february 2010
THe NeWSLeTTer Of THe bOSTON reGION MeTrOPOLITaN PLaNNING OrGaNIZaTION
TObIN brIDGe TurNS 60 Page 2 MassDOT Solicits Proposals for MaSSDOT COMMuNITy Job access/reverse Commute fOruMS SCHeDuLeD Page 2 and New freedom Programs HeaLTH COMPaCT LauNCHeD On behalf of the Massachu- urbanized area, which con- MassDOT funded nine Page 2 setts Department of Trans- sists of the Boston Region Boston Region MPO propos- TraIL COuNT DaTa portation (MassDOT), the MPO and four other MPOs als in FFY 2008 and eight in ON MPO WebSITe Boston Region Metropolitan in Massachusetts. FFY 2009. MassDOT is now Page 3 Planning Organization initiating a third solicitation JARC provides grants to (MPO) has issued a request for proposals. This solicita- MPO aCTIvITIeS transport welfare recipients for proposals for projects tion seeks to award $3.2 mil- Page 3 and eligible low-income indi- seeking funding from the lion for the JARC Program viduals to and from jobs and GreeN TIPS fOr WINTer federal Job Access and and $2.26 million for the Page 4 activities related to employ- Reverse Commute (JARC) New Freedom Program. ment. New Freedom provides and New Freedom programs. grants for new public trans- The Boston Region MPO’s MeeTING CaLeNDar The federal SAFETEA-LU portation services that go solicitation period for pro-
For the most recent information act of 2005 authorized JARC beyond the requirements of posals runs from January 25 on the following public meetings (49 USC Section 5316) and the Americans with Disabil- to March 5, 2010. A pre-pro- and others that may have been New Freedom (49 USC ities Act of 1990 in assisting posal applicant workshop is scheduled after TRANSRePORT went to press, go to www.boston Section 5317) funding grants individuals with disabilities. scheduled for February 11 at mpo.org or call (617) 973-7119. in each federal fiscal year the State Transportation A photo ID is required to access MassDOT uses a competitive (FFY) from FFY 2006 Building. (See calendar for most meeting sites. selection process to deter- through FFY 2009. details.) mine which proposals recom- aT THe STaTe MassDOT is the eligible TraNSPOrTaTION mended to them by each recipient for the Boston buILDING, 10 ParK MPO will be funded. PLaZa, bOSTON february 2 (Tuesday) MassDOT: youMove Massachusetts MPO’s Project Database Now Online Civic engagement Initiative Forum. MBTA Board Room, Suite A searchable database con- federal funding through the munities, environmental pro- 3910. 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM taining information that the TIP. tection, land use, and eco- Boston Region MPO uses to nomic develop- february 3 (Wednesday) The information evaluate and select trans- ment. MassDOT Board of Directors. provided in the MBTA Board Room, Suite 3910. portation projects for federal 1:00 PM database includes To view the funding is now accessible to project descrip- database, visit february 4 (Thursday) the public on the MPO’s web- tions, estimated www.boston Boston Region MPO Transportation site. It includes projects in Planning and Programming costs, design sta- mpo.org. Click Committee. Conference Rooms 2 the Boston region that the tus, and permitting require- on the TIP icon, and then on and 3. 10:00 AM MPO may fund through its ments, as well as information the Interactive Database link This meeting may be followed by Transportation Improvement an MPO meeting. pertaining to safety, mobility, on the TIP page. Program (TIP) and those environmental justice com- february 10 (Wednesday) that have already received Regional Transportation Advisory Council Freight Committee. Conference Room 4. 1:00 PM Regional Transportation Advisory The members of the Boston Region MPO: Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Office of Planning Council. Conference Room 4. 3:00 PM and Programming, cities of Boston, Braintree, Newton, and Somerville, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Advisory Board, MassDOT Highway Division, Massachusetts Port Authority, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Calendar continued on p. 2 Regional Transportation Advisory Council, towns of Bedford, Framingham, and Hopkinton Tobin bridge Turns 60; Ownership Calendar cont. from p. 1 february 11 (Thursday) Transferred to MassDOT Boston Region MPO: JARC and New Sixty years ago this month, generated from the Tobin Current traffic conditions on Freedom Pre-proposal Meeting. Mpo Conference Room, Suite 2150. the Maurice J. Tobin Bridge will provide a new the Tobin Bridge may be 10:00 AM Memorial Bridge first source of revenue for the viewed at MassDOT’s “traffic february 18 (Thursday) opened to traffic. Carrying recently reorganized state cameras” website, www.mass Boston Region MPO Transportation U.S. Route 1 over the Mystic transportation system for .gov/511/cameras. Planning and Programming Committee. Conference Rooms 2 River, the two-mile long, investing in repair and main- and 3. 10:00 AM double-deck, cantilever truss tenance projects. february 22 (Monday) bridge connects the city of Drivers who pay tolls MBTA Rider Oversight Committee. Chelsea and the Boston in cash or by using Conference Rooms 1, 2, and 3. 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM neighborhood of Fast Lane or E-ZPass february 24 (Wednesday) Charlestown and provides transponders will not Access Advisory Committee to the what has come to be a key experience any link to North Shore commu- MBTA. Conference Rooms 2 and 3. changes when they 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM nities in the Boston region’s travel over the Tobin highway system. aT OTHer bOSTON Bridge. area LOCaTIONS For the past half century, the “Our team is already february 11 (Thursday) Massachusetts Port Authority hard at work continu- MassDOT Public Hearing: Proposed (Massport) has operated and Superstructure Replacement of the ing the high level of Danforth Street Bridge over the maintained the Tobin Bridge. service drivers came Sudbury River: Framingham Town As a result of the transporta- Hall, Selectmen’s Meeting Room, to expect when the 150 Concord Street, Framingham. tion reform legislation passed bridge was managed 7:00 PM in the Commonwealth last by Massport,” said february 12 (friday) year, ownership of the bridge MassDOT Secretary MBTA Senior and Transportation was transferred to the and CEO Jeffrey Access Pass CharlieCards: Massachusetts Department of Swampscott Council on Aging, 200 Mullan. essex Street (rear), Swampscott. Transportation (MassDOT) 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on January 1, 2010. The tolls february 16 (Tuesday) Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge MBTA Senior and Transportation Access Pass CharlieCards: Randolph Senior Center, 16 Fencourt Avenue, Health Randolph. 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM february 17 (Wednesday) Compact MPO How-To Seminar for Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Clean Air and Launched Mobility Program: Lynn City Hall, 3 The Massachusetts Department of Transportation The first meeting for the City Hall Square, Lynn. 9:00 AM (MassDOT) is conducting an ongoing series of community Healthy Transportation february 23 (Tuesday) forums related to the youMove Massachusetts Civic MPO How-To Seminar for TIP and Compact took place at the Clean Air and Mobility Program: Engagement Initiative, a statewide planning effort aimed State Transportation Building Marlborough City Hall, Memorial at developing transportation solutions to the mobility gaps on January 20. Hall, 140 Main Street, and challenges that people face. The next forum will be Marlborough. 9:00 AM held on Tuesday, February 2, at the State Transportation The Compact, a requirement february 24 (Wednesday) Building. (See the calendar on page 1 for details.) Starting of the transportation reform MPO How-To Seminar for TIP and legislation of 2009, is Clean Air and Mobility Program: in March, forums will be held on the first and third Weymouth Town Hall, Council Tuesdays of each month. designed to promote cooper- Chambers, 75 Middle Street, ation between the Common- Weymouth. 9:00 AM For more information, please contact John Romano, wealth’s transportation, Meetings sponsored by the Boston MassDOT Municipal Affairs Liaison, at (617) 248-2822 or health, and environmental Region Mpo are conducted in accessible locations, and materials can be pro- (617) 438-4301. For more MassDOT news and updates, agencies, the private sector, vided in accessible formats and in lan- visit the MassDOT website, www.mass.gov/massdot; blog at advocacy groups, and other guages other than english. If you would like accessibility or language accommo- www.mass.gov/blog/transportation; or follow MassDOT on dation, please contact the Mpo at (617) l Compact cont. on p. 4 twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot. 973-7100 (voice), (617) 973-8855 (fax), (617) 973-7089 (TTY), or public [email protected].
2 TRAnSRepoRT February 2010 www.bostonmpo.org
Trail Count Data on MPO Website B The Boston Region MPO has Dudley White Bike Path, and page of the MPO’s website, bostonmpo.org) or Sean been collecting data on non- Upper Charles Trail. www.bostonmpo.org. Pfalzer (spfalzer@boston motor-vehicle traffic since the mpo.org) or call (617) 973- To view the full database, For more information, please mid-1970s. This rich resource 7000. visit the Database section of contact MPO staff members is now available as part of an the Bicycle and Pedestrian Cathy Buckley (cathy@ online interactive database. It contains information span- ning four decades about the Minuteman Bikeway Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path Upper Charles Trail usage of trails, roadways, and Walker Other Other other locations by non-motor- Other Skater 15% 0% 4% vehicle users such as bicy- Walker 1% 4% Bicyclist Bicyclist Baby 24% clists, walkers, skaters, jog- 31% 40% Carriage gers, and wheelchair users. 2% Skater 2% Walker Jogger Wheel- The graphics at the right Wheel- 45% 9% Bicyclist Baby chair Wheel- chair show average weekend usage 70% Carriage 0% chair 1% 0% Skater by mode on the three bicycle Baby Jogger 0% Jogger 3% Carriage 4% trails that have been counted 41% the most consistently in the 4%
Peak-hour volume: 408 Peak-hour volume: 520 Boston region: the Minute- Peak-hour volume: 408 Count locations: Arlington, Bedford, Count locations: Boston and Count location: Milford man Bikeway, Dr. Paul Cambridge, and Lexington Cambridge
boston region MPO activities bOSTON reGION MPO aCTION ITeMS The Transportation Planning and Programming Committee adopted the second amendment to the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2010 element of the FFYs 2010–2013 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to address programming for proj- ects that will receive economic stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Subsequently, the
Committee approved an administrative modification to the TIP, and released a third amendment for expedited public review. The Committee also approved three work programs:
. State Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 Massport Technical Assistance: This program enables MPO staff to continue data collection, data analysis, and traffic-modeling work, and to provide other technical assistance to support Massport’s
initiatives to improve ground access to Logan Airport.
. Strategic Visioning for MBTA Bus Service: This study will examine the feasibility of employing traffic signal priority
strategies to improve the travel time of buses on several key MBTA bus routes.
. Green Line Extension FEIR/New Starts Analysis: MPO staff will provide modeling assistance to MassDOT for the prepa- ration of a final environmental impact report for the Green Line Extension project.
reGIONaL Mobility Program broadens Advisory Council’s invest- the January meeting, as of TraNSPOrTaTION the scope of projects that will ment, three are within the press time, to discuss how aDvISOry COuNCIL be funded through the feder- Boston Region MPO area: the reorganization of the al CMAQ (Congestion Boston, Gloucester, and state transportation agen- uPDaTe Mitigation and Air Quality) Salem. cies will affect accessibility, Improvement program. paratransit services, and Advisory Council members MassDOT Secretary and communication between learned about the MPO’s The Advisory Council also CEO Jeffrey Mullan is sched- AACT members and new Clean Air and Mobility learned more about a new uled to address the Advisory MassDOT leadership. An Program at their January member, the Seaport Council at this month’s meet- update will be provided in meeting. Hayes Morrison, of Advisory Council, which sup- ing. (See the calendar on the next issue of the Boston Region MPO ports economic development page one for details.) TRANSREPORT. staff, explained the new pro- in Massachusetts by develop- gram, which builds on three ing the state’s commercial aCCeSS aDvISOry previously existing MPO maritime resources. It has COMMITTee TO THe programs: the Suburban expended approximately $95 MbTa (aaCT) uPDaTe Mobility, Transportation million on nearly 300 proj- Demand Management, and ects since its creation in 1994. John C. Lewis, Acting Chief Regional Bike Parking pro- Among the five ports that Operating Officer for the grams. The Clean Air and receive most of the Seaport MBTA, had been invited to
www.bostonmpo.org TRAnSRepoRT February 2010 3 Green Tips for Winter TRANSRepoRT pUBLISHeD BY THe BoSToN ReGIoN MeTRopoLITAN In our December issue, we provided some ideas for ways to be pLANNING oRGANIZATIoN more environmentally friendly by incorporating some trans- portation-related strategies into our lives. Did you or your Jeffrey B. Mullan, company make a New Year’s resolution to try to be more MPO Chairman “green”? Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind during the
cold months: David J. Mohler, Chair Marc Draisen, Vice Chair Keep your vehicle’s tires properly inflated. Transportation Planning and Programming Committee The air pressure in your tires can fluctuate when the ther- mometer drops. Keeping proper pressure in your tires during eDITORS winter not only improves gas mileage, it also makes for better Maureen Kelly traction when driving on snow and ice. Mary Ellen Sullivan Avoid idling your vehicle. CONTRIBUTORS Michael Callahan Prolonged idling uses more fuel than stopping and restarting your vehicle. publicinformation While it@ may be tempting in winter to warm up Janie Guion Sean Pfalzer your vehicle’s “e-subscription” engine in by the lettingsubject line.) it run, the best way to warm up Alicia Wilson a vehicle is to drive it. GRAPHICS and PHOTOS Carol Gautreau Bent Kim Noonan Healthy Transportation Sean Pfalzer The Mpo does not discriminate Compact formed on the basis of race, color, national origin, english profi- l Compact cont. from p. 2 access to transportation alter- all users, and support strong ciency, income, religious creed, natives that promote good communities. at www.commute.com or 888-4COMMUTE.)ancestry, disability, age, gender, stakeholders interested in sexual orientation, or military health — like walking and advancing healthy- For more information, visit service. Any person who believes bicycling — and reduce herself/himself or any specific transportation policies. the MassDOT website, greenhouse gas emissions, class of persons to have been www.massdot.state.ma.us., subjected to discrimination may Moving forward, members of improve access to transporta- and click on the Healthy file a written complaint with the Compact will be working tion for people with limited the Mpo. A complaint must be Transportation Compact link. to develop ways to increase economy.gov/FEG/bestworst.shtml.)mobility, balance the needs of filed no later than 30 calendar days after the date on which the person believes the discrimina- tion occurred. seconds uses more fuel than turning the engine off Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization State Transportation Building and restarting it. The modern automobile engine First Class Mail 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150 U.S. Postage Paid Boston, MA 02116 weather. The best way to warm the engine is to Boston, MA drive it.) Permit No. 52233 example, walk or bike to the supermarket and, if driving, combine trips such as shopping and picking up your dry cleaning when feasible.) TRAnSRepoRT is published monthly by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization to disseminate information on current transportation projects and issues in the Boston region. Comments and requests to be added to or deleted from the mailing list are welcome and should be sent either to TRAnSRepoRT editors, Boston Region MPO Staff, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA 02116, or to [email protected]. TRAnSRepoRT is free. Its preparation is financed in part by grants from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration.