I'm just not connecting with the Globe anymore:
"MBTA tightens no-phone policy for drivers" by Martine Powers | Globe staff June 16, 2014
A month after a dramatic crash that left an MBTA bus dangling over the Massachusetts Turnpike in Newton, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced harsher punishments for drivers caught with a cellphone while on the job.
Under the new policy, which T officials believe to be the strictest of any major transit agency in the country, any bus or train operator with a cellphone in his or her possession will automatically be suspended for 30 days and be recommended for firing.
To enforce the no-cellphone policy, T officials will add a cellphone check to the daily sign-in procedures for bus and train operators. The sign-in sheets that drivers must complete upon arriving at work will include a box that drivers must initial, saying that they do not have a prohibited electronic device in their possession.
While drivers have been barred from carrying cellphones on duty since 2009, the past punishment was lighter: a 10-day suspension and a recommendation for firing after two violations. The new, stiffer punishment for carrying a cellphone now matches that for a driver caught talking on a phone or texting while on duty.
MBTA general manager Beverly A. Scott said in a statement that the new policy is meant to “reinforce our commitment to safety through the implementation of clear and strict regulations.”
“It’s absolutely essential that we do everything we can to help ensure that each customer’s trip is a safe one,” Scott said.
The change comes after the May 18 crash in Newton, in which the driver is accused of having a cellphone in her hand when the MBTA bus careered around a corner and slammed into the guardrail on the Washington Street overpass. Seven people were injured.
The driver, Shanna Shaw, 43, originally told investigators that she was unable to maneuver the bus because her allergies had caused her to sneeze uncontrollably. Surveillance footage from inside the bus later showed that Shaw was holding a cellphone while behind the wheel, MBTA Transit Police said in an affidavit. Shaw was terminated from her job last month, and pleaded not guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 24.
The cellphone policy change was announced in a safety order signed by five top MBTA officials and distributed to the agency’s staff last week....
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Sorry I couldn't get through to you, readers.
NEXT DAY UPDATES:
Tried you again in the morning:
"Skyscraper envisioned at Back Bay station; Developer would manage T facility in return for rights" by Casey Ross | Globe Staff June 18, 2014
The owner of the John Hancock Tower in Boston is negotiating with Governor Deval Patrick’s administration to renovate and manage the MBTA’s Back Bay Station in exchange for the right to build a towering complex of residences, stores, and offices, state officials said Tuesday.
A deal could eventually allow developer Boston Properties Inc. to construct a skyscraper and at least one other building above the rehabilitated station, which would get a new retail arcade, ventilation upgrades, and a glass facade along Dartmouth Street. City officials would also have to approve the new buildings.
The lease would be the latest of several agreements that have effectively privatized the management of the city’s largest transit hubs. South Station and North Station are both managed by private landlords who have funded multimillion-dollar upgrades in recent years....
In Massachusetts?
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You know where the increased taxes, fares, and fees are going right? To pay off Big Dig debt and fulfill political patronage pensions that were accumulated over years.
Related: Audit says MBTA station renovations poorly planned
Do I have to type anything?
