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Comment by MildRant | Hacker News Reader

I think this is fantastic. Boston desperately needs more housing. Let's get some increased funding for the T as well while we are at it.

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I will probably get sniped by someone who actually knows what they're talking about (please correct me if I'm wrong :D), but my impression of the T issues is less a funding issue, and more a competency/corruption issue. We're building above-ground rail at underground rail prices for one example problem.

I toured a piece of property at the border of Charlestown and Somerville near a big T stop. There was an empty lot next to the tracks that was owned by the MBTA on paper. But de facto, the neighbor and was clearly using the entire massive lot as an extended back yard (they even had a garden shed and paved parking on the MBTA owned lot).

Looked up the property records. Either a HIGHLY coincidental name clash, or there's a recently retired T exec who has been using MBTA land as an extended back yard and off-street parking area.

That's the moment I gave up on Boston and the T, tbh. It's a small thing that doesn't really matter, but so ridiculously brazen and public and personal. If that sort of thing is what happens out in the open, can you imagine how many tens/hundreds of millions of taxpayer money is being funneled between friends and cousins via MBTA?

If you are talking about a triangle shaped lot on the corner, which is across the street from the lichmere stop of the green line...

That lot was the lichmere stop of the green line until about two years ago. And was the lichmere stop for decades. Once torn down it was used as a gravel pile and support area for MBTA work. Recently that corner had the traffic pattern altered a bit with a new light and cross street.

You gotta remember, in America city infrastructure takes time.

Lot in question: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4HSueRhVb8TPZNoZ7

I’m surprised that gone done already. Haven’t been in the area since 2021. You can even see n the street view just moving back and forth the tracks on one side of the street and then the other.

> Lechmere

Nope. I was talking about Sullivan. davisr got it right.

> they even had a garden shed and paved parking on the MBTA owned lot

Sounds like that neighbor has a solid adverse possession argument to make.

Unlikely. There's a specific exclusion for railroad land in MA's adverse possession statute.

e: the above is just my perception, I don't actually know if there's a land use agreement etc happening, but it certainly has exactly the sort of sketchy appearance at least for me.

Perkins St. gang represent!

It's certainly a mix of both, but the T has been underfunding maintenance and repair work in favor of the big capital projects that are demanded of it. That is a funding issue, even if there are many more issues to add to that.

You’re not wrong. Public sector unions in MA are corrupt. It’s an unfortunate side effect of MA’s one party rule. Unions have the Democratic party in their hip pocket and no politician dare cross them.

Boston housing/rent is extraordinarily expensive. It's up there with SF, Manhattan, certain areas are even more expensive them. It's absolutely ridiculous. My girlfriend is from NYC and we both love the city, and visit it frequently. To our great astonishment Boston is oftentimes more expensive than NYC while being a fraction of the size. American big cities really can be enigmatic.

Property tax represents 72% of Boston's municipal revenue[0], and this initiative provides a property tax reduction of up to 75% for up to 29 years, so unfortunately this initiative will not help with T funding.

[0]https://data.boston.gov/dataset/revenue-budget

If it allows more people to move into the city and start working, that’s more income taxes that can go towards funding the T. Much of the T’s is at the state level anyway.

Although a lot of the the people who come into the city occasionally to work have no interest in actually living in the city.

Since the MBTA is a state agency primarily funded by sales tax, Boston’s budget is highly irrelevant to its funding.

https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2023-06/FY24%20Item...

I like to think that in a representative democracy, money finds its way to projects that the public find important

What is T ? google isnt helping.

MBTA -- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The public transit agency in Boston. Their logo is an iconic black "T" so that's what everyone here calls the subway.

The T is the nickname for Boston's MBTA (Train/bus)....The logo is a big "T".

Boston people call public transportation "T". It's an abbreviation of "MBTA" which stands for "Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority".

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