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For the most recent information on the following public meetings and others that may have been scheduled after TRANSReport went to press, go to www.bostonmpo.org or call (617) 973-7119. A photo ID is required to access most meeting sites.
Be Informed, Be Involved
Public Information Sessions
January 16, 2013 at the State Transportation Building Suite 2150, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116
ON THE AGENDA:
Planning Schedule, Noon and 5:00 PM, Overview of FFY 2013 schedule of MPO certification activities
TIP and UPWP, 12:15 PM and 5:15 PM, Development process for the FFY 2014 Unified Planning Work Program and the FFYs 2014–17 Transportation Improvement Program
Transportation Needs, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM, Presentations on two recently completed studies
GETTING THERE BY TRANSIT
The State Transportation Building is accessible via the following transit services: Silver Line (New England Medical Center Station); Orange Line (New England Medical Center Station or Chinatown Station); Red Line (South Station or Park Street Station); Green Line (Boylston Station or Arlington Station); and MBTA bus Routes 43 and 55.
The MPO has released recommendations from the third year of its Community Technical Assistance Program, which provides quick-response transportation-planning and traffic-engineering advice to communities. In federal fiscal year (FFY) 2012, program staff provided technical advice to Danvers, Revere, Swamp-scott, and Winchester at the request of those municipalities.
At the crossing of the Danvers Rail Trail at Poplar Street, the high volume of traffic on Poplar Street poses a risk for pedestrians and bicyclists who use the rail trail. Program staff examined the location and presented options for installing pedestrian crossing beacons and signals that could improve safety, including new types of warning devices such as rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, which flash when a pedestrian or bicyclist approaches an intersection. (See diagram, below.)
A new traffic device for intersection safety. The solar-powered rectangular-rapid flashing (RRFB) beacon flashes with a strobe light to warn motorists when a pedestrian or bicyclist is approaching.
At the intersection of Crescent Avenue, Bennington Street, and Winthrop Avenue in Revere, traffic queues and delays occur when vehicles are accessing the nearby Beachmont Veterans Memorial School. Short-term possibilities for addressing the problem include converting a portion of the one-way Crescent Avenue into a two-way street, retiming a traffic light, and installing signage. A long-term solution would be to convert Winthrop Avenue from a one-way street into a two-way street and add an exclusive right-turn lane at the Winthrop Avenue eastbound approach.
The intersection of Humphrey Street (Route 129), Burrill Street, and Monument Avenue in Swampscott was examined to find ways to address traffic circulation problems while preserving the historic character of the nearby Olmsted National Historic District. Short-term options include constructing a raised traffic island, striping the roadway to create a one-way street and to channel traffic onto Burrill Street, and adding signage. Long-term solutions include replacing the intersection with a roundabout or signalizing the intersection.
For the Town of Winchester, program staff provided traffic modeling services to assist with the Winchester Down-town Traffic Study and pro-vided information on cut-through traffic volumes and traffic volume changes resulting from changes in the transportation network and land uses.
The FFY 2013 program will provide technical assistance to communities following the selection of locations in late January 2013. Municipalities are invited to submit an application, which needs to include a short description of the location and the issue they would like to have addressed, by contacting Eric Bourassa, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, at 617-451-2770 or ebourassa@mapc.org; or Efi Pagitsas, Central Transportation Planning Staff (the staff to the MPO), at 617-973-7106 or epagitsas@ctps.org.
The Boston Region MPO has been reaching out to municipalities in the region to gather input regarding what they consider to be their priority transportation project needs and to gather suggestions for transportation planning studies. This outreach process will continue through mid-January and will form the basis for the development of two annually prepared transportation planning documents – the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Stay tuned to TRANSREPORT in the coming months for notice of additional opportunities to comment on these documents.
Schedules for FFY 2014 Planning
Unified Planning Work Program
The FFY 2014 UPWP will describe the surface transportation planning projects that will be conducted for the MPO and other transportation agencies and entities in the region from October 2013 through September 2014, as well as the ongoing technical assistance and support work that is conducted by the MPO staff.
When reviewing new project ideas, the MPO considers how well they address needs identified in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan, and whether they help to implement the MPO’s visions and policies and adhere to federal guidance.
The MPO will develop project ideas for the UPWP early in the spring and expects to release a draft of the document for public review in May. The MPO will endorse a final UPWP in late June.
Transportation Improvement Program
The FFYs 2014-17 TIP is a capital program that will implement federally funded transportation projects and programs, including those scheduled in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan, to be funded from October 2013 through September 2017.
Municipalities have been asked to identify and provide updated information on their priority projects by February 1. Throughout the month of February, the MPO will evaluate projects to determine how well each project advances the MPO’s visions and policies, and estimate the potential greenhouse gas emission impacts of the projects.
Based on the results of the evaluation process and available funding, the MPO staff will develop a recommendation of which potential projects to fund. That recommendation will be discussed by the MPO in April and at the first MPO meeting in May. The MPO expects to release a draft TIP for public review in May and endorse a final version of the document in late June.
Read the MPO’s Visions and Policies in Chapter 2 of the Long-Range Transportation Plan on the MPO’s website, www.bostonmpo.org. Click on the Transportation Plan tab.
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Studies Completed and Released
Amendments Two and Three of the federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2013–16 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) were approved by the Boston Region MPO. Amendment Two programs repurposed federal earmarks for several projects, including the Longfellow Bridge, the Wachusett Commuter Rail Extension, the Boston Inner Harbor Ferry Service, and right-of-way acquisition for the Watertown Bike Path. Amendment Three programs a grant for the development of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority’s new paratransit call center.
The MPO also released several new reports and technical memoranda on recent studies that make recommendations for improvements. These include the two studies profiled in this issue – the FFY 2012 Community Technical Assistance Program and Safe Access to Transit for Pedestrians and Bicyclists – as well as a study of segments of Gallivan Boulevard and Morton Street in Boston, and of a one-mile segment of Route 114 in Danvers and Peabody.
The MPO gave approval to its staff to begin work on the following new work programs:
Addressing Safety, Mobility, and Access on Subregional Priority Roadways: An analysis of segments of minor arterial and collector roadways that have problems associated with bottlenecks, safety, and access management.
MBTA East Lynn Commuter Rail Station Feasibility Study: Support work for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as it examines the feasibility of restoring commuter rail service to East Lynn on the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line. The MPO staff will conduct a ridership forecasting analysis for a potential station in East Lynn.
MBTA 2013 Review of Fare Structure, Tariffs, and Service: A study that will produce forecasts of revenue and ridership implications for potential new MBTA fare scenarios.
MBTA Silver Line to Chelsea: Alternatives Analysis, Phase 2: A study that will produce ridership and revenue estimates for potential new Silver Line routes to Chelsea, which are being studied by MassDOT.
MASCO Bus Routes Study: Travel forecasting and analytical support associated with possible modifications to MBTA bus Routes CT2 and CT3.
Regional Transportation Advisory Council Update
At the Advisory Council’s December meeting, Dr. Stephanie Pollack of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University addressed the Advisory Council on the topic of the “Future of Transit and Development in Greater Boston.” Building and paying for a transportation system that will accommodate future riders was the major theme of her discussion. She suggested that now is the time to plan for the future transit and highway transportation system. Developing a common vision from a coalition of partners – including cities and towns, hospitals, universities, and businesses – will help to create a sustainable transportation system that will meet the needs of future riders, she said.
The MPO staff who were present at the meeting discussed the schedules for the development of the FFY 2014 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and the FFYs 2014–17 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). (See the article above for details.)
Access Advisory Committee to the MBTA (AACT) Update
?Marie Trottier, Assistant General Manager of the MBTA’s System-Wide Accessibility Office (SWA), was the speaker at the December AACT meeting.
Ms. Trottier discussed the need for SWA to give input into all new construction, renovations, and designs of transit system projects. She and her staff will work closely with the MBTA’s Design and Construction Department. In addition to checking MBTA stations and vehicles for accessibility features, the SWA staff will be conducting site visits at commuter rail stations and checking curb cuts, parking lots, and crosswalks.
AACT also heard about Ms. Trottier’s participation in the Key Bus Improvement Program for Bus Stop Accessibility Upgrades and the opening of the new elevator system at Park Street Station on December 21.
A recent MPO-funded study has identified ways to improve access for bicyclists and pedestrians to four MBTA stations: Braintree Station on the Red Line in Braintree; Morton Street Station on the Fairmount commuter rail line in Boston; Oak Grove Station on the Orange Line in Malden; and Riverside Station on the Green Line in Newton.
Each station was studied in the context of its surrounding neighborhood to identify short- and long-term measures to improve nonmotorized access. The complete set of recommendations is included in the report, Safe Access to Transit for Pedestrians and Bicyclists, which is available on the MPO’s website, www.boston mpo.org. (Click on the MPO/CTPS Reports tab.)
The types of recommendations documented in the report that pertain to bicycle access include suggestions related to bicycle parking, bicycle paths, and roadway markings for bicycle lanes and shared lanes.
Recommendations for improving pedestrian access focus on striping crosswalks; installing signs and roadway markings; upgrading pedestrian signal equipment and signal timing; building pedestrian overpasses; building refuge islands and curb-cut extensions to reduce crossing distances; and making other ADA accommodations.
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The members and staff of the Boston Region MPO extend their warm wishes to Mary Ellen Sullivan upon her retirement.
Mary Ellen served the MPO and its committees for 29 years in many capacities, including as editor of TRANSREPORT since 1995 and as manager of the Unified Planning Work Program for many years.
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