Articles Posted in MBTA Accidents

Officials with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) report that there were close to 4,000 citations issued so far this year to people who evaded paying their fare.

This is up close to 60 percent from this same time last year, when only 2,270 citations were issued, according to the Boston Globe.

Chief Joseph O’Connor, Superintendent with the MBTA Transit Police, says that officers are cracking down on these fare evaders because that’s what the public wants. The MBTA is already short on funds. What they do make they make on fares. These funds help to support the system and help to make it safer for you and other riders.

“Policing at our point of entry is a good law enforcement strategy and it has had positive effects on preventing crimes on our system,” O’Connor said.

Our Boston MBTA accident attorneys understand that there was a fare evasion law that went into effect back in 2007. Earlier this year, the penalties for not paying went from a $15 fine to a $50 fine. Officials think that the fines will not only act as a deterrent but also may help to make up for some of the money that’s being lost, too! According to studies, those who are busted and cited typically do not re-offend. The high visibility of enforcement officers helps to keep people from offending. We just need the man power on site.

What is also common among those who evade the fare is that they are commonly wanted on warrants for other crimes that they’ve already committed in the area.

The recent announcement of the increased patrol against these individuals comes the same day that two different men were cuffed for not paying their fares. Both of them happened at the Quincy Center Station’s Red Line. Both of the men who were arrested were already wanted on drug charges.

The first guy tried to get away without paying by following a paying customer closely through the gates. He was also arrested back in August and accused of distributing marijuana at that same station. He posted bail, but never made it to court.

Just an hour later, another local man did the same thing and tried to follow a paying customer closely through the gates. Officers issued him a citation then discovered that he was already wanted on three warrants and was wanted for various drug charges.

You’re urged to submit a report, which can be done anonymously, if you see any suspicious activity throughout the MBTA’s services.

Safety should be the number one concern of everyone while using the MBTA. Smooth-running transit helps to decrease travel time, better fund the program and increase rider safety.
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) recently celebrated its 115th anniversary. It continues to be the country’s oldest subway system and officials with the Authority are not only proud of the early beginning of the system, they’re also proud of their continued efforts to advance it, modernize it and make it safer, according to the Boston Globe.

“It’s nice to be the oldest subway in the United States. And I also think we’re the most innovative,” MBTA’s Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand how big of an impact the T has made on residents and visitors to the area. It has transported billions of people to where they need to be. Officials threw the T a birthday party at the Park Street Station. This is the location in which the first of two stations opened up in Boston back on September 1st of 1897. The other station was the Boylston Street Station.

One of the newest features on the T are the new countdown signs. These signs that tell riders when the train is expected to arrive. The signs arrived at South Station last month.

There has also been a pilot program working toward mobile ticketing on the commuter rail. This program will allow participating riders to use a free application that will let these riders purchase and display their tickets on their smartphones. The app isn’t expected to fully launch until the fall. It’ll be available for Blackberry, Andriod and iPhone users.

The T also revealed its latest ridership numbers too — the July figures. This is during the time when officials with the MBTA implemented their controversial service cuts and fare hikes. However, ridership only dropped by one-tenth of a percent from the same time the year before. Analysts predicted that there would be a near 6 percent decrease.

While ridership on the both the subway and on the RIDE paratransit service dropped, ridership on the commuter rail, on the bus and on the ferry increased. Each year, the T transports about 400 million — or close to 1.5 million each day.

Davis says that he has just one birthday wish for the T: That the system be 100 percent accessible for all riders and be adequately funded! We would like to wish the MBTA 100 more years of safe operations!
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More and more people are using the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) services to get to where they’ve got to be. According to a recent release, there were more than 400 million individual riders on the MBTA during the last fiscal year.

This was the first time ridership has ever reached that milestone. On average, officials say that nearly 1.5 million people took the bus, trolley or train each weekday. This was the first time in history that the daily ridership averaged more than 1.3 million, according to The Boston Channel. The biggest jump in ridership was experienced by the buses, with a near 6 percent grown in the number of weekday riders.

Overall, the average number of weekday ridership increased by more than 5.5 percent. These were the numbers of the last fiscal year, which just ended on the 30th of June.

Our Boston MBTA accident lawyers understand that the month of June serves as the 17th month in a row in which ridership with the MBTA has increased. Jonathan Davis, General Manager with the MBTA, says that the increase can be credited to a number of factors, including more reliability by riders in the services, better and more efficient real-time schedule information and the improving economy. Whatever the reason may be though, it’s important to know how to keep yourself safe when sharing the same rides as millions of other people.

With more riders and more trips being taken, accident risks with the MBTA are rising. While transportation officials are working to eliminate these risks, there’s no getting around it. The MBTA prides itself on working every day to help to ensure the security and the safety of both riders and employees. According to officials with the MBTA, Safety Department officials are always in the field inspecting subways, buses, boats, commuter tails and stations to help to ensure the safest possible environment for everyone.

Personnel with the T are supposed to be trained in how to handle various emergency response situations. They follow their own Safety Program, which has been coordinated with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in addition to the MBTA Police. Through this program, transportation officials undergo a number of simulated emergency response exercises that are used to help personnel to be ready with state-of-the-art emergency response techniques.

When you’re traveling with the MBTA, there are some safety tips that you should remember to help yourself from becoming a victim of a crime or another type of accident.

Personal Safety with the MBTA:

-Always keep an eye on your surroundings. Know where you are and who’s around you at all times.

-Try to avoid listening to headphones.

-Don’t talk to strangers, especially when you’re in an isolated area.

-Hold your purse of briefcase close to your body.

-Keep your wallet in your front pocket, not your back.

-If you’re attacked by someone, blow a whistle or scream to draw attention to your situation.
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According to local police officers, a man was seriously injured as he attempted to get off of a moving train at the Nantasket Junction Depot. Officers say that they located the victim reclining on a bench at the station shortly after the accident happened. Emergency response crews arrived on scene and quickly transport him to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, according to the Patriot Ledger.

He was later transported to Boston to the Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

Transit Constabulary report that the train that came from Boston was leaving the Nantasket Junction station in route to Scituate at about 1:30 p.m. when the accident happened. The man opened a closed door on the train and tried to get out. One Hingham official says that it appears that the man may have been dragged by the train nearly 200 feet.

Our MBTA accident attorneys understand that travelers need to be cautious when using public transportation. When we’re not careful and don’t follow rider rules, accidents result. In other cases, hazardous conditions can lead to an accident through no fault of your own.

It’s important to make safety a top priority to help ensure you reach your destination safely. There are a number of ways that we can all help to protect ourselves from accidents on the T. Officials with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) offer some safe traveling tips.

MBTA Train Riding Safety Tips:

-When you’re waiting for your train to arrive, make sure that you’re in a central location where there are other patrons. Never wait alone. There’s safety in numbers!

-When you’re riding the T during off hours, make sure that you ride as close to the train operator as you can.

-If there is someone bothering or harassing you on a car, move seats and let the operator of the train know.

-There are intercoms on every train that call the operator directly. In case of an emergency, contact the operator. They can then contact Transit Police directly.

-Transit Police can then be dispatched to any location.

– Be aware of when your stop is coming up. Gather your belongings and get ready to exit the car.

-Stand away from the tracks when waiting for the train. Do not cross the yellow line.

-Allow riders to exit before entering the train car.

-Sit down or hold on to the hand rails once you’ve entered the train car. Keep your belongings nearby, but out of the way of others.

-Keep kids close by and hold hands. Pack up strollers and hold your child’s hand when using stairs or the escalator.

The T is an awfully convenient way to get around town. Unfortunately, it can be dangerous. Keep safety as a top priority when riding and keep a heads up for potential dangers. Report any suspicious activity to the operator or to Transit Police.
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Right now, there is a crew of carpenters, sheet-metal workers, repairers and others who have been working day-in and day-out trying to repair and maintain some of the T’s oldest cars, the ones on the Orange Line.

There’s even one car, subway car 31, that is more than 60-years-old and has logged nearly 2 million miles during its time on the tracks, according to the Boston Globe.

According to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) repairman Dave Campbell, fixing these old cars takes a lot of new-age technology. They use laptops to test out the 1970 a/c units in the cars and replace some of their parts with some of the parts from the newer Blue Line cars. Maintenance officials are even using deli-counter hairnets to help to protect sensitive traction motors from snowdrifts. It’s all a way to help to protect riders, to keep the cars working and to reduce the risks of MBTA accidents in Boston in the middle of a financial crisis.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that the cars on the Orange Line were built back in the 70s and the 80s. It’s not that they were built back then that’s concerning officials, it’s that they’re only designed to run about 25 years, and that’s only if they’ve had some major repairs and component replacements. They typically don’t last that long, especially under the demands of Massachusetts’ travelers. The problem is that it would cost about $500 million to replace the more than 150 cars. That plan is still another 5 to 10 years out. Instead, officials are using a portion of their $4 billion replacement/repair backlog to help to improve the system and the cars for transporting nearly 1.5 million riders each weekday.

The T isn’t doing too well. It’s not only fallen behind on revenues, but it’s also behind on fares and state sales tax. Most every fare dollar that makes it to the T is used to pay off its debt. A lot of this debt is the result of the expansion project on Beacon Hill. Costs such as fuel, electricity and employee health insurance have outstripped inflation.

At the same time, the T’s ridership has increased dramatically. Increases, according to travel experts, are the result of more people living and working near T stations in addition to the high gas prices. These factors lead to more people on the platforms waiting for the aging and overworked trains. With these conditions, trains are more likely to break down and riders are more likely to experience delays. To help to keep the flow going, MBTA officials are turning to quick and low-cost fixes to compensate for the deferred long-term investment.

MBTA riders are urged to be cautious when riding the T. Schedule in delays when planning your trip. Always have a backup plan when traveling. You never know what can happen.
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As our Boston Personal Injury Lawyers recently reported, ridership on the T has increased in recent months.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) officials are crediting the new See Say smartphone app for the increase.

It’s helping riders to navigate their trips a whole lot easier, allowing them to see exactly where their ride is and when it’s supposed to arrive. It’s also helping to give riders a piece of mind. The app also allows residents to report any kind of suspicious activity that they see on the MBTA to Transit Police. With just a click of a button, MBTA riders can upload accident reports and they can share both text and pictures. All of these features are helping riders to stay safe during transit and to help them to get to and from their destinations in a timely manner.

“Transit Police are always looking for new tools to empower riders,” said Paul MacMillan, MBTA Transit Police Chief.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that communication is an important part of traveling throughout the city. When riders are joining in, we have eyes and ears throughout the MBTA system. With participation from riders, we can help to hold the MBTA accountable for a comfortable and safe transit environment. It starts with you. With everyone involved we can have the safest transit system in the country.

In addition to the app is the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign and it is using efforts from both local and state agencies to help to educate the riding public. The campaign is helping riders to keep an eye on their surroundings at all times when using public transportation. Riders are urged to report anything that they feel is suspicious. You can make these reports with the click of a button through the new app.

This campaign was first launched back in 2003 by the MBTA after it learned of a similar campaign from New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority. It’s currently being funded through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Transit Security.

What’s exciting is that Massachusetts and the MBTA are the first in the country to release a smartphone app as a part of the “If you see something, say something” campaign.

The See Say app:

-has been created for transit and other areas that don’t have very good cell phone reception. With the app, reports will be sent as soon as the rider has a signal.

-is discrete. It allows riders to send out reports anonymously. The app shuts off a rider’s camera flash on their phone when taking a picture of something suspicious.

-sends reports directly to the Transit Police dispatch center.

-lets riders know about delays and service issues through T-Alerts.

Officials with the MBTA say that it’s important that we all look out for one another. Report all suspicious activity to help keep all of our fellow riders safe.
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Listen up commuters! For those of you planning on using the MBTA’s services on Memorial Day, you may have to make other plans if you’re trip involves one of the services that will be shut down for the day.

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The MBTA recently launched theFront Door Only Policy, to try to get more riders to hand over their fares. The policy started on April 17th 2012.

Recently, too many riders have been skipping out on their dues and taking the rides for free. Under the new policy, riders using the above-ground stations on the D-branch of the Green Line are only allowed to board at the front door. This policy is applies to off-peak hours, holidays and weekends. Currently, the front door only fare collection policy is being pushed on other parts of the Green Line.

From 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. as well as from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., which are considered peak hours, riders will be allowed to board at the rear and side doors as long as they have a pre-loaded CharlieTicket, a CharlieCard or another valid pass, according to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

During our last winter season, the MBTA started conducting monthly “fare blitzes” to try to enforce fare collection for all riders and to help to remind customers that they need to be paying these fares to use the system. With the front door policy and the fare blitzes, the MBTA will be continuing on in its effort to enforce collections on all transit fares.

As the MBTA says, “It’s only fair…pay your fare!” Fares are used to keep the MBTA up-to-date with the latest advancements and safety measures. These fare funds help to keep you safe while using its services to help to avoid an MBTA accident in Quincy and elsewhere throughout the state.

Our Quincy personal injury lawyers understand that the MBTA offers prime transportation for many residents and visitors to get around the area. The MBTA offers riders with quick, easy, convenient and inexpensive ways to get to where they need to be. It’s important for riders to pay the fare to help keep the MBTA’s safety advancements up to date. Your fare helps to fund a safer ride.

Info on the Front Door Only Policy:

-Where: All above-ground stations throughout the D-branch of the Green Line.

-When: Off-peak hours, holidays and weekends.

-Why: To help enforce the collection of all riders’ fares.

-Extra: Riders with disabilities and those with strollers will still be allowed to exit through the rear and side doors.

MBTA Train Riding Tips:

-While you’re waiting for a train, be sure to stay in a central location where other riders can be found. Safety can be found in numbers. Never ride alone.

-When riding during off hours, stay as close to the train operator as you can.

-If someone is bothering you during your commute, move to another car and notify the train operator.

-Remember that you can contact the operator of the train by using the intercom located on each train car. Train operators are also in constant contact with the MBTA Transit Police.
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