MASSACHUSETTS FINDS ITSELF in the eye of a storm. As municipal leaders, we have grown increasingly concerned as we see COVID-19 cases spiking across the state. In some communities we are already seeing the rising prevalence of this virus cause week-long turnaround times for COVID tests as contact tracers are unable to keep up with the sheer volume of new cases.  

We have been warned by medical and epidemiological experts for months that a winter surge is coming. Now our public health infrastructure is starting to show signs of strain and will be overwhelmed if we continue on the same trajectory. There is no mystery what follows these record case numbers: a severe rise in hospitalizations for people who require intensive care and a frightening number of lives lost.  

There is expert consensus that we are entering the most dangerous phase of the pandemic. But why accept the worst–case scenario as inevitable? In March, faced with an existential test as a society, we banded together and rose to the occasion. We found that with collective sacrifice and government action led by Gov. Baker, we were able to avoid the worst of what the catastrophe might have been.  

We face another defining moment today, and we know that we can once again rise to the occasion and do what is necessary to meet this extraordinary challenge. If we act now to reverse the trend of community transmission, we can minimize the toll of human suffering ahead of us. This will require targeted, temporary rollbacks of the state’s reopening plan, with a focus on reducing activities that are sources of transmission, especially those that allow for gatherings of people from outside our households. 

While rolling back our reopening comes at an economic cost, we cannot take the position that avoidable deaths and serious illness are part of the cost of doing business. Beyond that, we do not have to accept the false choice between protecting people’s lives and protecting their livelihoods.  

Rollback measures must be coupled with a relief package to support businesses and their employees. States across the country, such as New Mexico, California, and Rhode Island, have passed state-level relief packages to help businesses and provide basic necessities to the most vulnerable residents. The Baker administration and the state legislature have done important work to provide funds for struggling businesses, but the vast need is only growing.  

As municipal leaders, we are prepared to work side-by-side with our colleagues in state government to put together a relief package here in Massachusetts. This would enable us to make painful but necessary sacrifices while keeping businesses and their employees afloat. We can’t afford to wait for federal money, which could be months away and still may not be enough. We have to act now to support people through the dark days that lie ahead.  

Government has a critical role to play in the face of a pandemic. There is only so much that each of us can accomplish as individuals. We’ve seen that most people want to make the right choices to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Leaving these challenges for individuals to grapple with alone will only further hurt the people that have been hit hardest by this pandemic, particularly in communities of color. We also know that individual municipalities cannot succeed on our own. Cities and towns remain steadfast in our commitment to work with state leadership on a coordinated regional response.  

Our response must be driven by data and science, and informed by the matrix of risks and tradeoffs confronting policy makers. Considering the tradeoffs involved, this collaboration will be especially important as we work to prioritize schools. Data from around the world show that communities with lower transmission have the best chance of being able to safely keep their schools open. If we don’t take significant action now, we will only make it more difficult for schools to be open for in-person learning this winter. 

We are in the crucible. Community transmission will continue to rise without significant, collective action to push things in the right direction. Vaccines will not arrive in large enough numbers in time to rescue us from what is shaping up to be a brutal winter. We cannot wait for outside intervention. If we want to save lives, then we need to act together with purpose now.  

Thomas Ambrosino is city manager in Chelsea. Paul Brodeur is mayor of Melrose. Adam Chapdelaine is town manager in Arlington. Joseph Curtatone is mayor of Somerville. Lou DiPasquale is city manager in Cambridge. Austin Faison in town manager in Winthrop. Sean Fitzgerald is town administrator in Swampscott. Ruthanne Fuller is mayor of Newton. Jim Malloy is town manager of Lexington. Thomas McGee is mayor of Lynn. Alex Morse is mayor of Holyoke. Yvonne Spicer is mayor of Framingham. Robert Sullivan is mayor of Brockton. Lisa Wong is town manager in Winchester.  

The post Rollback of reopening is imperative amid new surge  appeared first on CommonWealth Beacon.

EACH WORKDAY, more than 120,000 people ride the MBTA commuter rail, the sixth busiest regional rail service in the country. At a time when our entire transportation system is straining to get people where they need to go, the commuter network is getting some long overdue attention. 

There’s merit to this focus, too, because the 12 lines radiating on almost 400 miles of track to and from Boston are vital to the well-being of our region. Every transit rider is helping to relieve stress on our congested roads and reducing the impact of transportation on our environment, and the rail network helps to connect businesses and communities so they can thrive.  

As municipal leaders, the way we think about transportation has also evolved.  It’s not enough to advocate for our own cities and towns. We need to think regionally. The interconnection of transportation means that we collectively share the burdens caused by limited transportation options, as we also share in the benefits of expanded choices.  

We all have a stake in the system’s success – not just more reliable service, which should be the expectation, but in aiming for excellence.  We are now at a junction. The rail system is part of our transportation legacy, and it can be a vital part of our future – if we make the right choices. 

The timing is right for municipal leadership, as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the MBTA are in the homestretch of a far-reaching project called Rail Vision, which is analyzing different scenarios for tomorrow’s rail system. In the future we could offer commuters fast, frequent service on clean, electrified lines to serve far more people. Similar planning is underway on rail connections to Western Massachusetts. In the Pioneer Valley, long-awaited service between Greenfield and Springfield, with connections south to Connecticut, is in the wings. 

The rail system has the potential to transport hundreds of thousands more daily riders; not just those commuting from the suburbs to downtown, but also those traveling in reverse direction to job centers outside the city center. It could even act as a complement to rapid transit, with fast, frequent service closer to Boston.  

The investments will not be cheap. But we are investing in our communities and our people, and we can’t afford to shrink from the challenge of reinventing transportation. As state leaders settle on a vision for the future of rail, they need to hear from local leaders. And we local leaders must work in concert. 

There is real potential for transformation if we work together; not just shortening your commute but opening up opportunities. We, as municipal leaders, have a stake and a voice. And now is the moment for unified advocacy. 

The stakes are high with transportation. Reliability, quality of service, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are urgent. But no change will happen without strong political will. Our traffic-choked highways and town centers are the product of our dependence on automobiles, but the commuter rail can help to reverse this trend. We must look to transit to “move more people in fewer vehicles,” as a recent report on the state’s transportation future concluded. 

So we are leading a coalition of city and town officials, the Commuter Rail Communities Coalition. Our mission is ambitious, but necessary: Coordinated municipal advocacy for transformed commuter rail. We encourage mayors and town managers to get on board. Together, we can make a positive difference for all the people and communities in our region. 

Tom McGee is mayor of Lynn. Sarah Stanton is town manager in Bedford. They are co-chairs of the Commuter Rail Communities Coalition. 

The post Enhanced commuter rail must be part of transportation future appeared first on CommonWealth Beacon.

EVERY DAY ACROSS OUR COMMONWEALTH, congested roads, structurally deficient bridges, and unreliable rail and bus options frustrate workers, residents, and visitors at all hours of the day and night. It is no secret that Massachusetts’ transportation infrastructure is in dire need of an upgrade. Rush hour traffic is no longer limited to a few hours a day. The MBTA struggles to maintain its existing assets, let alone fund the transit needs of the future to provide reliable and robust options for riders.    

As elected officials, activists, and business leaders continue to discuss ways to make our transportation system more reliable, accessible, and efficient, we would like to highlight the affordable, reliable and readily implementable option of expanding water transit. This cost effective mode with relatively low maintenance costs and potential for more immediate impact cannot be overlooked as a feasible and potentially transformative part of Greater Boston’s transportation network – and as a key to continued economic growth for our state’s economy. As the Pioneer Institute wrote in a 2017 report, “[ferry] service fills an important niche in Massachusetts’ ecosystem of transit options.” 

Expanded water transit service would cost-effectively streamline mobility between coastal communities along the North and South Shores and key areas like the Boston waterfront, inner harbor, South Boston, and Columbia Point. The expanded services would create opportunities for workers and students, and set the stage for continued economic growth. Elected officials in coastal communities, transit advocates, and business leaders all have a vested interest in the development of a robust water transit system, to complement our existing public transit systems. Taking drivers from coastal communities and neighboring areas off of our congested roads will benefit anyone who travels by car. 

Expansive water transit systems are already commonplace in other major coastal cities like Seattle, and there is plenty of evidence pointing to its potential effectiveness and efficiency here in Massachusetts. A ferry trip from Lynn to Boston is the most effective on-time performing  transportation mode taking approximately 30 minutes, about the same amount of time as a ride on the commuter rail to North Station, and significantly less time than driving during rush hour. The same is true for ferries from Salem and Hingham – in each case, travelling by water is as fast or faster than driving or taking the train and more reliable. Ferry Services have an on-time performance greater than 97.5 percent.  At the same time, the 2017 Pioneer Institute report found that “by a number of measures, the ferry is one of the most cost-effective modes at the MBTA. … the fare recovery ration for ferry service is 68 percent, the highest of any MBTA service mode … [and] the MBTA ferry required by far the least capital investment over the [2002 – 2015] timeframe,” compared to other MBTA services, like commuter rail, light rail, and bus service.  

For elected officials in communities like Salem, Lynn, Quincy, and Hingham, reliable water transit promises to seamlessly connect residents with employment, educational, and recreational opportunities in the Greater Boston area – allowing workers, students, and families to put down roots in communities outside the urban core. It also provides the opportunity for residents in and around Boston to easily escape the hustle and bustle of the city and contribute valuable dollars to local economies in coastal communities.  

For transportation advocates, water transit meaningfully expands the public transit options available to Massachusetts residents. Massachusetts needs to leverage its natural resources as a coastal state to address the transportation crisis at hand. Current MBTA ferry service accounts for nearly 1.5 million trips per year – removing cars from the roads and decreasing the burden on other public transit systems. It does so without the relatively high ongoing maintenance costs that are associated with the commuter rail, subway system, and road network.  

For businesses growing along the Boston waterfront – and throughout the urban core – that are struggling to attract and retain highly-qualified workers in one of the most expensive cities in the country, a reliable water transit system will allow them to fill open jobs with the promise of an easy commute from more affordable areas outside the city. It also has the potential to seamlessly connect the waterfront to Logan Airport, Columbia Point, and new developments in Somerville and Everett, allowing companies and workers to operate more efficiently and opening up new opportunities.  Additionally, water transit provides resiliency if other modes are shutdown as we saw in the winter of 2015, when the MBTA’s ferries continued to operate while the commuter rail could not due to extreme winter weather. With a near perfect on-time performance rate, the ferry is the best mode of transit. 

Research tells us that every dollar spent on public transportation investment generates four in economic return, and meaningfully improves quality of life for workers, residents, and families. As elected officials, advocates, and business leaders push for greater investment in public transportation options in the Commonwealth – with an eye towards improving mobility and supporting continued economic growth – it is essential that expanded water transit be seriously considered as a cost-effective and more near term solution to Greater Boston’s transportation crisis. 

Thomas M. McGee is the Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts. Jesse Mermell is the President of the Alliance for Business Leadership.  

The post Consider the benefit of water transit appeared first on CommonWealth Beacon.