Middlesex 3 Community Compact Transportation Study
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MIDDLESEX 3 COMMUNITY COMPACT TRANSPORTATION STUDY PREPARED BY: NORTHERN MIDDLESEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL CENTRAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING STAFF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 1 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2. INPUT FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND STUDY AREA MUNICIPALITIES .................................. 4 Written Survey .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Responses From Businesses .................................................................................................................. 5 Survey Question: Where do your employees reside? .......................................................................... 6 Survey Question: When do your employees arrive for work?.............................................................. 6 Survey Question: How do employees get to/from work? .................................................................... 7 Question: Does your business provide any transportation assistance, incentives or services for employees? ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Question: Has your business been affected by a lack of transportation options? ............................... 7 Question: Please estimate the number of employees who have quit in the past year due to transportation issues. ........................................................................................................................... 8 Question: How would you rate employee parking availability at your site? ........................................ 8 3. DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................... 8 Population ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Race/ethnicity ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Household Income .............................................................................................................................. 10 Employment ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Community Development Patterns ........................................................................................................ 13 Employment Density ........................................................................................................................... 15 Planned Developments ....................................................................................................................... 15 Commuting Patterns ............................................................................................................................... 16 4. REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORK PERFORMANCE ................................................................. 19 Existing Transit Services .......................................................................................................................... 21 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Commuter Rail .............................................. 22 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Service .................................................... 23 Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) Bus Service ........................................................................ 25 Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) Bus Service .................................................. 29 Bedford Town Bus Service .................................................................................................................. 29 Burlington Town Bus Service .............................................................................................................. 30 Lexington Town Bus Service ................................................................................................................ 31 Transportation Management Association (TMA) Shuttle Service ...................................................... 31 Private Commuter bus Service ................................................................................................................ 33 College and University Shuttle Service ................................................................................................... 33 Private Ride Share Service ...................................................................................................................... 34 5. FUNDING TRANSIT SERVICE ................................................................................................................ 34 RTA Funding ........................................................................................................................................ 34 FTA regulations ....................................................................................................................................... 39 Institutional, Regulatory and Financial Barriers to Enhancing Transit Service ....................................... 40 6. HIGHWAY PERFORMANCE .................................................................................................................. 41 7. NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION ................................................................................................ 46 Bicycle Facilities .................................................................................................................................. 46 Pedestrian Facilities ............................................................................................................................ 51 8. PARKING FACILITIES ............................................................................................................................ 53 9. RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................................................................... 56 10. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ..................................................................................................................... 63 Appendix: Public Transportation Schedules and Route Information ..................................................... 66 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Eight communities within the Middlesex 3 Coalition entered into a Commonwealth Community Compact to address transportation issues along the Route 3 corridor. The project study area includes the Towns of Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Lexington, Tewksbury and Tyngsborough, as well as the City of Lowell. The Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) served as the lead technical agency for this study, and was assisted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS), under contract with the Town of Bedford. In addition to NMCOG, MAPC and CTPS, other project participants included the Middlesex 3 Coalition, MassDOT, local Chambers of Commerce, Workforce Development Boards, business and education leaders, Transportation Management Associations, legislators, and municipal staff and elected officials. During the study process, the following goals were established: . Improve access to employment, educational opportunities, and health care for economically disadvantages individuals, middle skilled workers, students,, recent college graduates, second shift workers and others; . Alleviate traffic congestion and reducing travel time; . Improve air quality; . Eliminate existing barriers to providing efficient transportation service; and . Facilitate economic development by assisting employers in filling job openings through enhanced transportation services. The Route 3 corridor supports considerable economic activity, including high technology companies, robotics and life science research firms, advanced manufacturing, health care and education sectors, as well as support services such as hotels, restaurants, and retail establishments. One of the most evident transportation challenges along the corridor is the lack of extensive transit connections between the northern and southern ends of Route 3. Transit service within the study area is provided through two separate transit authorities. The Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) serves the communities of Billerica, Chelmsford, Lowell, Tewksbury, and Tyngsborough, while the MBTA serves the communities of Burlington, Bedford and Lexington. Transit connections between the LRTA and MBTA service areas are limited, given that the allocation of funding to the regional transit authorities is determined by their service area boundaries. Strengthening connections between the RTA service areas will require interregional coordination and cooperation, creative funding approaches, and changes in policies and regulations. In this report, several recommendations designed to improve overall transportation operations in the study area are presented, including the following: Expansion of the existing Tyngsborough Park and ride lot, and identification of new park and ride lot locations along