Franklyn Salimbene
51 Eliot Street
Jamaica Plain, Ma. 02130
April 12, 2001
To the Arborway Committee:
The Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods supports the Arborway Committee's efforts to restore the last mile and a half of the Green Line E train route from Heath St. to the former terminus at Arborway. The E train service on Huntington Avenue formerly linked the "streetcar suburb" Jamaica Plain to the Longwood hospital area and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and Northeastern University community, then entered the Green Line tunnel underground. The service provided a one-seat ride between Park Street and the Arborway, allowing passengers to transfer to Hyde Park, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Dedham, Norwood, Mattapan and the Needham commuter rail.
Boston's livability is dependent on the success of its public transit, and our neighborhoods deserve the best possible public transportation. The heavy traffic congestion now experienced in local business districts can be relieved by better transit service provided to the neighborhoods. Because buses are very much impeded by poor traffic conditions, trolley service is more dependable and predictable. The permanence of the infrastructure required for a street railway, and the investment of public funds, signal a much stronger commitment to public transit than a bus route that can easily be diverted or eliminated.
A decision to restore Green Line service will have significant benefits for the city as a whole. It will improve air quality for residents in the Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Fenway and Back Bay neighborhoods by replacing 400 daily bus trips with zero-emission light rail vehicles (LRVs) trips. A comprehensive cost/benefit analysis, considering environmental, health, and life-cycle equipment and roadway maintenance factors, will show that LRVs are a far better investment than buses in our transportation and in our community well-being.
The Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods supports the restoration of Arborway Green Line service to Jamaica Plain because a healthy urban environment depends on reducing the number of motor vehicles driven in the city. And maintaining the best possible rapid transit system is the best incentive for getting travelers out of their cars.
Sincerely,
Shirley Kressel, President
Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods