We appreciate the leadership, energy and vision that Dr. Beverly Scott has brought to the job of MBTA General Manager. She has been a tireless advocate for bus and rail riders. We at Transportation for Massachusetts thank Dr. Scott and wish her all the best.

The MBTA is essential not just for its hundreds of thousands of riders. Our region’s commerce, industry, institutions, sports and culture, as well as our neighborhoods and families, depend on it to move people reliably, day in and day out. The next GM must continue Dr. Scott’s work to build a world-class transit system for a world-class city and region.

To do that, the MBTA, like all our transportation across the state, needs resources. The recent and ongoing winter weather has exposed longstanding problems. Delays and cancellations – and the disruption to people and businesses that result – are direct consequences of a longstanding failure to responsibly invest in the system. Trains, buses, electrical systems and switches are decades beyond their useful life. As Senator Tom McGee said, the state has a “transportation crisis” and our transportation system is “completely overwhelmed.”

Underfunding is not confined to the MBTA. Statewide, roads and bridges are on a decades-long waiting list for repair and replacement, and Regional Transit Authorities do not have the resources to properly serve their communities. This problem has been documented for many, many years.

Dr. Scott often spoke about what defines success in public transportation. It is for public transit to be the first choice of the people it aims to serve. The next General Manager should aim for that standard. And the next General Manager should have adequate financial support from the Administration and the State Legislature to rebuild a transit system that is worthy of Massachusetts.

In just a few days, 2000 people signed our petition asking the state to fund safe and reliable transportation. Facebook, Twitter, email, news stories and more are making the case that the MBTA was on the ropes long before the snow started falling.

The weather brought this failing system to a halt, and made people pay attention. Unprecedented system closures have made the point that we have a broken transportation system regardless of the weather.

Underfunded transportation is not just an MBTA issue. All across the state, people lack safe and reliable choices to get to work, school, home and live their daily lives. The biggest problem is an underfunded statewide transportation network that is decades out of date, and which risks our safety, our livelihood and our future.

The 2007 Transportation Finance Commission report made this clear. Our 2011 Maxed Out report spelled it out. And it is now up to every one of us to drive home the message: let’s fix this problem!

If you have not signed up, please do. If you have, please spread the word.

Either way, please respectfully and urgently contact your legislators, the House Speaker, the Senate President and Governor Baker and let them know that you support funding a safe, reliable, 21st-century transportation network for Massachusetts. In your own words and with your own experience, explain what the lack of everyday reliable transportation means to you.

Thank you!

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.

Looking forward, we will continue to work with elected officials and our coalition partners to find a way to fill this significant gap in our state’s transportation infrastructure budget. The benefits of a transportation network that serves everyone will only be realized through wise planning and a strong statewide coalition.

Transportation for Massachusetts is committed to the Commonwealth.