I APPLAUD the Globe’s coverage of transportation alternatives, and for its Dec. 18 editorial calling for a long-term commitment to seasonal rail service between Boston and Cape Cod, which is to be revived later this year (“Transit authority must make long-term commitment to Hyannis train”). The planned summer rail service has the potential to provide significant economic and environmental benefits, and to reduce traffic congestion along its route.
I’m disappointed, however, by the Globe’s continued use of the word “subsidized” in connection with funding for rail or bus service, as if other forms of transportation didn’t rely on government support, too. When was the last time a road or highway in our region was self-supporting?
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Roads consume the vast majority of public funds for transportation. All forms of transportation have societal costs and benefits. Options such as rail and bus benefit us all by taking traffic off the road and pollution out of our air.