Memorandum
DATE: July 10, 2018
TO: Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden Policy Working Group
FROM: Betsy Harvey, Transportation Equity Program Manager
RE: Summary of Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden Public Workshop
This memo summarizes the public workshop held by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden (DI/DB) Policy working group.
Date: June 26, 2018
Location: Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, 2300 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Time: 5:30 PM–7:30 PM
The following stakeholders were in attendance:
The following MPO staff members were in attendance:
The following members of the public and representatives from other agencies/organizations were in attendance:
From 5:30 PM to 6:20 PM attendees were invited to talk to MPO staff about the MPO and MPO’s effort to develop a DI/DB policy. Attendees could visit five stations to learn about key components of the MPO related to transportation equity: the stations provided a general overview of the MPO and information about the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the Transportation Equity Program, and the DI/DB policy.
At 6:20 PM attendees were divided into three groups. B. Harvey asked each group to discuss transportation challenges and impacts that they see in the region and in their communities. She explained that MPO staff would consider their input when determining which impacts to assess for disparate impacts and disproportionate burdens when developing the LRTP. For each group, an MPO staff member recorded stakeholder feedback on a flipchart. After 30 minutes, a stakeholder from each group reported the challenges and impacts identified by their group.
All of the issues identified by attendees at the public workshop, as well as those from the second stakeholder meeting held on June 5, 2018, are included at the end of this memo in Table 1. The following themes were discussed:
B. Harvey concluded by thanking everyone for their attendance and notifying them about the time and date of the final stakeholder meeting on July 17, 2018. The event concluded at 7:30 PM.
At the June 5 stakeholder meeting and the June 26 public workshop, attendees provided input to MPO staff about transportation challenges and impacts that currently affect residents in the Boston region or that are expected to affect them in the future. The summary memo for the June 5 meeting included a table listing the issues raised at that meeting, organized by topic area. Subsequent to the public workshop, MPO staff distilled the input from both events into impacts that could potentially be used to evaluate the equity of the LRTP. Table 1, below, contains those impacts, organized into three groups:
Inclusion in the first two groups does not guarantee that an impact will be assessed for disparate impacts or that the MPO staff will pursue further research on a given impact. Other factors also affect these decisions, including the MPO’s priorities and budget constraints. However, MPO staff will strongly consider this input when making recommendations to the MPO about the development of the DI/DB policy.
Table 1
Transportation Impacts Identified at the Second Working Group Meeting and the Public Workshop
Impacts that could be assessed in the short-term (0-3 years) |
Impacts that could be assessed in the long-term (3-5 years) |
Impacts that are not applicable |
Access to all jobs1 |
Access to active transportation options1,2 |
Disconnection between projects and what the public wants1 |
Access to commuter rail stations1 |
Availability of structured bicycle parking2 |
Enforcement of traffic rules2 |
Access to healthcare facilities1 |
Availability of transportation options1 |
Excessive parking requirements2 |
Access to public transit service at off-peak hours1,2 |
Access to public transit in the suburbs2 |
Gentrification2 |
Access to recreational space1,2 |
Access to transportation for people with disabilities1,2 |
Greenway maintenance2 |
Access to retail jobs1 |
Bicycle and pedestrian safety1 |
Impact of the “Big Dig” on willingness to undertake large transportation projects1 |
Carbon monoxide emissions1 |
BRT effects on travel time2 |
Impact of the transportation system on all aspects of life1 |
Commuter rail use1 |
Climate change impacts and resiliency1 |
Impacts of new technology2 |
Congestion1,2 |
Cost of bikeshare memberships relative to household income1 |
Lack of proactive transportation planning1 |
Mode share1,2 |
Cost of transportation as a function of household income1,2 |
Lack of revenue generation1,2 |
Particulate matter emissions1 |
Density increases near transportation investments1 |
Lack of support for transportation in the Massachusetts legislature1 |
Time spent transferring1,2 |
Frequency of public transit service1,2 |
Legible and people-focused wayfinding1 |
Access to jobs by public transit2 |
Health effects after displacement1 |
Noise2 |
Transportation network connectivity1,2 |
Major roads dividing neighborhoods2 |
Ownership of different vehicle types1 |
Travel time to work2 |
Impact of transportation on real estate prices1 |
Partnerships between transportation agencies and private companies2 |
|
Improvements to transit1 |
Political will1 |
|
Increase in TOD density near transportation investments1 |
Regulation of ridesharing and TNCs1,2 |
|
Maintenance funding2 |
Reliability of public transit in inclement weather1 |
|
New housing near public transit investments1 |
Transit timing1,2 |
|
North-south connections2 |
Uneven distribution of advocacy between wealthier and poorer communities1 |
|
Other air quality impacts2 |
Use of zero-emissions vehicles1 |
|
Parking availability1 |
|
|
Reliability of public transit and paratransit1,2 |
|
|
Reverse commute options1 |
|
|
Safety2 |
|
|
TNCs impact on transit2 |
|
|
Transportation access and options available to the elderly1 |
|
|
Transportation connections between communities2 |
|
|
Transportation costs after displacement1 |
|
|
Transportation network connectivity1 |
|
1 Impacts identified by stakeholders
2 Impacts identified by members of the public
BRT = bus rapid transit; TNC = transportation network company; TOD = transit-oriented development.