MPO Meeting Minutes

Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting

September 19, 2024, Meeting

10:00 AM–12:40 AM, 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 minutes of the meeting of July 18, 2024
• Approve updates to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
• Approve the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Mid-Performance Period Progress Report (2024)

Meeting Agenda

1.    Introductions

See attendance beginning on page 19.

2.    Chair’s Report—David Mohler, MassDOT

There was none.

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

Tegin Teich, Executive Director, presented MPO staffing updates, including the addition of a Website Administrator to the Information Technology Group.

T. Teich also announced that the MPO was awarded a second Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant for supplemental planning and design. The grant will total $9.3 million. The purpose of the grant is to support and partner with municipalities to implement quick-build traffic calming coupled with outreach, education, and data collection.

T. Teich also spoke about the restructuring of the Regional Transportation Advisory Council. In coordination with Advisory Council members, MPO staff worked to explore problem statements and next steps to achieve the updated Advisory Council mission statement, which was updated in the revised MOU. MPO staff members’ research on these challenges led to the decision to restructure the Advisory Council, which will include the Advisory Council’s last meeting in November 2024, finalizing restructuring plans in December 2024 and January 2025, and implementing a new applications process and meeting plan in February and March 2025.

Newly elected leadership of the Advisory Council, effective in October 2024, will continue to serve on the MPO board to minimize gaps in Advisory Council representation on the board.

T. Teich stated that the restructuring process’ intended outcomes include the following:

·         More diverse membership, representative of the range of public perspectives in the region, including currently underrepresented voices

·         Alignment of Advisory Council activities with the MPO’s Engagement Program activities

·         More direct impact on MPO processes and decision-making

T. Teich reviewed the meeting agenda, which included two action items and four presentations.

T. Teich reminded members that the board meetings in October are scheduled for October 10 and October 24. The MPO’s Annual Meeting will be held on November 14 at 10:00 AM.

Discussion

Ken Miller, Federal Highway Administration, asked if MPO staff considered ways to include Advisory Council members in board meeting discussions that would allow the Advisory Council to better advise the MPO board.

T. Teich responded that MPO staff are considering these issues, and that under the leadership of Lenard Diggins, the Advisory Council Chair, there has been discussions in Advisory Council meetings about MPO board meeting topics.

L. Diggins asked if MPO staff and municipalities have the capacity to implement the work intended for the SS4A grant, and if not, does the grant’s funding get allocated towards giving municipalities the capacity to begin the work.

T. Teich responded that the grant’s funding increase necessitates hiring consultants to support the work. In addition, T. Teich stated that MPO staff are considering what additional support they would need to complete the work.  

Jen Rowe, City of Boston, stated that the City of Boston also received SS4A funding to implement pilot demonstration activities in East Boston, and they’ve been in touch with MPO staff to find ways to share resources.

K. Miller stated that the FWHA has not yet had its kick-off meeting with the City of Boston or the MPO, and the recipients of the grant must be direct recipients. In addition, K. Miller stated that the SS4A improvements are required to have National Environmental Policy Act standards conducted and cleared, which MassDOT cannot aid with. K. Miller said to consider these processes when thinking of sharing resources with the City of Boston.

4.    Public Comments  

There were none.

5.    Committee Chairs’ Reports

Tom Bent, Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville), stated that the revised MOU was released for a 21-day public comment period at the last MPO board meeting on August 15, 2024. T. Bent stated that MPO staff would summarize public comments received, and the next steps after approval of the revised MOU would be to obtain MPO board member signatures.

J. Rowe reported on the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee, which last met on August 22, 2024. J. Rowe stated that Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff, and other MPO staff members have been working to respond to the board’s request for additional timely information on TIP project scope and readiness. J. Rowe stated that board members would receive more information on explicit solicitation for transit fill-in projects and the possibility of proactively rescoring projects. The next TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee meeting is scheduled for October 17, 2024, at 1:00 PM.

6.    Regional Transportation Advisory Council Report—Lenard Diggins, Chair, Regional Transportation Advisory Council

L. Diggins stated that he is happy to have conversations with anyone who has further questions about the Advisory Council restructuring. L. Diggins also expressed appreciation for Advisory Council members’ support for the restructuring process.

7.    Action Item: Approval of July 18, 2024, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    July 18, 2024, MPO Meeting Minutes (pdf) (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of July 18, 2024, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (T. Bent). The motion carried.

8.    Action Item: Boston Region MPO MOU Update—Dave Hong, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    MOU Document Redlined with Public Comment (pdf) (html)

Dave Hong, MPO Staff, presented the latest update to the revised MOU, which included the incorporation of a public comment received from the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. The comment suggested the addition of performance targets to Section 3.B.

D. Hong stated that, with the approval of the updated MOU document, MPO staff members would be collecting member signatures over the next three weeks. The deadline to sign the updated MOU is October 24, 2024.

Vote

A motion to approve updates to the MOU was made by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (T. Bent) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

9.    Action Item: CMAQ Mid-Performance Period Progress Report (2024)—Sam Taylor, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    CMAQ Memorandum (pdf) (html)

Sam Taylor, MPO Staff, presented an update to the CMAQ Mid-Performance Period Progress Report.

S. Taylor stated that CMAQ is one of the six federal performance areas in which MPOs are required to establish performance targets. As a part of the requirements, State DOTs and MPOs report on traffic congestion and on-road mobile source emissions. Jurisdictions submit CMAQ Performance Plans every four years in specific performance periods, and the current period is 2022–25. Due to a previous maintenance designation that expired in April 2022, the MPO is submitting its mid-performance period report.

S. Taylor stated that the CMAQ Report has two main components, which included updates regarding three performance measures, related performance targets, updates on progress toward those targets, and a complete list of CMAQ-funded transportation projects programmed between 2022–25 and their relationship to the three CMAQ performance measures.

S. Taylor stated that in 2022, the MPO was required to set targets in three performance areas, including the following:

·         Emissions Reduction (of Carbon Monoxide)

·         Peak Hour of Excessive Delay Per Capita (PHED)

·         Non-Single Occupancy (Non-SOV) Vehicle Travel to Work

Non-SOV Vehicle Travel to Work captures how well the region limits congestion and emissions produced by commutes to work. In 2022, the MPO set a two-year target of 38.8 percent non-SOV travel and a four-year target of 39.8 percent non-SOV travel. Based on projections, non-SOV travel will likely fall between 42.2 and 43.3 percent in the 2021–25 timeframe. Based on these forecasts, MPO staff recommend adjusting the non-SOV travel to work four-year performance target for 2022–25 from 39.8 percent to 42.6 percent.

Discussion

Eric Bourassa, MAPC, asked what contributed to the increase in percent non-SOV travel to work.

S. Taylor responded that the increase in those working from home predominantly contributed to the increase.

L. Diggins asked if the data was available to find out how the percentages were calculated. L. Diggins also asked if the PHED data was particularly volatile.

S. Taylor stated that the PHED numbers change from year to year, and they are dependent on the condition of the roads in the national highway system.

L. Diggins also asked if there was a way to increase the PHED average without decreasing non-SOV travel.

S. Taylor responded that it is difficult to compare previous PHED to current figures due to a lack of information on previous data management, but that MPO staff would look at PHED targets in relation to non-SOV travel due to their relation to each other.

Vote

A motion to approve the adjustments to the four-year CMAQ targets for Non-SOV Travel to Work was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins). The motion carried.

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

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    Link to StoryMap

Stella Jordan, MPO Staff, stated that MPO staff prepared an interactive StoryMap with an in-depth analysis of the public engagement initiatives, and encouraged board members to review the StoryMap.

The public engagement analysis is intended to highlight key themes that emerged from engagement events and activities on an ongoing basis and to connect this data more closely to the MPO’s planning work, particularly regarding the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). S. Jordan stated that this work has the following additional goals:

·         Build and maintain trust in our processes

·         Be intentional about connecting engagement to decision-making

·         Provide ongoing updates as a background for visioning discussions

·         Recurring space to reflect on, react to, and discuss engagement content

S. Jordan stated that the development of the next LRTP offers an opportunity to continue evolving the MPO’s public engagement strategy and engaging individuals on their needs and concerns.

Erin Maguire, MPO Staff, presented on the next LRTP. Following the approval of the current LRTP in summer of 2023, MPO staff have gathered foundational information for the next LRTP update, which has included gathering and assessing feedback from the previous LRTP development cycle.

S. Jordan reviewed Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024 public engagement to date, which included the following events and meetings:

·         20 in-person events

·         23 virtual meetings

·         17 subregional municipal meetings

Input originated from community-based and advocacy organizations, municipalities, and members of the public.

S. Jordan stated that these activities allowed MPO staff to hear from a broad range of stakeholders and prioritize engaging stakeholders and communities who are currently underrepresented in the transportation planning process and have been disproportionately impacted by planning decisions and face ongoing barriers to participation. S. Jordan stated that MPO staff can identify gaps in engagement and adapt strategies to address those gaps.

The comments were categorized into the following themes:

·         Transit

·         Coordination

·         Safety

·         Policy

·         Other

The key themes that emerged through the analysis included the following:

·         Safety

o   Bicycle and pedestrian safety

·         Transit

·         Municipal and interagency coordination

·         Transportation policy explorations

S. Jordan stated that MPO staff excluded comments on specific TIP projects from this analysis because those comments have been addressed in other forums. Comments related to TIP policy were incorporated into the Policy theme.

E. Maguire discussed the Safety theme, which received 79 comments. Many of these comments discussed bicycle and pedestrian topics, specifically bicycle lane design that favors protective infrastructure. Many other comments discussed safety concerns at specific locations.

E. Maguire summarized comments within the Transit theme, which emphasized the importance of high-quality transit service throughout the region. There were 56 comments related to transit. Areas of improvement that comments discussed included accessibility, travel times and reliability, and destination access and connectivity.

E. Maguire spoke about the Coordination theme, which included 40 comments. Topics that arose in this theme included the following:

·         Limited capacity of smaller municipalities, making it difficult to prioritize transportation planning efforts

·         Interest in resources on available grants and funding opportunities

·         Limitations of Chapter 90 funding

·         Many comments in support of FFY 2025 Project Design Pilot

·         Infrastructure maintenance

The Policy theme was composed of 61 comments, and several comments encouraged the MPO to explore different policy mechanisms to achieve the MPO’s goals. Topics that arose in this theme included the following:

·         Vehicle-miles traveled reduction, specifically strategies to promote transit and reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles

·         Roadway pricing

·         Travel demand management and parking

·         Resilient adaptations to climate change

S. Jordan spoke about next steps for the MPO’s public engagement, which included continuing to conduct general and LRTP-focused engagement activities, conducting data analysis, addressing gaps in engagement, conducting engagement program projects, and data sharing.

E. Maguire spoke about next steps for the LRTP, which includes the following timeline:

·         FFY 2024

o   Information gathering and analysis

·         FFY 2025

o   Needs Assessment

o   Scenario planning

o   Early document development

·         FFY 2026

o   Vision, goals, objectives

o   Project list

o   Investment programs

·         FFY 2027

o   Finalization

o   Endorsement

E. Maguire presented four discussion questions to board members, including the following:

·         How can community input be effectively incorporated into planning processes to strengthen community relationships?

·         How can the MPO help to support municipalities in project initiation and development?

·         What resources are needed to increase the region’s competitiveness for discretionary grant opportunities?

·         What information is valuable when considering regional priorities?

Discussion

L. Diggins stated that the MPO can help support municipalities in project initiation and development by forming relationships with municipal staff members involved in transportation planning. L. Diggins asked about the lack of in-person events outside of the inner core.

S. Jordan responded that the lack of in-person events outside of the inner core is due to the limitations of staff resources and the lack of in-person events outside of the inner core for the MPO to attend. S. Jordan also stated that the lack of in-person events outside of the inner core was one of the gaps that MPO staff members identified when reviewing the data they had collected over the last 10 months. S. Jordan stated that staff members are planning to address this issue by prioritizing events outside of the inner core.

Sandy Johnston, MBTA, congratulated MPO staff members on their presentation and work on these issues, and asked MPO staff to share any transit-related comments with the MBTA, especially as the MBTA works to develop its next Capital Investment Plan.

Chris DiIorio, South Shore Coalition (Town of Hull), asked how MPO staff members publicize that they are looking for input at these events.

S. Jordan responded that MPO staff have prioritized attending events organized by other municipalities or organizations to reach a larger audience. S. Jordan stated that events such as the City of Boston’s Open Streets events and farmers’ markets have been very successful at reaching more individuals.

C. DiIorio stated that letting municipalities know what events MPO staff will attend would be helpful, and municipalities could advertise to their residents.

J. Rowe expressed appreciation for MPO staffs’ work and encouraged board members to reach out to MPO staff. J. Rowe stated that MPO staff have been great to work with on the City’s Open Streets events and enables individuals to connect the City with the MPO.

E. Bourassa stated that he is happy to help collect responses to the discussion questions in additional forums. E. Bourassa also asked if lessons learned from the pilot design process would help inform an answer to the question on how the MPO can help support municipalities in project initiation and development.

E. Maguire responded that MPO staff are not taking applications for the pilot design process this year, so there will be a lot of lessons learned that could help inform that answer.

E. Bourassa stated that the question will be beneficial in the development of the next Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) regarding the allocation of planning resources to help projects advance and be ready for the TIP.

K. Miller expressed appreciation for MPO staffs’ engagement strategies and encouraged MPO staff to reach out to the disability community, the emergency responders’ community, the freight community, and other transit users and providers, particularly those in trades who may have no choice other than driving.

S. Jordan stated that MPO staff have completed broad scale efforts to reach the communities mentioned, such as persons with disabilities and transit users, but that there are certainly gaps in the MPO’s engagement. S. Jordan stated that there are projects and programs, such as the Community Planning Lab, which are small-scale efforts to test engagement strategies to reach more individuals and communities.

K. Miller expressed appreciation for the MPO’s engagement efforts and future intentions and stated that he hears a lot of individuals with comments on congestion and was surprised that it was not a category in the feedback that MPO staff collected.

S. Jordan responded that comments related to congestion were included in the broader policy category.

T. Bent encouraged MPO staff members to reach out to the Greater Boston Labor Council and individual unions in the area.

T. Bent also emphasized the importance of following up on issues that have been brought up at past engagement events to encourage further participation.

S. Jordan stated that MPO staff try to address the issues brought up by members of the public, and this data will also allow MPO staff members to analyze data over time and see what those past issues were and how they were addressed.

11. Summary of Board Input on the Annual Meeting—Tegin Teich, Executive Director

T. Teich presented a summary of the survey results on agenda topics that board members submitted for the MPO’s 2024 Annual Meeting. These topics included the following:

·         Transportation funding

·         MBTA fiscal context

·         Project delivery

·         Innovations in mobility

·         The next LRTP

·         Vision Zero

·         Housing and transportation

The transportation funding topic included ideas such as Chapter 90 needs and availability, the Governor’s Transportation Task Force, and recent polls around funding transportation in Massachusetts.

Board members inquired about the MBTA’s fiscal cliff and want more information such as the size of the gap, where it came from, its timeline, and the consequences of inaction.

The project delivery topic included a suggestion for more information from MassDOT Highway Department leadership, including presentation and discussion with a focus on how MassDOT, MPO staff, and municipalities and their consultants can work together.

The innovations in mobility topic included suggestions such as the use of AI and autonomous shuttles.

One suggestion included a presentation by MPO staff on the development of the next LRTP and a discussion of anticipated major projects in the region.

Suggestions related to Vision Zero included a presentation by MPO staff on the Regional Vision Zero Plan and the recently announced second award for demonstration projects.

Lastly, the housing and transportation topic included investigating links between transportation, housing, economic development, and competitiveness in the region.

Discussion

L. Diggins suggested that agenda items should focus on topics related to the MPO’s mission. L. Diggins also expressed support for presentations related to project delivery and housing and transportation.

Hanna Switlekowski, MBTA Advisory Board, expressed support for the agenda ideas presented, particularly housing and transportation. H. Switlekowski also expressed support for an agenda item related to the Governor’s Task Force and the MBTA’s fiscal cliff.

Matt Moran, City of Boston, also expressed support for an agenda item related to the MBTA’s fiscal cliff.

12. Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program Year in Review—Rounaq Basu, Shravanthi Gopalan Narayanan, and Kyle Casiglio, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    Traffic Calming in Hamilton and Ipswich (pdf)

2.    Safer School Access Design in Swampscott (pdf)

3.    Intersection Redesign in Sharon (pdf)

Rounaq Basu, MPO Staff, provided an overview of the Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program (CTTA). R. Basu stated that the MPO provides technical assistance in three programs, including the following:

·         CTTA

·         Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support Program

·         Roadway Safety Audits (RSAs)

The CTTA program has an annual budget of $65,000–$70,000 and focuses on small-scale transportation planning projects. Each project has a four- to six-month timeline, and typically has a budget of $15,000–$25,000. The program helps municipalities with traffic data collection and analysis and project planning and design.

R. Basu stated that in the last 10 years, there have been 20 CTTA projects in 21 different communities. In FFY 2024, there was a total of four projects, including the following:

·         Sharon—Intersection Improvements

·         Hamilton and Ipswich—Traffic-Calming Study

·         Swampscott—Safer School Access

·         Wrentham—Traffic Study

Kyle Casiglio, MPO Staff, presented the Sharon—Intersection Improvements project.

The project examined the intersection of Pond Street, Quincy Street, East Street, and Massapoag Avenue. The Town of Sharon expressed that there was confusion on the right-of-way between Northbound drivers entering intersection from Massapoag Avenue and Southbound drivers making a left onto East Street.

MPO staff found that traffic was primarily to and from Pond Street and split between East Street and Massapoag Avenue. In addition, there was a lack of pedestrian facilities and issues of drivers speeding through the intersection.

MPO Staff recommended the following short-term solutions:

·         Move “State Law: Yield to Traffic in Rotary” sign north of East Street

·         Place “Left Turn Yield to Oncoming Traffic” sign facing north at the southwest corner of the intersection

·         Implement crosswalk and rectangular rapid flashing beacon across Pond Street to connect Lake Massapoag and Massapoag Trail

MPO Staff recommended the following long-term solutions:

·         Assess intersection redesign proposals for cost-benefit

·         Incorporate bicycle facilities through intersection in any intersection reconstruction

·         Incorporate traffic-calming elements in any intersection reconstruction

Shravanthi Gopalan Narayanan, MPO Staff, presented the Hamilton and Ipswich—Traffic-Calming Study.

S. Gopalan Narayanan stated that the Towns of Hamilton and Ipswich requested that MPO staff evaluate cut-through traffic on Goodhue Street and the adjacent intersections at Highland Street and Waldingfield Road. The existing issues include the following:

·         Goodhue Street is used as a cut through to get to Route 1A

·         Speeding concerns on Goodhue Street

·         Poor sight distances at intersections

MPO Staff recommended the following short-term solutions:

·         Posted speed limit signs of 25 mph on Goodhue Street

·         Replace “Stop Ahead” sign on Goodhue Street

·         Realign stop bar and stop sign

·         Relocate posted speed limit signs

·         Stripe a 3- to 4-foot-wide shoulder on Waldingfield Road and Goodhue Street

Long-term recommendations included redesigning the intersection of Goodhue Street and Highland Street.

K. Casiglio presented the Swampscott—Safer School Access project, which examines several streets and intersections in the eastern portion of town between Stanley Elementary School and the Congregation Shirat Hayam. The issues and concerns brought by the Town include the following:

·         New consolidated elementary school

·         Up to 1,800 new daily trips

·         Dangerous intersection near school

·         Facilitating “Park-and-Walk” scheme

MPO Staff determined that there was significant traffic through a primary intersection, a lack of pedestrian infrastructure, and poor sightlines at primary intersection.

Short-term recommendations included the following:

·         Clear foliage from slip-lane island

·         Implement wayfinding and pedestrian improvements for the preferred Park-and-Walk route

·         Incorporate bicycle facilities into a revised traffic pattern north of Stanley School.

·         Coordinate with MBTA on bus stop facilities

·         Implement quick-build curb extensions at select intersections

Long-term recommendations include the following:

·         Complete Swampscott Rail-Trail

·         Reconstruct intersection utilizing feedback on conceptual designs, with an emphasis on safe pedestrian crossings

·         Implement raised crosswalks/intersections along Park-and-Walk route

·         Reconstruct quick-build curb extensions as “hard” extensions

S. Gopalan Narayanan presented the Wrentham—Traffic Study project, which evaluated traffic patterns on Hawes Street.

 

Concerns raised by Wrentham residents included the following:

·         Truck traffic on Hawes Street

·         Cut-through traffic on Hawes Street

·         Speeding on Hawes Street

Concerns raised by the Town staff included the following:

·         Dead-ending Hawes Street near Washington Street

·         Truck exclusion on Hawes Street

S. Gopalan Narayanan stated that Hawes Street narrows near Washington Street and widens near Thurston Street. In addition, there are elevation and grade differences on Hawes Street.

MPO staff provided the following short-term recommendations:

·         Reduction of posted speed limit to 25 mph

·         Coordination with navigation apps so Hawes Street is not recommended as a possible route

·         Better signage, such as flashing stop and school bus signs

·         Clearing outgrown vegetation for better visibility

MPO staff provided the following long-term recommendations:

·         Assess the width of Hawes Street to align a uniform width throughout

·         Dead-ending Hawes Street

·         Coordinate with MassDOT and other entities on Washington Street project

R. Basu presented upcoming projects, a new program structure, and a new SS4A Demonstration Grant for quick-build implementation projects.

Potential upcoming CTTA projects included the following:

·         Bike-Ped Count Data Collection and Analysis

·         Municipal Bike-Ped Plan

·         Flooding Impacts on Roadway Infrastructure

R. Basu stated that the program will take on a more proactive approach with the new program structure.

Discussion

David Koses, City of Newton, commented on the Swampscott—Safer School Access project and stated that the City of Newton tries to encourage individuals to park and walk to schools. D. Koses asked what steps the town took to encourage parking and walking to schools to limit congestion around the school.

K. Casiglio stated that parents park in a large parking lot by the middle school and walk their children along quieter streets to get to school. In addition, the Town made a lot of traffic pattern changes to roads in neighborhoods north of the school, which organized the traffic flow.

Sandy Johnston, MBTA, expressed support for the program and for taking a proactive approach to finding projects, particularly ones related to school areas. S. Johnston suggested focusing on school access work and the transportation planning process.

L. Diggins asked why MPO staff did not suggest making Goodhue Street a one-way street.

S. Gopalan Narayanan responded that MPO staff investigated the traffic volume data on Goodhue Street, and considered making it a one-way street, but the data showed that it would not be the best solution.

H. Switlekowski expressed appreciation for the Sharon—Intersection Improvements project.

R. Basu stated that MPO staff would appreciate board members’ help in their personal and professional capacities to generate awareness about the CTTA program.

Steve Olanoff, Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood), stated that he did not believe that parents would park at the Synagogue in Swampscott to get to the school, and he also stated that the Sharon intersection is confusing.

13. Parking in Bike Lanes: Strategies for Safety and Prevention, Kyle Casiglio, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    Parking in Bike Lanes Technical Memorandum (pdf) (html)

2.    Appendix A (pdf)

3.    Appendix B (pdf)

K. Casiglio presented Parking in Bike Lanes: Strategies for Safety and Prevention study. K. Casiglio stated that there has been a large increase in daily bike trips in recent years and an increased safety risk posed by obstructions to bike lanes. Sources of bike lane obstructions include the following:

·         Commercial Vehicles

·         Personal Automobiles

o   Car doors

·         Utility/government

o   Maintenance work

·         Ease of Obstruction

K. Casiglio listed the impacts of bike lane obstructions, which included the following:

·         Safety

o   Unanticipated merging

o   Increased collisions

o   Disproportionately commercial

·         Route diversions

o   Longer trips

·         Suppressed ridership

o   Discourages those with low-risk threshold

MPO staff conducted community outreach to both bicyclists and drivers in the area. Responses from bicyclists included the following points:

·         Ubiquitous obstructions in Boston region

·         Lack of enforcement

·         Confrontations with drivers rare

·         Frequent route diversions

Responses from drivers included the following points:

·         Unavailability of legal parking

·         Lack of enforcement

·         Perceived lack of impact

·         No employer discouragement

MPO staff recommended designs that block the obstruction of bike lanes, such as planter boxes, concrete barriers, and rigid bollards.

 

The second strategy is enforcement, which discourages obstructing bike lanes. Recommendations in this category included the following:

·         Review existing policies

·         Putting enforcement agents on bicycles

·         Crowdsource data

·         Initiate citizen reporting enforced by officials

·         Automate enforcement

The final strategy included policy changes that address the source of obstruction. These recommendations included the following:

·         Encourage off-hour freight

·         Designate pick-up/drop-off zones

·         Downsize freight

·         Develop smart loading zones

·         Increase meter rates

·         Continue to innovate

Discussion

L. Diggins asked K. Casiglio to attend an Advisory Council meeting to present the study.

T. Bent stated that the report was very clear and reiterated that Boston’s narrow streets present a unique difficulty for preventing bike lane obstruction, particularly for US Postal Service workers, Amazon delivery drivers, and Uber Eats drivers.

J. Rowe stated that they would like to help elevate the study and bring it to additional audiences. J. Rowe also expressed appreciation for finding ways to connect with additional stakeholders through outreach. J. Rowe stated that the City of Boston had a law enforcement by bicycle program, however, it did not last very long. In addition, J. Rowe stated that the City of Boston encounters challenges with protected bike lanes due to the difficulty of making them narrow enough to allow for cars, plows, and street sweepers.

14. Members’ Items

J. Rowe stated that the City of Boston asked the MPO for a letter of support for an application to the Reconnecting Communities pilot program.

15. Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (T. Bent). The motion carried.

Attendance

Members	Representatives and Alternates
At-Large City (City of Everett)	Jay Monty
At-Large City (City of Newton)	David Koses
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington)	John Alessi
At-Large Town (Town of Brookline)	Erin Chute
City of Boston (Boston Planning & Development Agency)	Matthew Moran
City of Boston (Boston Transportation Department)	Jen Rowe
Federal Highway Administration	Ken Miller
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville)	Tom Bent
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)	Sandy Johnston
Massachusetts Department of Transportation	David Mohler
Massachusetts Port Authority	Sarah Lee
MassDOT Highway Division	John Bechard
MBTA Advisory Board	Hanna Switlekowski
MBTA Advisory Board	Frank Tramontozzi
Metropolitan Area Planning Council	Eric Bourassa
Metropolitan Area Planning Council	Julia Wallerce
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham)	Dennis Giombetti
Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (Town of Acton)	Kristen Guichard
North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly)	Darlene Wynne
Regional Transportation Advisory Council	Lenard Diggins
South Shore Coalition (Town of Hull)	Christopher DiIorio
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood)	Steven Olanoff

 

Other Attendees	Affiliation
Eddie Marques	Cape Ann Transit Authority
Cheryll-Ann Senior	MassDOT
Chris Klem	MassDOT
Julie Dombroski	MassDOT
Miranda Briseño	MassDOT
Cam Sullivan	MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
Jim Nee	MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
Joy Glynn	MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
Tyler Terrasi	MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
Owen MacDonald	Town of Weymouth
Sophia Galimore	Watertown Transportation Management Association
NatDave
Nick Pappas
Paul Cobuzzi

 

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff
Tegin Teich, Executive Director
Gina Perille
Annette Demchur
Marty Milkovits
Rebecca Morgan
Seth Asante
Rounaq Basu
Kyle Casiglio
Priyanka Chapekar
Casey Cooper
Betsy Harvey
Dave Hong
Jia Huang
Adriana Jacobsen
Stella Jordan
Ali Kleyman
Ethan Lapointe
Lauren Magee
Erin Maguire
Srilekha Murthy
Shravanthi Gopalan Narayanan
Sarah Philbrick
Bradley Putnam
Sean Rourke
Sam Taylor