes, including the special obligation (gas tax) bonds.  0.04¢ (.15%) is credited to the Inland Fish and Game Fund.

The Fund pays all transportation-related expenses, including debt service on bonds issued for transportation purposes. The fund finances highway maintenance and safety services and the state's share of federally sponsored highway projects as required.  Check here to read the Governor's Transportation Fund for the current fiscal year. 

VMT: Privacy On Our Roads

Posted by:
Registrar Rachel Kaprielian, Registry of Motor Vehicles

 

The Governor’s transportation bill charges the RMV with exploring cutting–edge technology that offers the most equitable and sustainable way to distribute the costs of maintaining Commonwealth roads and bridges among our 4.5 million drivers.

One system often mentioned is the GPS technology piloted in Oregon.  It would measure the miles a vehicle travels on a state’s highways. The chief concern of Oregon’s VMT (vehicle miles traveled) program is preventing any access or tracking of a driver’s whereabouts which, many believe, is tantamount to an invasion of privacy.

As the state-mandated warehouse for the most sensitive and personal information about our citizens, protecting privacy is also a top priority for the RMV as we move ahead on this exciting project.

Massachusetts enjoys the most secure driver’s license in America because of the smart technology the RMV has employed over the last several years. Encryption software which hashes our data for unauthorized users and the identity theft protections of the facial recognition program are helping the RMV build a moat around our database. 

Any new technology implemented by the Commonwealth would go through a voluntary pilot program and would have to meet the RMV’s stringent protocols for protecting driver privacy as well as federal and state laws that govern the protection of personal information. There will be strict penalties for violating those laws.

As our research into the possibility of adapting VMT for our own use progresses we will keep you posted.

Reform Gains Support

The Governor's comprehensive transportation reform approach gains support.  Read:

Eric Bourassa, Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group

Barry Bluestone and Stephanie Pollack, Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Northeastern University

MetroWest Daily News

Fair to All Regions

Posted by:
Secretary James Aloisi, Executive Office of Transportation

We truly appreciate the feedback we have already received about Governor Patrick’s comprehensive reform plans.  We hope this blog will be one important avenue for an ongoing discussion and want to thank those who have already submitted comments to previous posts.

One frequent question we are receiving is about regional equity.  Is this only about metro Boston?  How does the plan help regions outside of Boston? 

The answer is that support for transportation services in every region of the state is at the core of this plan.  The Governor insisted that we do no less.  He said forcefully in announcing the plan that we are citizens of one Commonwealth and just as we must share in the challenges we all must share equally in the investments and benefits. 

The Governor's plan devotes an unprecedented portion of new revenues for transportation needs in regions outside Boston, using a groundbreaking funding structure that ensures all regions paying into the system receive funding for services in proportion to their contribution.  The Regional Benefits link on the Reform & Renew web page shows the increases in funding for targeted regional projects.

The plan spells out clearly where each penny of gas tax would be spent, including 1.5 cents to strengthen and expand Regional Transit Authorities (RTA) service for low-income and working people, 1.5 cents for targeted regional road projects outside of Boston, and 3 cents for regional rail projects in the North, South and West.   The funding for regional transit authorities alone represents a 66% increase that will allow RTAs to maintain or expand services and avoid fare increases.

In addition we invest 2 cents to address the costly practice of paying for highway personnel with debt – a move that will free up much-need money for operations and maintenance. Currently, over 1400 MassHighway employees are funded with debt. We’re relying on our grandchildren to pay for today’s engineers, lawn mowers and maintenance crews. This practice must stop.  Our plan will have positive repercussions across the state for roadway maintenance and safety.

We encourage you to learn more by visiting the Reform & Renew page on the YouMove Massachusetts website. 

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South Coast Rail Civic Engagement

The Executive Office of Transportation will host a civic engagement meeting at the Easton Middle School on March 3 on the South Coast Rail project.   EOT will update Easton residents on the status of the project’s planning and environmental review and invite discussion.  Local residents and business owners are invited to share their comments and questions on the project.   The meeting details:

Tuesday, March 3, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, Easton Middle School, 98 Columbus Avenue, Easton, MA

This meeting will also provide information on potential rail stations in the Easton area.  EOT is exploring two station sites in Easton: one in Easton Village, a village-style station with limited parking in downtown Easton, and one in North Easton, a regional station.

The community discussion is part of Governor Patrick’s civic engagement efforts to integrate ideas and suggestions into government initiatives.  EOT hopes to establish a dialogue with communities so that the end design of South Coast Rail will be a public transportation system that best serves the needs of Southeastern Massachusetts.  You can learn more about South Coast Rail here.  

 

RMV Fees Public Hearing

Posted by:
Registrar Rachel Kaprielian, Registry of Motor Vehicles

 As part of the Governor's budget initiatives to address revenue shortfalls for fiscal year 2009 and provide one source of funding for transportation infrastructure in 2010, the RMV is proposing modest increases in licensing, registration and other RMV services. View the fee changes online here. 

The public is invited to register comments on the fee revisions at a hearing on March 16 in the State Transportation Building, 2nd Floor, Conference Room 2-3 at 10:00am or in writing before 5pm, March 19, 2009.

Green Line Extension Public Hearings

The Executive Office of Transportation will hold two public meetings in March to provide an update on the Green Line Extension project and seek public feedback. 

The meetings will include an Open House from 5:30-6:30pm, where project team members will be available to answer questions.  The meeting presentation will begin at 6:30pm, followed by a public question and comment period.  Dates, times, and locations:

Monday, March 9, 5:30pm Open House, 6:30 Presentation
Brooks Elementary School
388 High Street, Medford

Wednesday, March 11, 5:30pm Open House, 6:30 Presentation
Somerville High School
81 Highland Avenue, Somerville

This long-envisioned transit project will extend existing service from relocated Lechmere Station through the municipalities of Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford, with an extension of the main line to Mystic Valley Parkway/Route 16 and an adjunct line to Union Square.  Additional project information is available at the project website.

Transportation Reform Legislation Filed

Governor Patrick's Transportation and Economic Security Plan legislation has been filed.  Read it here.