Ultimately a good public transportation system is good for cyclists, so even if you ride your bike every single day all year long you should fight to keep the MBTA system healthy. Here are some emails from local groups working on this issue.
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Livable Streets
That T you took this morning… oops, eliminated. That commuter rail you want to take next week… bummer, cancelled. The bus to your friend’s house… um, doesn’t exist anymore.
The MBTA is proposing fare increases and service cuts despite the fact that the MBTA serves more people more efficiently and cost effectively than ever before. More than 1.3 millions trips are taken every weekday.
So am I dreaming? How can such service cuts be proposed in such a livable city that thrives precisely because there are so many opportunities to take transit, bicycle, and walk?
Inadequate funding by the state legislature means the MBTA is stuck with two options: raise fares, cut service. And this only takes care of this year. Unless something changes, more cuts and higher fares will be needed next year too.
We need your help in asking all of our Senators and Legislators in the Statehouse to develop a long-term funding plan for transit.
What can you do? It’s as simple as…
Learn. Visit our website to find out more about the current proposal and the bigger transportation funding problem. We have compiled some useful talking points. The more you know, the better you can explain it to others. http://livablestreets.info/
Share. Forward this e-lert to 5 or more friends, colleagues, family members, and neighbors and make an effort to talk with them about the issues. The more aware people are, the more our elected officials will listen.
Talk. Tell your local elected officials what you think (click here to find out who they are: http://www.malegislature.gov/
 
Speak up. Attend one of the MBTA public hearings (click here for full schedule) to physically show your support for transit and the MBTA.
Take the street. Transportation Justice Rally and public hearing. Monday, January 23, 12-2 pm. 12 pm: Meet in front of the State House, march, and finish at the State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza. 1 pm: MBTA public workshop. Give testimony.
 Give. LivableStreets is part of broader coalitions working on progressive transportation funding, such as On The Move Transportation Justice Coalition (OTM) and the Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA). Join or renew your LivableStreets membership todayand be proud to join thousands of others in the larger movement for good transportation in Boston.
Volunteer. Help us out by handing out flyers at MBTA stations to raise awareness about what’s happening. email volunteer@
Why Bicyclists Should Care About The T’s Financial Crisis
By David Watson
MassBike exists to serve the bicycling community, and that is our focus. But we also take a broad view of our transportation system and how bicycling fits into it. To advance those efforts, in 2011 MassBike joined a new coalition of transportation-related organizations, Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA), working for an environmentally sustainable, reliable and affordable transportation system. MassBike’s participation will strengthen the coalition’s efforts around active and sustainable transportation, and the diverse viewpoints within T4MA will inform our own work for better bicycling.
 The first major challenge faced by T4MA is the recently announced MBTA proposal to both increase fares and cut service. The MBTA projects that its revenues this year cannot support service at its current levels. T4MA opposes the proposal, and MassBike agrees that the MBTA’s proposal would not be good for bicyclists. In our view, the T’s proposal would significantly reduce existing opportunities for bicyclists to use bicycles in combination with public transportation, creating a barrier to biking.
You only need to look at the hundreds of bicycles parked at MBTA stations, even on frigid days like today, to see that many bicyclists are transit users and many people use bicycles to access the T. Some bicyclists, like other transit users, may simply be unable to afford a fare increase. Others will be affected if the trains, buses, or boats they rely on are eliminated. For example, we have analyzed the two bus service cut scenarios put forth by the T, the second of which would impact over 70% of bus routes that are currently equipped with bicycle racks. The MBTA has been a strong partner in improving bike access on its system, and MassBike has been working with them for many years to fully equip the bus fleet with bike racks. This project was expected to be completed this year, and the elimination of so many routes that are already accessible to bicyclists is an unacceptable leap backward.
Public meetings on the proposed fare increases and service cuts begin tonight in Newton and Worcester, tomorrow in Chelsea, and Thursday in Roxbury. More meetings continue in the following weeks all over the MBTA service region – see the calendar on our homepage for details. If you are a bicyclist whose mobility would be affected by MBTA fare increases or service cuts, please attend a public meeting or send you written comments to fareproposal@mbta.com. Make your voice heard! MassBike will continue to work with T4MA and the MBTA to find an acceptable way forward.
