Massachusetts faces a litany of financial questions related to funding critical infrastructure like roads, bridges and public transit. The MBTA is hurtling toward ato create the Transportation Funding Task Force. It's charge? To make recommendations for a long-term transportation finance plan by the end of the year.
The group will include several top state officials, including in transportation and economic development, as well as business leaders."The text itself of the shows us that it's weighted heavily on secretariats and the business sector," said Reggie Ramos, the executive director of Transportation for Massachusetts."This signals a lot about who gets to give recommendations and what groups are represented.
"Identifying funding sources and creating revenue that is equitable and not regressive can only truly happen in inclusive conversations that center the lived experiences of the most impacted by transportation policies," Ramos said. "We want people who have not been represented in this conversation around transportation," a MassDOT spokesperson said, adding that the administration is also engaging different regions, businesses and cities"that have not been at the table."