MPO Meeting Minutes

Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting

June 26, 2025, Meeting

10:00 AM–12:30 PM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

David Mohler, Chair, representing Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

Decisions

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:

• Approve the May 1, 2025, MPO Meeting Minutes
• Approve the Work Scope for Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) 2026 Triennial Title VI Program
• Approve State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026 Proposed Operating Budget
• Release Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2025–29 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment 12 for public comment
• Release Draft Vision Zero Action Plan for public comment

Meeting Agenda

1. Introductions

See attendance below.

2. Chair’s Report—David Mohler, MassDOT

There was none.

3. Executive Director’s Report—Tegin Teich, Executive Director, Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS)

T. Teich shared upcoming priorities of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO).

T. Teich stated the new Community Advisory Council is intended to launch next month, as membership is being finalized. Applications will continue to be assessed on a rolling basis. Staff will be providing an update at the July 17 MPO Meeting.

T. Teich stated a grant application was submitted for “Safety Forward: Accelerating Road Safety Innovation in the Boston Region.”

T. Teich reviewed the agenda, which included four action items, a presentation, and an executive session.

T. Teich stated the next meeting will be July 17, 2025, 10:00 AM, noting the July 3, 2025, meeting is cancelled.

4. Public Comments  

Brad Rawson, City of Somerville emphasized the importance of the Vision Zero Action Plan and thanked MPO staff for their work.

B. Rawson stated solidarity and communication between organizations at all levels of governance, such as AMPO, is essential for maintaining work quality in current times.

5. Committee Chairs’ Reports

Jay Monty, City of Everett, reported that the Congestion Management Committee met on June 12 and the roadway pricing study funded through the MPO has further updates in upcoming months.

Jen Rowe, City of Boston (Boston Transportation Department), reported the TIP Process Engagement and Readiness Committee met June 12. J. Rowe shared the conclusions of the survey of MPO members regarding TIP process development. The committee recommended the board discuss the role of the committee in an upcoming MPO meeting.

Chris Klem, MassDOT, stated the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) committee is planning to meet Thursday July 10, 1:00 PM, to review public comments on the draft FFY 2026 UPWP and staff responses. Also, two actions will be considered on the FFY 2025 UPWP, an amendment and administrative modification.

6. Action Item: Approval of May 1, 2025, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1. May 1, 2025, MPO Meeting Minutes (pdf) (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of May 1, 2025, was made by Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (Tom Bent). The motion carried.

7. Action Item: Work Scope for MBTA 2026 Triennial Title VI Program—Bradley Putnam, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1. MBTA 2026 Triennial Title VI Program (pdf) (html)

B. Putnam presented the work scope for the MBTA 2026 Triennial Title VI Program. The budget is $165,000 paid by MBTA for MPO staff to assist with Title VI Compliance required every three years by the Federal Transit Administration. The purpose of the Title VI program is to ensure that the MBTA provides a comparable level and quality of transportation services to all customers regardless of race, color, or national origin. B. Putnam outlined the previous work of MPO staff on Title VI compliance and emphasized how this work scope is a continuation.

Discussion

Lenard Diggins, Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Advisory Council), asked and it was confirmed by B. Putnam that the work scope was essentially identical to the previous.

Vote

A motion to approve the Work Scope for MBTA 2026 Triennial Title VI Program was made by Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by MBTA (Laura Gilmore). The motion carried.

8. Action Item: State Fiscal Year 2026 Proposed Operating Budget—Eric Bourassa, MAPC, and Hiral Gandhi, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1. SFY 26 Budget Approval Memorandum (pdf) (html)

2. SFY 26 Revenue Projections Table (pdf) (html)

3. SFY 26 Operating Budget Memorandum (pdf) (html)

E. Bourassa stated the administration and finance committee met on May 29 to review CTPS’s SFY 2026 operating budget. The total budget is $8.24 million, a seven percent decrease from the previous year primarily due to adjustments in anticipated federal grant funding. The committee recommended the board approve the proposed SFY 2026 CTPS operating budget.

Vote

A motion to approve the SFY 2026 Proposed Operating Budget was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins). The motion carried.

9. Action Item: FFYs 2025-29 TIP Amendment 12—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1. FFY 2025–29 TIP Amendment 12 (pdf) (html)

E. Lapointe presented TIP Amendment 12, which addresses cost increases and changes in project funding sources for bridge projects and source and cost changed for four Cape Ann Transportation Authority projects. MPO staff requested that the board votes to release the amendment for a 21-day public comment period, commencing Monday, June 30, and concluding July 21, 5:00pm.

Vote

A motion to release the FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment 12 for a public comment period was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham) (Tyler Terrasi). The motion carried.

10. Action Item: Draft Vision Zero Action Plan Release—Ali Kleyman, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1. Draft Boston Region Vision Zero Action Plan: A Roadmap to Safer Streets
    (pdf) (html)

2. Vision Zero Executive Summary (pdf) (html)

3. Vision Zero Appendix A: Terms and Acronyms (pdf) (html)

4. Vision Zero Appendix B: Existing Conditions Data Analysis (pdf) (html)

5. Vision Zero Appendix C: High Injury Network Methodology (pdf) (html)

6. Vision Zero Appendix D: High-Risk (Systemic) Network Methodology (pdf)
               (html)

7. Vision Zero Appendix E: Top Municipal Crash Data Profiles (pdf) (html)

8. Vision Zero Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement Approach and Findings
    (pdf) (html)

9. Vision Zero Appendix G: Policy and Process Research and Findings (pdf)
               (html)

10. Vision Zero Appendix H: Reference List of Best Practices and
      Countermeasures (pdf) (html)

11. Vision Zero Appendix I: Progress Reporting (pdf) (html)

A. Kleyman stated that staff have been developing the draft action plan throughout 2025. A. Kleyman explained the aim of deepening the understanding of the safe system approach through the Safe System Workshops. Overall, she discussed the importance of setting an end state and comparing that to current conditions.

A. Kleyman stated the municipal crash profiles were finalized over the past month for the top 20 municipalities based on crash number and rate. She gave an update on Municipal Engagement for high priority corridors.

A. Kleyman stated there are 54 actions the MPO will commit to, and recommended municipalities do the same.

She listed short- and medium-term examples as

• incorporating High Injury Network (HIN) and High Risk Network (HRN) data into corridor reconstruction;
• adopting a local vision zero policy and goal;
• developing engaging messaging and educational materials to raise awareness about key crash causes;
• transitioning the MPO’s Regional Vision Zero Task Force to a Regional Action Plan Implementation Task Force;
• working with stakeholders to involve public health professionals in roadway safety efforts;
• coordinating with municipalities to explore the need for roadway safety educational materials to facilitate business communication;
• adopting a 25-mph speed limit in municipal-owned high-density and business districts;
• establishing safety zones and school zones;
• improving speed data collection efficiency;
• disseminating public awareness materials highlighting dangers of speeding;
• developing educational materials that municipalities can use for awareness campaigns for commercial motor vehicle drivers;
• establishing clear and safe loading/unloading zones;
• using crash and risk data to prioritize locations to address the safety of older adult roadway users;
• prioritizing closing identified gaps in the bicycle and pedestrian network focused on connections to transit, schools, hospitals, and commercial centers;
• developing a policy requiring traffic control guidance in work zones;
• participating in the MassDOT Safe Routes to School program;
• improving crosswalk visibility;
• installing pavement markings and physical delineation near crosswalks;
• installing no turn on red signage;
• coordinating with MBTA to improve safety at at-grade rail crossings;
• developing and implementing traffic safety signal policy and prioritization framework;
• adopting citywide no turn on red policy; and
• using HIN and HRN to develop a list of top locations for roadway departure crashes and roadway departure crash risk.

A. Kleyman stated the proposed approach to track the progress of the plan would include an annual report tracking regional crash metrics and MPO actions.

The metrics tracked are

• number and rate of fatal crashes;
• number of fatalities;
• number and rate of serious injury crashes;
• number of serious injuries; and
• percent change in Fatal and Serious Injuries (FSI) crashes in each emphasis area.

A. Kleyman stated there would be a virtual public forum tonight at 6:00 PM, a public review period from June 26–July 27, 5:00 PM, and the final action plan would be presented to the MPO board for final endorsement in September.

A. Kleyman asked what the most important next steps for starting implementation after the plan is adopted in September and whether attendees had suggestions for getting stakeholder input during the public comment period.

MPO staff requested that the board votes to release the Draft Vision Zero Action Plan for a 30-day public comment period.

Discussion

E. Bourassa suggested tailoring new presentations to high-priority locations/specific subregions and offered his support.

L. Diggins commended the number of indices included. He inquired to the extent of coordination with MassDOT’s strategic highway safety plan. A. Kleyman responded they have been working with Bonnie Polin at MassDOT and plan on having MassDOT representation on the future implementation task force.

John Strauss, North Suburban Planning Council, Town of Burlington, asked about coordination with local law enforcement, specifically around turns on red. A. Kleyman responded there was a round table with municipal law enforcement, the findings of which are in the engagement appendix. Casey Woodley, Cambridge Systematics, chimed in with information about local law enforcement outreach.

Nathaniel Ryan, Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination, Town of Acton, suggested bike shops as a community meeting space to increase engagement. N. Ryan asked if municipalities could put up flyers on behalf of the program. A. Kleyman responded that the engagement staff will reach out with materials.

Charlotte Fleetwood thanked A. Kleyman and the team for their work and shared that they learned a lot about crash analysis from the project.

J. Rowe echoed C. Fleetwood’s appreciation. J. Rowe seconded the request for materials/flyers.

T. Teich shared that the MPO is working with MassDOT for creative methods to continue funding after the federal grant expires.

Vote

A motion to release the Draft Vision Zero Action Plan for public comment was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

11. Quarterly Engagement Update—Erin Maguire and Stella Jordan, MPO Staff

S. Jordan stated the goal of regular updates to the board on public engagement data to be used to support Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) development, connect public input to planning outcomes, and inform MPO decision-making and accountability.

S. Jordan explained the new LRTP Engagement Platform, meant to provide public information about LRTP development in an easy and accessible way. The engagement dashboard was also explained as a unified location for analyzing and visualizing data.

S. Jordan shared top themes by municipality from the LRTP Engagement Platform. Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety were common throughout, especially in the inner core. Public transit was common, especially in municipalities outside the inner core, relating to service improvements and destination access. Roads and highways and Safety were other popular themes.

S. Jordan shared preliminary findings from a study on priorities for low-income communities.

E. Maguire compared participants’ self-selected goal areas with the MPO’s LRTP goals. E. Maguire shared the upcoming focus of improving engagement questions.

Discussion

Because there was a delay connecting to the dashboard, L. Gilmore, MBTA, inquired about the best browser to access it. E. Maguire responded the delay was due to many meeting participants attempting to access the website simultaneously. L. Gilmore also asked about connecting further offline to gain access to specific comments regarding the MBTA.

Amy Ingles, At-Large Town, Town of Brookline, shared criticism from their local Vision Zero plan, that engagement often focuses on community advocates interested in bicycle, pedestrian, or transit infrastructure, but often misses people who were not specifically looking for that engagement. A. Ingles asked if there were any strategies being used to mitigate that. S. Jordan responded they are targeting communities they know they are not hearing from and supplementing the online platform with input opportunities that meets people where they are.  

J. Rowe thanked staff for the update and members of the engagement team that were going to present to some City of Boston engagement staff.

12. Members’ Items

There were none

13. Executive Session

A motion to move to an Executive Session and adjourn the public portion of the meeting was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

Attendance

CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎 .

You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.

For additional information or to file a civil rights complaint, visit www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.

To request accommodations at meetings (such as assistive listening devices, materials in accessible formats and languages other than English, and interpreters in American Sign Language and other languages) or if you need this information in another language, please contact:

Boston Region MPO Title VI Specialist

10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150

Boston, MA 02116

Phone: 857.702.3700

Email: civilrights@ctps.org

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service, www.mass.gov/massrelay. Please allow at least five business days for your request to be fulfilled.