Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting
June 21, 2018 Meeting
10:00 AM–11:45 AM, State Transportation Building, Conference Rooms 2 and 3, 10 Park Plaza, Boston
David Mohler, Chair, representing Stephanie Pollack, Secretary, and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:
See attendance on page 13.
State Representative Kenneth Gordon, John D. Petrin (Town Administrator, Town of Burlington,) and Stephanie Cronin (Executive Director, Middlesex 3 Coalition) advocated for the MPO board to adopt a future TIP amendment in either FFY 2018 or 2019, that would provide $225, 000 in seed funding to lease a 25-passenger vehicle for fixed-route shuttle service between Lowell and Burlington. A written summary of the funding request may be found on the MPO meeting calendar. This funding would help provide enough shuttle transportation to fill almost 600 job openings in Burlington. Representative Gordon also submitted a written comment letter from the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) in support of the funding request. The BACC has received a financial commitment from local business owners to assume the cost of operating the shuttle after it has operated for three years with the seed capital in this request. J. Petrin noted that Burlington is at the edge of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and Boston Region MPO area, as well as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) service area. Municipalities to the north and west of Burlington are served by the Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) and the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG). There is little transit service between the two different service areas, and transit-dependent workers from Lowell are unable to reach Burlington. Burlington area employers have been unable to fill as many as 600 jobs. LRTA currently provides some daytime service from Lowell to Burlington, but this is not convenient for evening and night shifts at retail and restaurant jobs. S. Cronin stated that the Middlesex 3 Coalition formed the Middlesex 3 Transportation Management Association (M3TMA) in 2014 to improve mobility in the area. M3TMA currently coordinates shuttle services from Boston and Cambridge to jobs in Burlington, which business owners pay for. The $225,000 (over three years) that M3TMA is requesting from the MPO would be matched by $460,000 from businesses, developers, property owners, municipalities, educational institutions, and ridership.
Rick Reed (Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination) (Town of Bedford) expressed support for the Middlesex 3 Coalition and asked that MassDOT provide guidance as to how to pursue funding via a TIP amendment.
D. Mohler recommended that the Middlesex 3 Coalition requestan amendment in FFY 2019, based on available monies and state and federal procurement rules. D. Mohler also asked for more details on the exact proposed route of the shuttle. S. Cronin directed D. Mohler to a more extensive description of the proposed route online.
Glenn Trindade (South West Advisory Planning Committee) (Town of Medway) asked whether M3TMA has a plan for the possibility that the service will be overwhelmed by ridership. S. Cronin responded that M3TMA is working with shuttle owners to manage capacity and make sure no riders are left behind.
D. Mohler asked S. Cronin when the funding is needed. S. Cronin asked that the amendment be brought as soon as possible to accommodate seasonal and holiday hiring. D. Mohler specified that the new FFY begins on October 1, 2018, and R. Reed could propose an amendment then. S. Cronin replied that this would be acceptable. D. Mohler praised the collaboration between municipalities and business owners as a positive use of the MPO process to solve local mobility issues.
Steve Olanoff (TRIC Alternate) stated that this project is a good example of something that could be funded under the Community Transportation program in the TIP.
D. Mohler stated that MassDOT would be holding a public meeting on the North-South Rail Link Feasibility Reassessment Study at 5:30 PM on June 21, 2018, the same day as this MPO meeting, in the Transportation Board Room at the State Transportation Building.
Paul Regan (MBTA Advisory Board) reported that the Administration and Finance committee met prior to the MPO board. Decisions from this meeting may be found under item 11.
T. Teich reported that the Advisory Council had its last meeting with David Fargen, Advisory Council Coordinator at MPO staff, in June, before his retirement in July. T. Teich stated that the Advisory Council would not meet formally in July but would instead take a field trip to the air control tower at Logan International Airport. The Advisory Council will next meet in September.
There was none.
T. Kadzis reported that the second DI/DB stakeholder working group meeting was held at Northeastern University on June 5, 2018, during which stakeholders brainstormed about transportation challenges and impacts for protected populations in the Boston region, and discussed possible methodologies for measuring them using the regional travel demand model and other tools. T. Kadzis stated that the discussion grappled with the constraints of a DI/DB policy, which would be used to identify when transportation investments programmed in the MPO’s long-range transportation plan (LRTP) might produce DI/DBs.
The next opportunity for public involvement in the development of the DI/DB policy is a public meeting on June 26, 2018, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, at the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal building in Roxbury.
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of April 12, 2018, was made by MAPC (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The South Shore Coalition (Town of Braintree) (Christine Stickney), and At-Large Town (Town of Lexington) (David Fields) abstained. The motion carried.
This work program represents a three-year, $400,000 effort in which MPO staff will assist the MassDOT Highway Division with modeling support for reconstruction projects. MPO staff will provide traffic analysis and travel modeling. This is a continuation of a previous contract approved by the MPO in 2015. Some of the projects for which MPO staff provided assistance under the previous contract include the Chelsea Viaduct project, the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, and Sumner and Callahan tunnels. Much of the support focuses on the possible outcomes of lane diversions and shut downs as the result of construction in order to help MassDOT conduct reconstruction projects in as efficient and non-disruptive a manner to the public as possible.
A motion to approve the work program for MassDOT Highway Division On-Call Modeling was made by the MBTA Advisory Board (P. Regan) and seconded by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The motion carried.
This work scope represents 1.5 years of work for $136,000. The project is entirely funded by the MBTA. As a large transit agency that received federal funding, the MBTA is required to report vital statistics to the NTD. Some of these statistics included unlinked passenger trips and passenger-miles traveled by mode. MPO staff coordinates the hiring and management of tabulators to count passengers and trips. In recent years, because the MBTA has been installing automatic passenger counters (ATRs) on more buses, tabulators will be verifying the ATRs’ accuracy. This year, tabulators will be verifying the accuracy of ATRs that have been newly installed on the MBTA’s trackless trolleys. The bulk of the work in this work program is data collection, analysis, processing, and reporting.
A motion to approve the work program for MBTA State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2019 NTD: Data Collection and Analysis was made by the MBTA (Eric Waaramaa) and seconded by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The motion carried.
The Administrative and Finance Committee met prior to this MPO board meeting to discuss the proposed SFY 2019 operating budget for the Central Transportation Planning Staff. The proposed budget represents a three percent increase over last year’s budget, for a total of $6.283 million. The specific line items are similar to those for SFY 2018, except for a significant increase in funding for translation services. Line items include a rent increase, improvements to internet service, and the costs associated with the Deltek management reporting system. The Administration and Finance Committee unanimously recommended that the MPO board approve the proposed budget.
A motion to approve the Central Transportation Planning Staff’s SFY 2019 Operating Budget was made by the Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (Town of Bedford) (R. Reed) and seconded by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The motion carried.
At the MPO meeting on May 3, 2018, the board voted to release the draft UPWP for a 30-day public review period. The comment period ran from May 8, 2018 to June 11, 2018. MPO staff received three comment letters regarding the draft UPWP— one from the Advisory Council, one from the MBTA Rider Oversight Committee, and once from the 495 MetroWest Partnership. Overall, the comment letters were positive, with the request that the MPO track the outcomes of studies and programs more closely. MPO staff has been working on this effort with a UPWP tracking database. The final draft UPWP includes all three comment letters and responses.
The UPWP Committee unanimously recommended that the MPO board approve the final draft UPWP document. The main difference between the draft UPWP that was released for public review and the final draft presented at this meeting is the addition of two appendixes, Appendix A and Appendix B. Appendix A contains a list of non-MPO sponsored transportation studies being conducted throughout the region. Appendix B includes the public comments received and a summary of the public outreach process. In addition, there were some minor adjustments to budget figures following the receipt of the full allocation of Section 5303 funding during the public review period. This funding came in slightly higher than expected. MPO staff has allocated the additional funding to the Federal Certification Review and MAPC has allocated the additional funding to Community Transportation Technical Assistance.
A motion to approve the FFY 2019 UPWP was made by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade) and seconded by the MBTA Advisory Board (P. Regan). The motion carried.
This amendment would remove the discrete study, Potential Impacts of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles ($50,000), from the FFY 2018 UPWP, and allocate its funds to the Federal Certification Review ($40,000) and Support to the MPO and its Committees ($10,000) budget items. This amendment was voted out for public review at the MPO meeting on May 3, 2018. The comment period ran from May 8, 2018 to June 11, 2018. MPO staff received no public comments regarding this amendment.
A motion to approve Amendment One to the FFY 2018 UPWP was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The motion carried.
1. FFYs 2018-22 TIP Amendment Five: Project Information, Project Level Back-Up, Project Descriptions
2. FFYs 2018-22 TIP Amendment Five: TIP Tables
Amendment Five includes changes to the MBTA’s programming in FFY 2018. The Amendment shifts funds between Federal Transit Administration (FTA) programs in the TIP and accelerates several projects to accommodate changes in project cost and readiness, including the schedule delay of a bridge project. The MBTA was recently awarded two discretionary grants for ferry-related projects in Hingham. Amendment Five adds both projects to FFY 2018. For a summary of the changes endorsed as part of Amendment Five, refer to the simplified Amendment Five table. The 21-day public review period for Amendment Five ended on June 19, 2018. One public comment letter was received and may be found on the MPO meeting calendar.
A motion to approve Amendment Five to the FFYs 2018-22 TIP was made by the MBTA Advisory Board (P. Regan) and seconded by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The motion carried.
As the regional planning agency for the Boston MPO region, MAPC is required to produce a regional plan concerning social and economic issues. The last plan, MetroFuture, was adopted in 2008. Over the past year, E. Hove, Director of Strategic Initiatives, has been leading a process design effort. MAPC’s Executive Committee formally adopted a process design for the Regional Plan Update (RPU) the day before this MPO meeting, June 20, 2018. This process will unfold over the next two-and-a-half years. Five interdependent, roughly six-month phases, will pace the planning process, in order to establish a commonly held regional vision for 2050. The new RPU will include a set of short-term goals focused on 2030, as well as a set of long-term goals focused on 2050.
Starting with the vision included in MetroFuture, the process will begin with visioning and groundwork. More time will be spent on robust and achievable implementation strategies. M. Draisen stressed that the goal is to align the RPU closely with the final LRTP, given the interconnected nature of mobility and land-use concerns. M. Draisen noted an upcoming meeting to find ways to collaborate more seamlessly between MAPC and MPO staff on technical analysis and demographic work. The MPO is a critical constituent for the RPU. MAPC will be establishing an outside council to oversee the process, and M. Draisen encouraged MPO members and their colleagues and agencies to participate.
E. Hove summarized the major themes and challenges underpinning the beginning of the RPU process. From an economic development and social equity perspective, housing is one of the most important issues that the RPU will tackle, as well as transportation. Across the board, economic and racial disparities will be critical to address. MAPC plans a fall 2018 kick off for the public process, in order to spend the bulk of the process engaging with the public concerning the tradeoffs of different possible visions for the region’s future. In the winter, the process will pivot to considering uncertainties and “disruptive” forces like transportation network companies (TNCs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs). This RPU will focus on community engagement and digital strategies, and the final plan will have a digital component. The provisional themes for the plan include economic mobility, climate mitigation and adaptation, housing, smart growth, and dynamic government. These will evolve throughout the public process.
T. Reardon provided an update on the development of the
demographic projections that will be used for the next LRTP, Destination 2040. MPO and MAPC staff is
working with MassDOT and the state’s 12 other MPOs to develop these
projections. The UMASS Donahue Institute was hired to produce the population
and employment (by age and sex) projections and MAPC is providing household and
labor force projections. Currently, MPO region control totals have been
developed for population and households. Employment projections are scheduled
to be completed by the end of June. Each MPO will then allocate its employment
and household regional control totals to the transportation analysis zones
(TAZs), which will be input into the travel demand model to use for future
analyses. The allocated demographic information should be ready by October
2018. All of the work done to date uses demographic projections from the
current LRTP, Charting Progress to 2040.
• MAPC/Boston MPO region is among the top-three fastest-growing regions in the state, by population and household
• Much growth in households is driven by an increase in older adults and seniors (households without children and households of individuals living alone)
• Roughly one million workers will retire or leave the labor force by 2040; and roughly one million will join; for a net increase of approximately 250,000 workers
• Growth across all educational attainment levels
MAPC will use Cube Land modeling software to allocate growth to TAZs and predict land use. The results of the MPO travel demand model is an input into land use allocation. The Massbuilds development database is an input, as is existing zoning. To some extent, the process is a feedback loop between MAPC’s land use model and the MPO’s statewide travel demand model.
• July 15: Issue letter to municipalities requesting updated development information via Massbuilds
• August 15: Development updates due
• September 5: Distribute draft land use projections to municipalities for review and MPO staff for testing
• September 19: Final comments on draft land use projects due
• October 1: Distribute baseline land use projections to MPO staff
• Fall/Winter 2018–19: Transportation scenario planning
• Spring 2019: Final land use model run for Destination 2040
1. Travel Demand Model results for Destination 2040 Needs Assessment
K. Quackenbush summarized the recent history of scenario planning as part of the LRTP development process. K. Quackenbush reported that MPO staff believes that more work needs to be done in order to present scenarios to the board that would be helpful, specifically as relates to the finalization of new demographics by October 2018. Staff would prefer to embark on the scenario planning process in conjunction with visioning and goalsetting at that time.
A. McGahan provided an update on the LRTP work staff has done to date including preliminary model results and emerging themes from the public outreach process. During the past months, staff has been:
• Updating the Needs Assessment using the travel demand model to look at changes in travel between 2016 Base Year and 2040 No-Build (that is, conditions in 2040 should none of the projects in the LRTP be constructed) conditions
• Analyzing off-model data to determine transportation needs in the region
• Conducting public outreach concerning transportation needs in the region via meetings with MAPC Subregional groups, transportation equity organizations, and surveys on the MPO website
The base year for the new LRTP is 2016. This is the most recent year for which staff has a comprehensive set of data. The data include all transportation projects constructed and in place by the end of 2016. The 2040 No-Build scenario includes all transportation projects that were constructed between 2016 and 2017, projects that are currently under construction, and projects in the first year of the FFYs 2018-22 TIP.
The preliminary model results, which use the demographic projects from the previous LRTP in advance of new demographics available in the fall of 2018, include information on households, vehicle ownership, daily trip activity, mode choice, and more. Some of the findings include:
1. A decrease in household size
2. An increase in zero-vehicle households and fewer than two, three, and more vehicle households
3. An increase in person trips for all modes, with a larger percentage increase in transit and non-motorized trips including bicycle and pedestrian trips
4. A decrease in automobile mode share and increase in transit and non-motorized modes
A. McGahan stated that congestion is the probable cause for this mode shift, with congestion in the Inner Core forecast to be higher than areas outside the core. It could also be the consequence of shifting demographics and migration into urban areas, which is consistent with MAPC’s MetroFuture demographic projections.
For highway trips, the results show an increase in the number of auto and truck trips in eastern Massachusetts and the MPO region. Vehicle-Miles Traveled (VMT) and Vehicle-Hours Traveled (VHT) also increase. Average speeds for autos and trucks are shown to decrease based on an increase in the number of vehicles and the resulting congestion. Trip lengths in Eastern Massachusetts are slightly longer than those in the MPO area, which is a result of the greater density of development in the MPO region than in Eastern Massachusetts as a whole.
Within the core area of Boston, the existing mix of land use contains more employment opportunities than labor force. In order to fill those jobs, the market shed for labor force produces trips with an average length of almost 11 miles. In the future, population and labor force in the core area are projected to increase, along with employment. Because people are living closer to their jobs, they do not need to travel as far, which reduces the average trip length to 10 miles.
The number of transit trips is also projected to increase in the MBTA service area. Commuter Rail trips are projected to increase by more than 20 percent, with rapid transit increasing more than 10 percent. Growth in trips on the Orange, Red, and Green Lines may be attributed to development and growth in the Sullivan/Assembly Square area, Cambridge/Kendall Square, and Back Bay, respectively. Blue Line ridership is only projected to increase by about two percent. This is a reflection of land use assumptions that do not include growth in the Suffolk Downs area.
Bus rapid transit (BRT) trips are projected to increase by more than 40 percent for existing lines (SL1, SL2, SL4, SL5, and 746). SL3 service to Chelsea was introduced in 2018, so its ridership projections are included in the 2040 No-Build results only.
Regular bus service is projected to increase by about only three percent, mainly because of congestion.
After reviewing the results from the model runs, and considering information that staff received during public outreach, themes begin to emerge.
With the adoption of Charting Progress to 2040, the MPO established a Community Transportation/Parking/Clean Air and Mobility investment program. Parking was included because public outreach indicated that additional park-and-ride capacity is needed at commuter rail and rapid transit stations throughout the region. Additional parking continued to be raised as a need during our public outreach for Destination 2040. Staff analyzed future parking demand at rapid transit and commuter rail stations for both the 2016 base year and the 2040 No-Build condition. Results show that overall demand for commuter rail parking is approximately an additional 18,000 parking spaces beyond what is currently available (42,000 spaces, or a 40 percent increase). The highest demand is projected to be along the Haverhill, Needham, and Worcester lines, with Greenbush and Fairmount lines projected to have excess capacity. For rapid transit, results show a demand for 7,700 additional parking spaces beyond what is currently available (20,000 spaces, or a 30 percent increase). The greatest demand on rapid transit is projected to be along the Orange, Green Line C Branch, and Mattapan Lines.
This information could be used to help municipalities identify locations for increased parking and potential first mile/last mile services to transit. The MPO could revisit the funding in the Community Transportation/Parking/Clean Air and Mobility investment program as part of Destination 2040.
Interest and activity concerning dedicated bus lanes has increased significantly in the region. Recent work by MPO staff, MassDOT, and a number of municipalities that have partnered with the MBTA have resulted in projects in Everett, Arlington, Cambridge, Watertown, and Boston. Because the model results show that bus run times are projected to increase by more than 25 percent based on congestion, dedicated bus lanes could help to decrease travel times and make buses a more desirable option. The MPO could consider starting a dedicated bus lane investment program to help municipalities fund these projects.
As part of Charting Progress to 2040, the MPO established the bicycle and pedestrian investment program. The baseline model results show that the non-motorized mode choice is increasing, as well as zero-vehicle households. These results affirm the need for more bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
Moving forward, staff will continue working on the Needs Assessment. Once new demographics projections are available, staff will also rerun the model and compare the results. At this point, scenario planning and goal setting can occur.
D. Mohler noted that the July 5, 2018 meeting is canceled and the next MPO meeting would be July 19, 2018.
A motion to adjourn was made by the South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade) and seconded by the MBTA Advisory Board (P. Regan). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
At-Large City (City of Everett) |
|
|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
David Koses |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) |
|
|
At-Large Town (Town of Lexington) |
David Fields |
|
City of Boston (Boston Planning &
Development Agency) |
Jim Fitzgerald |
|
City of Boston (Boston Transportation
Department) |
Tom Kadzis |
|
Federal Highway Administration |
Nelson Hoffman |
|
Federal Transit Administration |
|
|
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) |
Tom Bent |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation |
David Mohler |
|
MassDOT Highway Division |
John Bechard John Romano |
|
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) |
Eric Waaramaa |
|
Massachusetts Port Authority |
Laura Gilmore |
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
Paul Regan |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Marc Draisen Eric Bourassa |
|
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of
Framingham) |
Dennis Giombetti |
|
Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal
Coordination (Town of Bedford) |
Richard Reed |
|
North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly) |
Aaron Clausen |
|
North Suburban Planning Council (City of
Woburn) |
Tina Cassidy |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Tegin Teich |
|
South Shore Coalition (Town of Braintree) |
Christine Stickney |
|
South West Advisory Planning Committee
(Town of Medway) |
Glenn Trindade |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of
Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce) |
Tom O’Rourke |
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Stephanie Cronin John Petrin Ken Gordon Cody Case Steve Olanoff Donovan Richardson Erica Meier Lenard Diggins Scott Zadakis Wig Zamore Michael Gordon Julia Fruithandler Eric Hove Marc Draisen Tim Reardon Bryan Pounds |
Middlesex 3 Coalition Town of Burlington State Representative Representative Gordon’s Office TRIC Alternative Boston Resident MassDOT MBTA ROC Crosstown Connect TMA MassDOT MAPC MAPC MAPC MassDOT |
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Karl Quackenbush, Executive Director |
|
Ethan Ebinger Róisín Foley Hiral Gandhi |
|
Robin Mannion |
|
Anne McGahan |
|
Scott Peterson |
|
Jen Rowe |
|
Michelle Scott |