The recently released Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority’s public service announcements urging passengers to be more responsible with the disposal of their trash is the result of a history of trash-related T complications. After years of facing backlash from riders accusing the T of being unreliable, inefficient and dirty, now the T is involving these victims as being part of the problem. The issue of littering on T tracks goes deeper than just the problems it causes ‘- such as delays and fires, including the most recent fire in Downtown Crossing ‘- because it shows a lack of respect for the system that transports thousands throughout the city every day, and the system that many customers find lacking.
But in the same way that Bostonians see the T as a faceless service, they see themselves as faceless passengers who have no impact on the system except monetarily. The truth is riders have heavy impact on the T’s efficiency and safety, and that impact is based on responsibilities either met or ignored. While the T doesn’t heavily advertise its policies on litter and other rider problems, it’s common sense that a passenger expecting a service that is safe, clean and comfortable would play his or her small part in the maintenance of these niceties. Furthermore, rider responsibility keeps the T on time and plays a part in keeping fares from increasing.
The T’s responsibility is to educate riders about T safety ‘- especially concerning the proper disposal of trash, considering the immediate dangers presented by refuse fires ignited on the tracks ‘- and to provide the resources necessary to help passengers meet their own responsibilities in the easiest way. And as a last resort, passengers ignoring their basic courtesies to the T, and putting other riders in danger, should be faced with consequences. In an urban center where so many people from so many walks of life all rely on the same trains and the same schedules every day, it becomes a group effort to maintain a dependable system for everyone. A safe and efficient MBTA system ‘- like the tracks that dart across Boston University’s own campus ‘- is a two-way street, requiring the compromise of both customers and T administrators.
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