Apps, Apple Picking, and Accessibility

On Wednesday, Jan. 23, the MBTA left many riders disgruntled as an early morning shut down of Arlington Station due to a smoking cable at 8 a.m. forced numerous commuters to wait outside in the cold or find alternate forms of transportation on their way to work. In the wake of this mishap, the spotlight was turned to a new plan from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The new transportation plan includes many much-needed updates to the often faulty systems of subways, buses, and trains.

According to Boston Fire Dept. officials, the MBTA shutdown was caused by smoke being released from a cable about 100 feet from the inbound platform of Arlington Station on the Green Line. The smoke was said to have been caused by the week’s extremely cold temperatures. Service through the station was immediately stopped, and some riders had to be evacuated from underground trains and taken through the tunnels by MBTA staff. The power of the station was then shut off around 8:15 a.m., suspending subway service from Kenmore Station to Government Center until 11:00 a.m. The morning commute is one of the busiest times for the MBTA, and the delay in service left hundreds outside in the cold, despite shuttle buses transporting riders from stop to stop.

Another issue plaguing MBTA riders is a recent increase in theft on the T in the form of “apple picking,” a term referring to the theft of high-end cell phones,other electronic devices, and pluck them out of their hand at the last moment before the doors close. The transit police noted that this nationwide trend is most often a “crime of opportunity,” which can be avoided by staying alert and keeping electronic devices out of sight, according to a new MBTA public service announcement about the safety of electronic devices.

The MBTA hopes to combat some of the major problems that plague the users of public transportation with a number of modern updates to the subway system included in Patrick’s new transportation plan entitled “The Way Forward: A 21st Century Transportation Plan.” The aspect of the plan that would appeal most to college and young adult users of the T is the proposal of running the subway and bus system until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings to better accommodate Boston’s active nightlife. This proposal would greatly benefit those who stay out past 12:35 a.m., the time that the T shuts down on both weekdays and weekends.

In addition, the MBTA plans to put in place a number of new high-tech upgrades that would improve rider experience. The first of these upgrades would allow Green Line passengers to track trains on the B, C, D, and E lines in real-time with the use of a smartphone. The Green Line currently uses a more basic tracking system than the Red, Orange, and Blue Lines, which all allow riders to track exactly where the trains are and when they will arrive. The MBTA hopes to update the system on the Green Line by 2015. The updated system would also allow “countdown clocks” to appear on the digital message signs which are currently in use on underground Green Line stops and on stops on the D-branch. The Green Line is the second most used line of the T system (after the Red Line), yet it has fewer features than the other lines, which run mostly underground.

Another high-tech update to the subway system would be the addition of digital screens that would update riders on train and subway conditions and also feature advertisements. These digital screens are already present on the Red Line at South Station in the form of two 17-foot wide screens as well as at Harvard Station. The selling of advertisements on these digital screens could help bring a necessary increase to the MBTA’s revenue.

The transportation plan also hopes to expand bus service into the greater Boston area, especially to the Berkshires, an area popular among tourists. It has a strong focus on increasing rail travel, including a reconstruction of South Station to be able to accommodate more trains as well as a commuter rail expansion from Boston to Springfield and from Boston to Cape Cod.

The transportation plan backed by Patrick has been met with resistance and criticism because of the heavy financial burden it would put on the shoulders of the Massachusetts tax payers in order to implement the proposed plan. If approved, it could raise sales tax to 7.75 percent and income tax to 5.66 percent. Most of the updates are projected to be completed within the next 10 years.

 public service announcement about the safety of electronic devices.

    The MBTA hopes to combat some of the major problems that plague the users of public transportation with a number of modern updates to the subway system included in Patrick’s new transportation plan entitled “The Way Forward: A 21st Century Transportation Plan.” The aspect of the plan that would appeal most to college and young adult users of the T is the proposal of running the subway and bus system until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings to better accommodate Boston’s active nightlife. This proposal would greatly benefit those who stay out past 12:35 a.m., the time that the T shuts down on both weekdays and weekends. Currently, Boston residents have the option of taking a cab or walking home after 1 a.m.