Transportation
The quality of life and economic vitality of Massachusetts is dependent upon a strong transportation infrastructure. From commuting to commerce, the means by which we move people and goods affects our environment, public health, ability to support existing industry, and desire to achieve smart growth. Continued and careful investment in the region's roads, bridges, sidewalks, bike paths, and public transportation system is critical to the long-term success of the metropolitan Boston area.
MAPC is working to promote sustainable transportation projects and policies in many ways:
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
The Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the group responsible for planning Greater Boston's transportation plan. Under Federal mandate, the MPO develops a vision for the region, from public transit to pedestrian/bicycle needs and roadway projects, and decides how to allocate federal and state dollars toward such projects. The MPO region coincides with the MAPC region, with 101 cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts. Learn more about MAPC's role with the Boston Region MPO and the MPO's acitivites on our webpage about the MPO.
MAPC provides planning support to the MPO and works with municipalities to advance transportation projects that encourage smart growth, safety, and regional connections. The MPO is responsible for the development, review and approval of three key planning projects:
- The Regional Transportation Plan. Every four years, the Boston Region MPO develops a new Transportation Plan. The Plan is the MPO’s long-range, comprehensive transportation-planning document. It defines an overarching vision of the future of transportation in the region, establishes principles and policies that will lead to the achievement of that vision, and allocates projected revenue to transportation programs and projects that reflect those principles and policies.
- The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP lists all transportation projects that are slated to receive federal funds over a four-year horizon, as well as all projects programmed with federal and state highway funds that are expected to be available.
- The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). The UPWP is produced annually and describes all the regionally significant surface-transportation planning projects that are expected to be undertaken in the region in a federal fiscal year. It also lists the funding sources, from federal to state and local, for each planning project.
Transportation Funding Programs
In addition to promoting increased investment in the region's transportation network, MAPC coordinates several transportation funding programs that are administered through the Boston MPO. Learn more about the opportunities on our Transportation Funding Programs page.
If you would like to learn more about how to identify funding opportunities that might be available to your community, contact MAPC Transportation Manager Eric Bourassa.
Corridor Planning and Land Use
MAPC works with communities to understand how transportation decisions impact development and, in turn, how growth will affect our transportation system. MAPC helps communities address sprawl, traffic congestion and resource management.
MAPC also conducts studies on transportation corridors within the region that have been identified for major growth, or which are facing rapid commercial or residential development which could lead to increased capacity demands.
A corridor study considers both transportation and land use within a planning process that includes public input and integrates strategies to better manage development while promoting a balance of transportation modes to preserve future capacity. MAPC then works with communities to take action on recommendations.
Current Corridor Planning Projects:
- Route 128 Central Corridor
MAPC is working with Waltham, Lincoln, Weston, Lexington and Burlington, and businesses and developers along Central 128, to discuss transportation opportunities and challenges associated with approximately fifteen current, proposed and potential development sites.
- I-495
MAPC is working with Hudson, Berlin, Marlborough, Westborough, Southborough, and Hopkinton to address traffic congestion from planned development between I-290 and the Mass Pike.
- Route 9 Corridor Study
MAPC is working with Southborough, Framingham, Natick and Wellesley to prepare alternative future scenarios that support sustainable growth in an already-congested area.
Recently Completed Corridor Planning Projects:
Working with the MPO Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS), this project evaluates the transportation impacts of several future development patterns in the Trapelo Road area through Belmont, Lexington and Waltham.
This study provides proposals for improving pedestrian and bicycle access to the Alewife MBTA Station and makes recommendations for short and long term projects and actions.
Developing Green Transportation Modes
Green transportation modes include bicycling and walking, ride sharing and public transit in under-served areas. MAPC provides technical support and research in conjunction with the MPO's Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) to promote these alternative modes.
Current Transportation Projects:
- Regional Pedestrian Plan
MAPC is drafting the Regional Pedestrian Plan, which will identify and recommend policies to encourage walking as a convenient, safe, and practical form of transportation throughout the 101 cities and towns of the MAPC region.
In 2007, MAPC released the Regional Bicycle Plan, which offers strategies for increasing the number of bicyclists in the region while making bicycling safer and easier. The plan reviews goals set in previous bicycle plans, evaluates progress in achieving those goals, and proposes six general strategies for the region.
- Bike Share Program
MAPC is working with Boston and other cities in the region to develop a bicycle sharing program modeled after popular programs in Europe and Canada. In August, MAPC selected The Public Bike System Company of Montreal as the preferred vendor to negotiate a regional bike share program in Greater Boston, and contract discussions are underway in Boston now. The proposal seeks to expand the program to Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline in the next few years.
Transportation Resources
The MAPC Regional Bike Parking Program provides at least $3,000 in reimbursement for each of the communities in MAPC's region to purchase bike racks or related equipment.
MAPC has created an online guide to help municipal officials, developers, citizen board members, and advocates understand automobile parking issues, developer mitigation, and the planning of complete streets, or roadways that are safe and welcoming to everyone - pedestrians, cyclists, the young and old - and not just motorists.
The first product of the toolkit addresses common parking issues and offers a variety of strategies for balancing the demand for parking against other important considerations, such as storm water management, the need for commercial development and preservation of open space.
- Development Mitigation Strategies
Currently underway, the second product of the Sustainable Transportation Toolkit series will be used as a guideline to help establish standards for evaluating the transportation impacts of development projects. Potential mitigation measures are described.
Technical Assistance
Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program
Members of the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) jointly staff this program, which is a pilot project that provides technical advice on local transportation issues to municipal officials.
In October 2009, a pilot study was completed with the Town of Wrentham in which MAPC and CTPS provided recommendations on possible short- and long-term alternatives to calm traffic speeds, improve pedestrian access, and minimize traffic conflicts.
Read the Wrentham Technical Assistance Program memo.
To learn more about this program, contact Eric Bourassa.
Transportation Finance Reform
MAPC is also advocating for increased funding for our state's transportation network. Despite recent movement in the state legislature to see greater transportation revenue and the more cost-saving reforms, the state has considerable unmet transportation needs.
"The Work Undone" describes a selection of unfunded or under-funded projects to maintain, improve and expand the Commonwealth's transportation infrastructure. It was prepared by members of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA) in response to the findings released by the Transportation Finance Commission (TFC) in March, 2007.
Questions?
Contact MAPC Transportation Manager Eric Bourassa at 617-451-2770, ext. 2043 or ebourassa@mapc.org.
