State Sen. Fred Berry's frustration with the Massachusetts Port Authority is understandable, and he makes a good case for designating a seat on the agency's board for a representative from the North of Boston region.

Logan Airport, the port facilities of Boston Harbor, and the bridge and tunnels that provide access to the airport and the state's capital city benefit all Massachusetts residents. Yet only those living North of Boston, specifically in the communities along the shore who regularly commute on Routes 1 and 1A, have to pay an extra fee in order to utilize them.

It costs nothing to take the Ted William Tunnel to Logan from South Boston, or cross the Tobin Bridge from Charlestown. But if you're headed in the opposite direction, there's a $3 toll.

Those tolls have been regularly increased, it should be noted, in order to help Massport pay its share of the Big Dig. As a result, North Shore motorists have had to bear a greater share of that project's cost than their counterparts who commute into the city via I-93 or the Southeast Expressway.

Ironically, the immediate target of Berry's ire — cancellation of the Logan Express bus service from his hometown of Peabody — can be defended as a wise decision by Massport given the lack of ridership in relation to similar operations in Woburn, Framingham and Braintree. But the Senate majority leader is right to insist that the subsidies that went to the Peabody service be diverted to alternatives — ferry service from Salem, perhaps, or a link between the MBTA commuter rail's Chelsea station and the airport — that would benefit North of Boston commuters.

One way to make sure that happens is to give the region a seat at the table. Berry's bill to expand the Massport board by two members (from five to seven) and require representation from North of Boston, deserves the support of all the region's legislators.