A Bad Joke

What's black and white and red all over? If you're a member of the Cambridge City Council, you'd most likely say it is the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority's (MBTA) plans to extend the Red Line through Harvard Square to Alewife Brook Parkway.

In round three of this seemingly never-ending saga, the council voted Monday to join a citizen's group's suit to obtain an injunction against the MBTA that could effectively stop work on the construction.

The suit, brought by a coalition that calls itself the Red Line Alert, charges the MBTA with violating three federal statutes regarding the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) the agency filed for the extension.

Unfortunately for the MBTA, the council's decision to take the state agency to court indicates that the city means business. What it means in this case is long delays and continued financial woes for the MBTA, which stands to lose $3 million for every month construction is delayed.

In a futile effort to stave off the council vote, MBTA chairman Robert Kiley sent a letter to City Hall saying the council should not join the suit.

Cambridge Mayor Thomas W. Danehy felt otherwise. Calling the letter "a scare tactic," he promised continued fighting for the citizens.

Nobody at the MBTA was laughing.