By now, you’ve seen plenty of articles, pictures, and tweets about the MBTA’s breakdown in this week’s snowstorm, along with mammoth traffic jams, detours and delays across the state. After many years of underfunding transit maintenance, upkeep and upgrades, a crisis like this was bound to happen.

Our newest coalition member is the Berkshire Community Action Council, a Western Massachusetts agency with a mission to assist low-income, elderly and working-poor of Berkshire County towards achieving sustainability and self-sufficiency. 

Transportation for Massachusetts welcomes five new members to our coalition to support transportation investment and excellence all across the commonwealth.

We share the pride of many residents that Boston has been selected as the U.S. candidate to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics Games. We also share the concerns of many residents that the Olympics may divert urgently needed resources and attention away from the region’s and state’s challenges.

Governor Baker’s appointment of Stephanie Pollack as Secretary of Transportation shows the Governor’s commitment to reform, and to making transportation policy and project decisions based on good information and in the interests of the entire commonwealth. Our ability to compete and thrive as a state depends on a robust transportation network, and we acknowledge the Governor’s leadership in appointing an experienced professional to guide MassDOT.

Transportation for Massachusetts looks forward to the leadership of the Charlie Baker Administration. Our priorities are shared in The Next MassDOT, a summary of recommendations to keep the commonwealth moving forward.

Excellence in planning is vital to our success as a commonwealth and a country. Recognizing this, our national partner, Transportation for America, has recently published The Innovative MPO: Smart Planning, Strong Communities.

In approving Question 1 on November 4, we are disappointed that Massachusetts has lost an important funding source that would have helped to build and maintain a safe and reliable transportation system across the Commonwealth. We are proud of the legislature for taking last year’s courageous vote to provide needed funding after years of delayed investment.

By Chris Hart, Christine Griffin and Valerie Fletcher

Here’s a statement that’s pretty obvious: getting around is important.

Whether you drive, walk, cycle, or ride a bus, train or subway, getting safely from place to place is fundamental. For people and freight, for workers and students, for seniors and for kids, we depend on transportation to live our lives.

By Bonnie Biocchi and Joshua Ostroff

Guest Columnists in the MetroWest Daily News

(The following column was published on October 12, 2014: see original)

On Nov. 4, voters will choose a path that affects our roads, bridges, transit systems and economy. We urge you to vote No on ballot question 1.