[bscb-l] Some Random Thoughts from Fall River

[Dennis Polselli]

As many of you know, I retired in May, 2009, as Disability Services
Coordinator at Framingham State University, a position I held for 15 of the
25 and a half years I worked there.  I was also chair of the Framingham
Commission on Disabilities, I am now the Vice-chair of the Fall River
Commission on Disabilities.  As I was preparing to leave with my wife Donna,
Framingham, both Framingham and Natick was going about the process of
transitioning from the MBRTA administering The Ride, to having the newly
established MetroWest Regional Trahsit Authority manage The Ride but it
would be as if nothing had changed.  I doubted, given the cost the M.B.T.A.
was incurring to manage The Ride that the MWRTA could ever manage The Ride
the exact same way or hours as the M.B.T.A. had.  

     Moving back to Fall River has been a huge blessing for my wife and I,
being close to my huge family, and I was able to spend the last year of my
father's life with him.

     I have read with interest all of this back and forth e-mails and
position papers and as usual I was and am really proud of BSCB's advocacy
and the whole process Rick Morin and Bob Hachey had in coming to a
conclusion but I do have some thoughts.

     First I was stuck by the fact that nothing was mentioned about the role
of Regional Transit authorities since Governor Patrick mention them in his
Executive order it seemed to be mostly a Boston based process with Boston
based proposals.  I went from riches  to rags from a transportation
perspective from 6-00 a.m. until 1-00 a.m. Sunday through Saturday to a
Monday through Friday 9-00 a.m. to 6-00 p.m. Transportation system with no
door-too-door services for persons with Disabilities as a matter of fact,
our Commission is considering purchasing an accessible taxi vehicle to
provide off hour services.  No opportunities for 3-00 to 11-00 shifts for
example or evening shifts for employment for persons with disabilities as is
possible in the M.B.T.A. Ride districts.  The executive order asked to take
a look at transportation and its impact on Human Services but this is
absent.  

     In addition, the Governor has consolidated the M.B.T.A. and the Port
Authority under the Department of Transportation making the Secretary of DOT
chair of the board of the M.B.T.A..  

     So what's my point here, well, I wonder if anyone has studied the
effects of the M.W.R.T.A., and how it is administering The Ride, how it
works with the M.B.T.A. for Rides outside of the M.W.R.T.A.'s jurisdiction.
My thought then is this, why not take The Ride monies, and distribute it
among the Regional Transit Authorities for the sole purpose of providing
Para-transit services and Ride Services, the Regional Transit Authorities,
like the T, is accountable and is under DOT.  The Regional Transit
Authorities can contract to local Taxi Services as does The M.B.T.A. and the
Local Transit Authorities would have to work with The M.B.T.A. for Rides
outside their Districts.  Has that option been considered?  Or is this a
future Twighlight Zone episode I can write in the future?

 

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