MASSACHUSETTS BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN Prepared for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation Prepared by Planners Collaborative, Inc. With assistance from TranSystems Corporation National Center for Bicycling and Walking Rubel Bike Maps Alan McLennan September 2008 Note to Reader The document you are viewing contains links to the graphics from the final report for easier downloading. A complete version of the report is available from the EOT website. Table of Contents Dedication ..................................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary .......................................................................................................ix 1 Introduction........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Vision for Sustainable Bicycle Transportation ....................................................... 1 1.2 The Commonwealth’s Role in Bicycle Transportation.......................................... 1 1.3 Investing to Improve Bicycle Transportation.......................................................... 3 1.4 Organization of the Plan.............................................................................................. 3 2 The Context for the Plan .................................................................................. 1 2.1 The Massachusetts Long‐Range State Transportation Plan and the Strategic Transportation Plan...................................................................................................... 1 2.2 1998 Massachusetts Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan................................. 1 2.3 MassHighway Initiatives to Improve Bicycling Conditions ................................ 2 2.3.1 Engineering Directives and Guidelines............................................................... 2 2.3.2 MassHighway’s Project Development and Design Guide................................ 3 2.4 Other Commonwealth Planning Efforts................................................................... 4 2.4.1 Transit‐Oriented Development............................................................................. 4 2.4.2 DCR’s Commonwealth Connections............................................................... 4 2.4.3 MassHighway Bicycle Facilities Inventory..................................................... 5 2.4.4 Regional and Local Planning Efforts ............................................................... 5 2.4.5 Adjacent States’ Bicycle Facilities and Programs........................................... 6 2.5 Public Outreach in Support of the Plan.................................................................... 7 3 Bicycle Facility Resources and Opportunities ............................................. 1 3.1 Bicycle Facility Types................................................................................................... 1 3.1.1 On‐Road Bicycle Facilities ..................................................................................... 1 3.1.2 Long Distance Bicycle Routes ............................................................................... 2 3.1.3 Shared Use Paths .................................................................................................... 3 3.2 Bicycle Facility Resources............................................................................................ 4 3.2.1 Major Shared Use Path Resources in Massachusetts......................................... 4 3.3 Funded Bicycle Projects ............................................................................................. 12 3.4 Congressionally Funded Bicycle Projects............................................................... 14 4 The Proposed Bay State Greenway (BSG).................................................. 18 4.1 Why a Statewide Bicycle Network?......................................................................... 18 4.1.1 Massachusetts is Bicycle Friendly ...................................................................... 18 4.1.2 More Bicycle Routes Are Needed....................................................................... 18 4.1.3 Information on Bicycle Resources Is Currently Scattered............................... 18 4.1.4 Positive Economic Benefits Are Likely .............................................................. 19 4.1.5 Implementation Can Be Gradual and Variable ................................................ 19 4.2 Determining the Primary BSG Corridors............................................................... 19 4.3 BSG Routing Criteria ................................................................................................. 19 4.4 The Seven BSG Corridors.......................................................................................... 20 4.4.1 Shared Use Path Components of the BSG......................................................... 21 4.4.2 Mass Central Corridor (MCC)—150 mi ........................................................ 21 4.4.3 Berkshires Corridor (BC)—65 mi ................................................................... 22 4.4.4 Connecticut River Valley Corridor (CRVC) (East and West)—120 mi..... 23 4.4.5 Nashua River—Buzzards Bay Corridor (NRBBC)—140 mi....................... 24 4.4.6 Boston‐Cape Cod Corridor (BCC)—150 mi.................................................. 25 4.4.7 North Shore Corridor (NSC)—(55 mi) .......................................................... 25 4.4.8 Merrimack River—Charles River Corridor (MRCRC)—60 mi .................. 26 4.5 BSG Summary ............................................................................................................. 27 5 BSG Implementation and Funding.............................................................. 35 5.1 Interim Strategy........................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Branding........................................................................................................................ 35 5.3 EOT/MassHighway Duties ....................................................................................... 36 5.3.1 On‐Road Routing Coordination ......................................................................... 36 5.3.2 Development and Management of the BSG Website....................................... 36 5.3.3 Mapping................................................................................................................. 36 5.3.4 Management of the Bicycle Project Database............................................... 37 5.3.5 Signs and Pavement Markings ........................................................................... 37 5.3.6 Promotional Events and Building Support....................................................... 37 5.3.7 Startup Cost Estimate........................................................................................... 38 5.4 BSG Funding Strategy................................................................................................ 38 5.4.1 Funding Requirements for Shared Use Path Systems..................................... 38 5.4.2 Resource Allocation to the BSG...................................................................... 38 5.4.3 Long‐Term BSG Implementation Cost Estimates ........................................ 39 5.5 Bicycle Facilities Resource Allocation Strategy .................................................... 40 5.5.1 Prioritization between BSG and Non‐BSG Projects ......................................... 40 5.5.2 Setting Priorities among BSG Project Proposals............................................... 41 5.6 Additional Funding Strategies ................................................................................. 41 6 Other Recommendations and Action Items ............................................... 43 6.1 The Role of State, Regional, and Local Government ........................................... 43 6.1.1 The “Five Es”......................................................................................................... 43 6.2 Outstanding Action Items from the 1998 Plan ...................................................... 44 6.2.1 1998 Plan Accomplishments................................................................................ 44 6.2.2 Continuing Action Recommendations from the 1998 Plan............................. 44 6.3 Other Programs to Improve Bicycle Transportation ............................................ 45 6.3.1 EOT Agency Initiatives ........................................................................................ 45 6.3.2 Other Agency Initiatives...................................................................................... 47 7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 49 Technical Appendices Massachusetts Bicycle Transportation Plan Appendices...................................... 51 Appendix 1 Governor Deval Patrick’s Sustainable Development Principles .53 Appendix 2 Local and Regional Bicycle Planning Documents Reviewed During the Development of the Plan........................................................................ 55 Appendix 3 Public Outreach in Support of the Plan ............................................. 57 Meeting Summaries.............................................................................................................. 58 Worcester