Kasey+Callahan+Survey

Riding the T  In any large city driving from point A to point B can be quite a hassle, with numerous one way streets, large amounts of traffic, unclear road signs, and almost never any parking. And walking everywhere would be far too time consuming and difficult, especially in times of disadvantageous weather. So, like most major cities in America, Boston has an extensive network of public transportation, dubbed the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or MBTA. The subway system, often referred to as the T, is just one part of that network. The MBTA was establishing in 1964 to replace the Metropolitan Transit Authority, or MTA. And now averages 1.3 million passenger trips each weekday, making it the fourth busiest subway system in the US. As of June 2009 the MBTA was places under the authority of the Mass Transit division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, giving government appointed members places on the board. The red line is among the T’s busiest lines, stretching from Braintree and Ashmont, through Cambridge to Alewife. Its appearance is not markedly different from that of the other subway lines; it’s fairly long with large windows and four automatic double doors spread out on each side. The sides are lined with metal seats facing towards the center with blue with carpet-looking padding on the seat and back decorated by multicolored intersecting arcs. The walls are decorated with advertisements for a myriad of goods and services including Dentine gum, Rosetta Stone language software, and Umass Boston college, just to name a few, accompanied by graffiti, etchings, and stickers featuring tags such as “Reno” and “Zirro” and well as instructions to question one’s government, a brilliant contrast to the corporate messages of the ads. Between the fluorescent lights lining the ceiling are speakers periodically announcing things such as the next stop, the destination of the train, as well as less productive messages like “I’m almost famous, take the T,” or “Don’t steal from us,” and the latest addition “Raping people is bad.” The air is heavy and stifling with the compounded aromas of the rider’s scents, the stench of garbage, and a mysterious almost tar-like smell. The floor and seats are littered with discarded newspapers, empty food wrappers and the like. Obviously cleanliness and environment aren’t among the top priorities of the management. The noise pollution is rather bad as well. With nearly no sound dampening measures put in place in the design of the carts, one can clearly hear every repeated clunk of the wheels rotating on their tracks, and each screech of the brakes. The conversions of riders add to the noise especially as they attempt to yell over the racket of the train’s inherent din. Most commuters attempt to counter this with head phones hooked up their mp3s, however often this only adds to the clamor for the other riders. All walks of life seem to make use of this public transportation system, often packed in close quarters with people they would normally never congregate with, with the possible exception of their own family members. A small group of high school students with their backpacks and latest fad apparel being incredibly loud. Spread out college students thoroughly intent on listening to music while reading and highlighting text books, writing papers or fiddling with their gadgets. Business men and women in semi formal attire, some reading novels, others their newspapers, while others just appear anxious to get to their respective destinations. A scruff, unkempt homeless looking man sleeping in the corner, most other passengers ignore him, save for the fact they keep a two foot radius circle of him clear. And a rather dapper looking fairly elderly man in a casual suit with a cane and porkpie hat; the middle aged woman with an end seat offers him her chair, but he declines. The MBTA suits the purpose for which it was designed, getting from one point of the greater Boston area to a second. Following the hive mind idea of the great dispersal it’s only natural that a means of rapid transit would be needed. And T fills that niche, albeit without much panache.