Since leaving journalism, I’ve been an active advocate for various social causes, including transportation justice. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, it refers to the fact that governments make driving (which is inherently dangerous to our health and our environment, but favored by wealthier people) cheaper and more accessible, at the expense of public transportation, whose users tend to be lower-income. In the Boston area, public transportation (which is far better for the health of our citizens, our cities, and our planet) has become more expensive and less accessible, while reliability and service quality have plummeted to Third World levels.
In February, when the MBTA proposed a fare hike to address its financial gap (which has been caused, in part, by debt from the Big Dig, a road project), I testified against it at a public hearing in Boston. My comments resonated with many in the room and on social media, and were picked up by multiple Boston-area news outlets:
T riders: Don’t hike fares (Boston Herald)
Are Transit Fares Fair? (WGBH)
MBTA riders point to delays, overcrowding amid fare hike proposal (Boston Business Journal)
MBTA fare hikes slammed at Boston hearing (The Lowell Sun)
Egan Millard 