"Deeply embarrassing": MBTA added more new slow zones last month than they fixed
BOSTON - If you've felt your ride on the MBTA getting slower in recent weeks, you're probably right.
Data from the MBTA's website shows there have been more additional speed restrictions placed on the T than there have been fixed, despite new General Manager Phillip Eng's focus on line diversions to fix the slow zones.
A systemwide series of slow zones were implemented over the winter by then interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville, after documentation failures revealed potential safety issues on all major lines.
Still, no firings have been announced as a result of the failures. "We still don't know who was responsible for the missing documentation that led to the slow down," explained Jarred Johnson, the Executive Director for the watchdog organization TransitMatters. "Are those folks going to face any kind of accountability?"
According to MBTA data, from August 7 to September 5, slow zones on each line have changed accordingly:
- Blue Line: 15 to 15
- Orange Line: 32 to 38
- Red Line: 102 to 115
- Green Line: 77 to 65
So, overall, there is a net gain of 7 new speed restrictions.
Johnson tells WBZ the real problem is not the number of speed restrictions, but the fact that rides are slower. "This is really critical," Johnson explained. "A number of MBTA riders have worse commutes today than when this governor started, and so that should be a deeply embarrassing fact."
Governor Healey's office referred WBZ to a statement provided by the MBTA, that attributes the slow rides to aging infrastructure, years of underfunding, and a challenge to keep repair speed up with the deteriorating condition of the system.
"Speed restrictions are necessary to ensure the safety of everyone who uses the system, and they are put in place to prevent accidents with devastating consequences," the statement said in part. "We find more issue areas as we thoroughly conduct our work to manage our aging infrastructure, and as more work surfaces along the way – we commit to fixing them and add them to our list. That's why people see the number of speed restrictions constantly fluctuate-- and that's when people feel speed restrictions. We appreciate the public's patience as we continue our work to improve the MBTA."
MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. on Thursday. On the same day, the MBTA will release an independent report by Carlson Transport Consulting LCC, and an internal investigation conducted by the MBTA Safety Department.