Comment Number	Comment Origin	How was comment received?	Chapter	Page # in Public Review Draft	Section	Comment	MPO Response	Change or Revision to UPWP Text
1	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Overall	Overall	Overall	MassDOT submitted several comments addressing editorial revisions and clarifying questions on budget amounts and work descriptions. These are not included separately as they do not require substantive revisions to the document.	All revisions will be made in response to MassDOT's editorial and clarifying comments.	Yes
2	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Overall	Overall	Overall	Provide a geographic distribution table of UPWP funded studies by municipality, including name of beneficiary and number of tasks per year, along with an accompanying narrative.	This is being developed and will be included with the final UPWP document.	Yes. (The draft included a placeholder for this summary.)
3	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 3/Regulatory Framework	3-8	3.2	Add discussion about how UPWP ties into state priorities and guidance.	Language will be added to the final UPWP to discuss how studies and ongoing work funded through the UPWP relate to state guidance and priorities. Proposed addition under Section 3.2: As described in Chapters 6 through 8, much of the work funded through the UPWP focuses on encouraging mode shift and diminishing GHG emissions through improving transit service, enhancing bicycle and pedestrian networks, and studying emerging transportation technologies. All of this work helps the Boston Region contribute to statewide progress towards the priorities discussed throughout this section.	Yes
4	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 4/FFY 2014-2016 Completed Studies	4-3	Table 4-1	These are only Federal funds and do not include match? Or do they? Specify	All budget numbers throughout the UPWP include the federal and local match amounts. A note will be added to the table to clarify this.	Yes
5	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 5/Certification Requirements	5-3	Table 5-1	General comment on funding differences - if the activities are "generally the same" then why are we increasing/decreasing the costs (in some cases, significantly) on some of these tasks? Suggest providing a more detailed explanation in that regard.	Text will be added preceding the table to explain reasons that there are differences between FFY 2016 and FFY 2017 budgets for various tasks and work areas. Proposed addition: The tables show some differences in budgets for  CTPS and MAPC tasks between FFY 2016 and FFY 2017. There are several reasons for these differences. In some years, MPO staff may plan to undertake new or additional data collection and analysis under specific line items; there may be greater emphasis placed on a task in a given year (for example, the final year in an LRTP development cycle); there may be a determination that the tasks undertaken as part of one line item may be combined with an ongoing activity; there may be staff fluctuations from year to year. Where possible, explanations will be added for line items that have changed in budget significantly.	Yes
6	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-9	Study of Promising GHG-Reduction Strategies	Ensure this document and efforts therewith are not largely a rehashing of previous efforts. The approach appears to be focused on regional impacts, but care should be taken not to bog the study down with information staff has already researched and presented.	As described in the "Approach" section of this study, the objective of this work is to build off of the 2016 GHG Reduction Strategies Study. Specifically, this study funded in FFY 2017, would focus in on a particular subset of the 14 strategies identified in the 2016 report to understand the potential for their implementation at a regional level.	No
7	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-9	Study of Promising GHG-Reduction Strategies	Please coordinate with OTP's Sustainable Transportation Group on these efforts to avoid duplication with the Energy and Emissions Reduction Policy Analysis Tool (EERPAT) for evaluating transportation sector greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures in Massachusetts that was performed by Cambridge Systematics for MassDOT.	As the work scope for this study is developed, CTPS will coordinate with OTP's Sustainable Transportation Group.	No
8	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-10	Addressing Priority Corridors from the Long-Range Transportation Plan Needs Assessment	What necessarily is considered "high levels of congestion"?	Congestion is used as one of the selection criteria for potential study locations. Congested conditions are defined as a travel time index of at least 1.3 (this means that a trip takes 30 percent longer than it would under ideal conditions). The text will be clarified to explain this.	Yes
9	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-14	Low-Cost Improvements to Express-Highway Bottlenecks	Define what low-cost infrastructure solutions mean, and provide examples from previous efforts.	Low cost infrastructure solutions can be defined as design or operational infrastructure solutions as opposed to major construction projects. Low-cost solutions stay within existing right-of-way and often involve things like re-striping lanes or utilizing existing highway shoulder area for an additional lane. Examples of recommendations from previous phases of this study include creating an auxiliary lane for merging and diverging traffic and lengthening the deceleration lane at an exit. Text will be added to the document to clarify this project description.	Yes
10	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-16	Planning for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles	Then what? We need to have a next step here. If the first step is research, we should have another step in mind.	Suggested addition: The next step would be to follow up on the recommendations. These could be related to model development, data resources, or planning studies.	Yes
11	MassDOT	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-18	MPO Staff-Generated Research Topics	Provide examples from the last two years. I believe MPO members expressed interest in knowing more about this as well.	This program was funded for the first time in FFY 2016. The work being undertaken in FFY 2016 consists of investigating the possibility of using drivers license acquisition rates obtained through RMV data as a possible measure of transit dependence. The thought is that current measures of transit dependence, such as vehicles per household, may not be an accurate measure given the availability of car sharing services such as zipcar. So this research aims to develop a new measure of transit dependence that could be more accurate and meaningful.	Yes
12	Joan Meschino, Candidate for State Representative, Third Plymouth District	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-14	Low-Cost Improvements to Express-Highway Bottlenecks	The Braintree Split is a major interchange that is crippled daily by extreme congestion. Many South Shore residents are tied up daily at this bottleneck. They suffer extended travel times and unsafe roadway conditions. The Braintree Split is also one of the high priority locations identified in the MPO's Long Range Transportation Plan. I ask that the MPO fund this study and give attention to the Braintree Split.	The MPO completed a corridor study about the Braintree Split in 2006 (http://www.ctps.org/braintree_split). This corridor and the surrounding transportation network remains a high priority of the MPO and the issues in this area will continue to be considered for cost-effective and multi-modal solutions that can be implemented.	No
13	Joan Meschino, Candidate for State Representative, Third Plymouth District	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	Overall	Overall	I write to support several planning studies and ongoing programs that would be particularly helpful for South Shore towns (Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate), as they work to address local transportation problems. These towns have varied and important transportation needs. In addition, I am advocating for proposed work in greenhouse gas reduction. For the FFY 2018 UPWP, I suggest planning for more commuter boat service and for intra-community shuttle buses, including shuttle buses to commuter boats and/or commuter rail.	The MPO appreciates Ms. Meschino's comments and will consider these points as work programmed in the FFY 2017 UPWP is planned in further detail and in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No
14	Joan Meschino, Candidate for State Representative, Third Plymouth District	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-12	Addressing Safety, Mobility, and Access on Subregional Priority Roadways	Earlier versions of this study have focused on priority needs in MAPC's South Shore Coalition, and the Coalition and municipalities have greatly appreciated this work. These studies typically identify implementable, complete streets solutions that are well-received by municipalities. I support continuing this series of studies and hope that locations in the South Shore Coalition might be considered again as an area of focus.	The MPO appreciates Ms. Meschino's comments and will consider these points as work programmed in the FFY 2017 UPWP is planned in further detail and in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No
15	Joan Meschino, Candidate for State Representative, Third Plymouth District	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-10	Addressing Priority Corridors from the Long-Range Transportation Plan Needs Assessment	This study could help address the serious traffic problems on the South Shore's heavily congested arterials; Route 3A, Route 228, Route 53, and Route 18. Please include it in the UPWP.	The MPO appreciates Ms. Meschino's comments and will consider these points as work programmed in the FFY 2017 UPWP is planned in further detail and in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No
16	Joan Meschino, Candidate for State Representative, Third Plymouth District	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-9	Study of Promising GHG-Reduction Strategies	I heartily support the MPO's ongoing work to identify effective steps to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs). The outcomes of this work are essential to having real impact in slowing the advance of climate change and related sea-level rise - a real threat to South Shore communities. This study can guide the MPO and the state to do our part to help minimize the devastating effects of inaction or ineffective action in reducing GHGs produced by transportation.	The MPO appreciates Ms. Meschino's comments and will consider these points as work programmed in the FFY 2017 UPWP is planned in further detail and in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No
17	Joan Meschino, Candidate for State Representative, Third Plymouth District	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-19 through 6-23	Bicycle and Pedestrian Support Activities; Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support; Community Transportation Technical Assistance	I ask that the MPO fund the ongoing technical analysis programs: Bicycle/Pedestrian Support Activities; Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support; and the Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program. These programs provide essential guidance and input to local officials in support of their initiatives to improve mobility through better bicycle and pedestrian facilities and new, locally operated bus transit. These programs are an effective way of sharing the MPO's expertise with local officials who are aiming to make improvements. I support this ongoing work and, if they are funded, will work to raise awareness about them within the South Shore.	The MPO appreciates Ms. Meschino's comments and will consider these points as work programmed in the FFY 2017 UPWP is planned in further detail and in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No
18	Terry Forrest	Phone call during public comment period outreach	Overall	Overall	Overall	Overall, Mr. Forrest wishes there would be greater discussion of accessibility issues in the TIP and UPWP. Specifically, Mr. Forrest wanted to make sure that the MPO considers accessibility issues into corridor and bicycle/pedestrian studies that are completed for municipalities.	Accessibility is factored into the TIP  project evaluation. In the UPWP, accessibility is addressed through the MPO's work with the Access Advisory Committee to the MBTA; our support of the MBTA's Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure; and other community technical assistance that focuses on improving pedestrian connections and safety. Specifically, the MPO's work including: Safety Analysis at Selected Intersections; Addressing Safety, Mobility, and Access on Subregional Priority Roadways; and, Addressing Priority Corridors from the LRTP Needs Assessment, all consider accessibility requirements and improvements.	No
19	Terry Forrest	Phone call during public comment period outreach	Overall	Overall	Overall	Mr. Forrest had the following additional comments: - Interest in an improved paratransit user registration system so that people registered and approved to use paratransit in one region were automatically approved to use it throughout the state.  - Interest in a Google map type of system that shows paratransit or accessible routes and extends beyond the Boston Region to show accessible directions to other regions in the state.  - Interest in improved access and accommodations on Amtrak to secure wheelchairs into place. Sometimes, people in wheelchairs are forced to ride in the luggage areas of the trains.	The MPO appreciates Mr. Forrest's comments. MPO staff forwarded his questions and concerns to the appropriate parties at the MBTA and will consider accessibility-focused studies and analyses in the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No
20	Scott Zadakis, CrossTown Connection Transportation Management Association	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-7	Safety Effectiveness of Safe Routes to School Programs	As an organization that promotes walking and biking, CrossTown Connect supports project #13280 to improve the Safe Routes to School program. We believe bike/pedestrian to be very important and we additionally support all other technical and planning assistance you can offer to Massachusetts communities as well as studies you conduct to better understand how to create a better, safer and more connected network of bike/pedestrian facilities.	The MPO appreciates the comments from CrossTown Connect TMA.	No
21	Scott Zadakis, CrossTown Connection Transportation Management Association	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-10 and 6-21	Addressing Priority Corridors from the Long-Range Transportation Plan Needs Assessment Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support	CrossTown Connect supports project #13276 addressing multimodal mobility and we would urge CTPS to identify our region as a priority corridor. The broader 495 corridor is experiencing high levels of growth and traffic is increasingly becoming a problem yet our towns are caught between MART, LRTA and the MBTA. Consequently, our transit options are limited to the Fitchburg Line on the Commuter Rail and the LRTA #15 bus that comes from Lowell through Westford as far as IBM, just over the Littleton line. With a much improved reverse commute schedule on the Fitchburg Line of the Commuter Rail (three outbound trains before 9:00 AM) it will be even more important to address multimodal access and mobility in our region. If we were to be identified as a priority region, we would be very interested in addressing first and last mile connections to the Fitchburg Line with various solutions including fixed route shuttles, vanpools and even ride hailing services. It is critical as this region continues to grow that we develop a multimodal transportation system that can support it. Similarly, we strongly support programs and studies related to regional transit service planning whether carried out locally or for large organizations such as MassDOT or RTA’s.	The MPO appreciates the comments from CrossTown Connect TMA. These comments will be considered as specific study locations are being chosen for FFY 2017 planning studies and technical assistance work. The study of priority corridors identified in the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is geared towards corridors specifically identified throughout the region during the development of the LRTP. These expressway and arterial corridors were defined as congested locations based on speed index, travel time index, volume-to-capacity ration, and crash history. For the list of these corridors, please see Chapter 4 of the Regionwide Needs Assessment (http://bosmpo.ctps.org/data/pdf/plans/LRTP/charting/Charting_Progress_2040_Chapter4_final.pdf). Interstate 495 was not specifically identified as a priority corridor; however, many intersection roadways were, including a portion of Route 2 in Acton and Concord. The TMA and other stakeholders will have the ability to weigh in on which locations are chosen for study in the fall and winter (October - January), as specific study locations are defined. First-mile-and-last-mile studies are being undertaken in FFY 2017 under the Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Assistance line item in the UPWP. The TMA and other stakeholders will have the ability to weigh in on which locations are chosen for study in the fall and winter (October - January), as specific study locations are defined. Please follow-up with MPO staff in the fall and winter for more information.	No
22	Scott Zadakis, CrossTown Connection Transportation Management Association	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-22	Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program	As an organization that coordinates and provides community transportation, Crosstown Connect also supports CTPS’s efforts to provide Community Transportation Technical Assistance to localities in need of your expertise. In fact CrossTown Connect recently took advantage of a DLTA grant to study potential shuttle routes connecting the Littleton Commuter Rail Station to area businesses and other locations where demand exists. This study mapped out potential routes and estimated costs for operating them. We believe that Community Transportation Technical Assistance is a powerful tool to help communities address wide-ranging issues from sidewalk facilities to high-crash rate intersections.	The MPO appreciates the comments from CrossTown Connect TMA.	No
23	Scott Zadakis, CrossTown Connection Transportation Management Association	Written comment to MPO staff	Chapter 7/Agency and Other Client Transportation Planning Studies and Technical Analyses	7-8	North-South Rail Link	As mentioned earlier, we are very pleased with the schedule enhancements on the Fitchburg Line that went into effect this past May. In order to capitalize on these enhancements further in the future, we support the updating of the analysis of the North-South Rail Link. Connecting North and South stations would increase the capacity of the system and negate the inconvenient need to transfer via two different subway lines (or another means such as a cab) when traveling through Boston by rail. It would also negate much of the South Station Expansion project by creating thru-capacity.	The MPO appreciates the comments from CrossTown Connect TMA. Please refer to Chapter 7, page 7-8 (in the public review draft UPWP), for a description of the North-South Rail Link work that CTPS is conducting as part of its agency-funded work.	No
24	Louise Baxter, T Riders Union	In-person comment during public comment period outreach	Overall	Overall	Overall	Ms. Baxter was interested in commenting on the draft UPWP and interested in the TRU being more involved next development cycle.	The MPO welcomes your comments on the UPWP and will consider them in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP. In order for the TRU to become more involved in the coming UPWP and TIP development cycles, please follow-up with either Alexandra Kleyman, TIP and UPWP Manager at akleyman@ctps.org or Jennifer Rowe, Public Participation Program Manager at jrowe@ctps.org. MPO staff would like to work with you and the rest of the TRU to help make sure you can be more involved in our transportation planning and programming processes.	No
25	Karen Dumaine, Neponset Valley TMA and Alewife TMA	Phone call during public comment period outreach	Overall	Overall	Overall	Ms. Dumaine made the following comments:  - Concern about traffic and safety at the rotary near Alewife, interest in technical assistance programs  -  General interest in understanding what the MPO/CTPS does, how to be involved in the processes.  - Interested in having MPO Staff come speak to TMAs	The MPO has studied traffic issues in and around the Alewife area in previous years. Data and analysis completed in 2008 and 2009 can be found on the MPO's website here: http://www.ctps.org/alewife_phase_ii. If you have specific questions about addressing the transportation issues in this area, please contact Ali Kleyman, TIP Manager, at akleyman@ctps.org. Jen Rowe, CTPS Public Participation Program Manager, will follow-up with you about further outreach to the TMA as we begin out fall public outreach. Feel free to be in touch with her further at jrowe@ctps.org.	No
26	Lenard Diggins, MBTA Rider Oversight Committee	In-person comment during public comment period outreach	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-16	Planning for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles	Mr. Diggins expressed interest in this study and is happy that the MPO is undertaking it.	The MPO appreciates your comments.	No
27	Lenard Diggins, MBTA Rider Oversight Committee	In-person comment during public comment period outreach	Overall	Overall	Overall	Mr. Diggins would like to understand the times during the MPO UPWP process that are most appropriate for public input.	Jen Rowe, CTPS Public Participation Program Manager, will follow-up with you about further outreach to the MBTA Rider Oversight Committee as we begin out fall public outreach. Feel free to be in touch with her further at jrowe@ctps.org.	No
28	Andrea Downs, Newton Transportation Advisory Group	In-person comment during public comment period outreach	Overall	Overall	Overall	Ms. Downs made the following comments:  - She supports a UPWP study on developing a level of service measure beyond vehicles  - She is interested in better bicycle and pedestrian data and counts in the region.  - Other projects she supports include: right-sized parking, closing safety gaps for cyclists, and safe routes to school  - She expressed frustration about transportation projects that do not provide safe accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians despite prioritization in MPO/DOT planning documents. There seems to be a gap from plan to execution.	The MPO appreciates Ms. Down's comments and will consider these points as work programmed in the FFY 2017 UPWP is planned in further detail and in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No
29	James Jay, member of the public	Email	Chapter 6/Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analysis	6-27	Alternative-Mode Planning and Coordination	It's great to see funds allocated for further implementation of the Hubway bike share program. I hope to see this in all future UPWPs, along with language surrounding: - Hubway stations at all current T stations (where there is room) - All future T station redesigns should allocate space for Hubway stations - Encouraging Hubway as a last-mile option for T riders - Including Hubway stations on certain MBTA maps - The possibility of eventually linking Hubway passes with MBTA passes - Including the MBTA's bike policy on all spider maps (especially the time frame for which bikes are allowed)	The MPO appreciates Ms. Jay's comments and will consider these points as work programmed in the FFY 2017 UPWP is planned in further detail and in the development of the FFY 2018 UPWP.	No