REVOLT: MBTA Commuters Ticked Off by Parking Lot Hike

November 13, 2008 by Administrator

Desperate to increase revenue to offset billions in mounting debt, the MBTA decided the best course of action is to target a growing base: the daily commuter who relies on their various parking lots.

According to the Boston Globe,

The MBTA says it is raising the parking rates at area commuter rail stations to help make up a budget shortfall. The rate will jump from $2 a day to $4 at MBTA-owned commuter rail parking lots, and from $5 to $7 a day at the Alewife parking garage. The new rates have left many commuters scrambling to find cheaper options.

The action even has commuters starting petitions to show their outrage at the doubling of parking lot fees, as described in a Lowell Sun article:

Karla Decker, who lives in Chelmsford, is leading a drive to repeal the parking-fee hike. She’s written a petition to protest the increase and has collected about 400 signatures from her fellow commuters so far.

“If you need to raise it, raise it 50 cents or something,” said Decker, who works at Boston University. “But doubling it? My salary sure hasn’t doubled.”

The price increase is expected to generate $11.8 million this year and $19 million in fiscal year 2010 for the struggling MBTA, according to a letter from the agency’s board of directors.

The price increase is ill-timed. The MBTA saw its ridership increase dramatically over the summer when the cost of gas reached $4 per gallon. But now that gas is down near $2 per gallon, the pressure is off of many commuters. And if the MBTA thinks now is a good time to hike parking rates – they are sorely mistaken. It is exactly this sort of action that will compel people to return to their old driving habits. That will result in fewer people parking in the lots and fewer people riding the trains – a lose-lose proposition for the T.

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