Michigander in Mass

From bobnesson: "The documentary about Somerville's public transportation, OFF TRACK, will be broadcast on SCAT [Ch. 3] tonight, January 24, at 10pm and again on January 31 at 10pm. Please spread the word. OFF TRACK is a work in progress. Here is a more complete project description:"

Off Track: Traffic, Environmental Justice and the Green Line Extension Somerville has the highest rate of excess lung cancer and heart attack deaths per square mile, per decade, in the state. This excess rate is largely due to poor air quality from concentrations of automobile, truck, and commuter rail exhaust. It is a local problem in
Somerville, not a regional problem, as our next-door neighbor Cambridge has a rate below the norm. Poor public transportation is a particular problem in Union Square, which suffers from high traffic volume, poor air, and inconvenience for commuters who depend upon mostly diesel buses caught in traffic. Local businesses suffer as well, as good pubic transportation fosters a strong business climate, all other things being equal. Many in Somerville feel that traffic and air quality would be improved through extension of the Green Line trolley to Union Square.

To address these issues, we are making a video about public transportation in Somerville, tentatively entitled Off Track: Traffic, Environmental Justice and the Green Line Extension. The video will explore the issue through the prism of environmental justice. We will connect the dots between public transportation, economics, public health, and quality of life in Somerville. We have several objectives:

1. to provide a strong argument to decision-makers for the extension of the Green Line to Union Square;
   
2. to educate SCAT viewers about issues of transportation, air pollution, health, service and economics in Somerville;
   
3. to develop a curriculum for students at Somerville High School around these issues, and to provide students with intellectual and technical tools for making changes in the areas of civics and the environment;
   
4. to shape the video in a way that would make it useful to a national audience and would spur public involvement in transportation planning and development.