December 28, 2009
By Stephen Brophy, Fenway News Online

Spurred by recent protests—after which Governor Patrick announced postponement of proposed service cuts and fare increases—approximately 50 people attended a November 7 People’s Forum on transit justice, hosted at Northeastern University by the T Riders Union (TRU), a project of Alternatives for Community and Environment, a Roxbury-based environmental justice organization.

The Commonwealth consolidated its transportation agencies into a new Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), which incorporates functions of the MBTA, the state’s highway department, and the Mass Turnpike Authority, among others. TRU has spearheaded a “Riders on Board” campaign, and TRU member Stuart Spina noted at the hearing that not only does the new MassDOT board lack a single T rider, but legislation mandating inclusion of at least one T rider on the agency board was defeated in the legislature last January.

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