2-14 JoURney To 2030

figurE 2-6

pArk-And-ridE fACiLiTiEs

Townsend

Shirley

Groton

Ayer

Harvard

Bolton

Boylston

Berlin

Stow

Hudson

Marlborough

Hopkinton

Upton

Ashland

Sudbury

Framingham

Maynard

Douglas

Uxbridge

Millville Blackstone

MendonBellingham

Hopedale

Milford

Holliston

Medway

Franklin

Wrentham

Plainville

Norton

BridgewaterHalifax

Kingston

Easton

Hanson

Pembroke

Brockton

Marshfield

Rockland

Hanover

Norwell

Scituate

Stoughton

Avon

Sharon

Duxbury

Walpole

Norfolk

Medfield

Sherborn

Millis

Needham

Cohasset

Hingham

Weymouth

Braintree

Randolph

Natick

Dover

Norwood

QuincyMilton

Dedham

Holbrook

Hull

Winthrop

NahantArlingtonMedford

SomervilleCambridge

Belmont

Bedford

Lexington

Waltham

Brookline

Watertown

Newton

Wellesley

WestonWayland

Lincoln

Concord

Acton

Billerica Wilmington

Carlisle

Woburn

Tewksbury

Lowell

DracutTyngsborough

Westford

Dunstable

Winchester

Stoneham

EverettRevere

Melrose

Malden

Saugus

Lynn

MarbleheadSalem

Peabody

LynnfieldReading

Rockport

Gloucester

Danvers

Andover

Lawrence

Boxford

Topsfield

HamiltonWenham

Beverly Manchester-by-the-Sea

EssexIpswich

Rowley

Groveland

Methuen

Haverhill

Swampscott

Foxborough

Chelmsford

Littleton

Boxborough

Burlington

Southborough

Westwood

Mansfield

Whitman

Georgetown

Middleton

NorthReading

Wakefield

Northborough

Westborough

WestBridgewater

EastBridgewater

NorthAndover

WestTownsend

Byfield

NorthPlympton

NorthLeominster

TownsendHarbor

Chartley

Canton

Abington

Plum

Island

HudsonNashua

Brookline

Harrisville

RHODE ISLAND

Chelsea

BOSTON

NEW HAMPSHIRE

90

90

90

495

495

495

495

495

95

95

95

95

95

95

93

93

93

95

290

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37

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107

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53

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106

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139

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106

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3

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213

24

139

24

104

3

139

3

60

1414

104

58

58

36

14

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3

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Townsend

Shirley

Groton

Ayer

Harvard

Bolton

Boylston

Berlin

Stow

Hudson

Marlborough

Hopkinton

Upton

Ashland

Sudbury

Framingham

Maynard

Douglas

Uxbridge

Millville Blackstone

MendonBellingham

Hopedale

Milford

Holliston

Medway

Franklin

Wrentham

Plainville

Norton

BridgewaterHalifax

King

Easton

Hanson

Pembroke

Brockton

Marshfiel

Rockland

Hanover

Norwell

Scituate

Stoughton

Avon

Sharon

Dux

Walpole

Norfolk

Medfield

Sherborn

Millis

Needham

Cohasset

Hingham

Weymouth

Braintree

Randolph

Natick

Dover

Norwood

QuincyMilton

Dedham

Holbrook

Hull

Winthrop

NahantArlingtonMedford

SomervilleCambridge

Belmont

Bedford

Lexington

Waltham

Brookline

Watertown

Newton

Wellesley

WestonWayland

Lincoln

Concord

Acton

Billerica Wilmington

Carlisle

Woburn

Tewksbury

Lowell

DracutTyngsborough

Westford

Dunstable

Winchester

Stoneham

EverettRevere

Melrose

Malden

Saugus

Lynn

MarbleheadSalem

Peabody

LynnfieldReading

Gloucester

Danvers

Andover

Lawrence

Boxford

Topsfield

HamiltonWenham

Beverly Manchester-by-the-Sea

EssexIpswich

Rowley

Groveland

Methuen

Haverhill

Swampscott

Foxborough

Chelmsford

Littleton

Boxborough

Burlington

Southborough

Westwood

Mansfield

Whitman

Georgetown

Middleton

NorthReading

Wakefield

Northborough

Westborough

WestBridgewater

EastBridgewater

NorthAndover

WestTownsend

Byfield

NorthPlympton

NorthLeominster

TownsendHarbor

Chartley

Canton

Abington

Plum

Island

HudsonNashua

Brookline

Harrisville

RHODE ISLAND

Chelsea

BOSTON

NEW HAMPSHIRE

90

90

90

495

495

495

495

495

95

95

95

95

95

95

93

93

93

95

290

9

146

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140

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125

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28

28

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114

20

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138

138

37

37

38

228

228

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114

38

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96

107

102

57

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122

122

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62

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126

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109

27

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109

27

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126

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106

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53

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3

3

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140

140

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213

24

139

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139

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LEGEND

Park-&-ride lot: At capacity

Park-&-ride lot: Not at capacityP

P

2-15The BosTon Region MPo and iTs exisTing TRansPoRTaTion sysTeM

Current Needs of the Transit System

One of the MBTA’s key elements for capital planning is the Program for Mass Transporta-tion (PMT). As one of the country’s oldest transit systems, the MBTA has an abundance of needs just to maintain the current system as described above. In the PMT, adopted in 2003, the MBTA evaluated its system preservation needs and listed its highest priorities as follows:

• Installationofautomatedfarecollection system (completed in 2007)

• Revenuevehiclereplacement

• Bridgerehabilitation

• Commuterrailandrapidtransittrack replacement

• Stationimprovements

The PMT also included an examination of capacity issues of the existing transit system. It found that passenger crowding occurs on all three sys-tems—rapid transit, bus, and commuter rail. On the rapid transit lines, passenger crowding occurs mostly during spans of one hour or less within the morning and evening peak commuting times. On the bus and trackless trolley systems, it was found that bus routes in the urban core are sub-ject to crowded conditions, especially during peak periods and school-commute times. In addition, buses on routes operating in heavy traffic condi-tions are vulnerable to delays, which can result in long gaps in service and bus bunching. Capaci-ties on commuter rail vary according to the num-ber of cars and the mix of car types in the train.

The capacity of the commuter rail and rapid transit lines is limited not only by the capacity of the trains, but also by the capacities of the modes used to access the trains. For commuter rail lines especially, adequate parking capacity is necessary to divert trips from private automobiles. Capacity issues at MBTA facilities must also be addressed to meet ridership demand. Com-muter rail system capacity is also limited by the throughput capacities of the downtown terminal

stations—South Station and North Station. The capacity of the terminal stations also impacts the amount of yard capacity needed for midday or overnight storage of trains.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation

Bicycling and walking are primary modes of trans-portation for some residents of the MPO region. Many bicycle to reach transit, and almost every-one walks or uses a wheelchair for portions of all trips. According to the PMT, 84 percent of riders walk or bicycle to stations to access the rapid transit system. Facilities for pedestrians include sidewalks, multi-use paths, and street crossings. Bicycle facilities include both off-road paths and on-road improvements, such as designated bike lanes. Roller skaters and joggers also use the road system and multi-use paths.

Municipalities do much of the planning for pedes-trian and bicycle facilities. When planning is done at the regional level, pedestrian mobility is deter-mined by the availability of sidewalks, their condi-tion, and the safety and convenience of roadway crossings. Bicycle mobility is affected primarily by

2-16 JoURney To 2030

road conditions, such as pavement quality, shoul-der width, and traffic speed and volume, although some off-road trails are available in the region.

Trails and Routes

There are 15 regional multi-use paths or trails in the MPO region: the Minuteman Commuter Bike-way, Linear Park (Somerville Community Path), East Boston Greenway, Mystic River Reservation Bike Path, Upper Charles Trail, South Bay Harbor Trail, Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path, Charles River Greenway, Marblehead Rail Trail, Battle Road Trail, Neponset River Greenway, Muddy River Bike Path, Jamaica Pond Paths, Assabet River Rail Trail (the Hudson and Marlborough segment is in the MPO region), and Southwest Corridor Bikeway (see Figure 2-7). Most trails are built on abandoned railroad rights-of-way or along natural corridors such as rivers. The Minuteman Commuter Bikeway is an example of the former, and the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path is an example of the latter.

One signed, long-distance bicycle route exists in the MPO region and continues outside the region to Falmouth and Provincetown, which are on Cape Cod. The 135-mile-long Claire Salton-

stall Bikeway, also known as Bikeway Route 1, is primarily an on-road, signed route that includes some trail segments.

Trails allow users to be separated from motor-vehicle traffic. They are used not only by experi-enced commuter bicyclists heading to work, but also for recreation, by both adults and children. Trails have proven to be popular with a wide range of users.

Regional trails in the Boston area that are either in the planning stage or under construction include the following (see Figure 2-7):

• NorthernStrand(alsoknownasBike-to-the-Sea; in Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn)

• Tri-CommunityBikeway(Winchester,Woburn,and Stoneham)

• Border-to-BostonTrail(Danvers,Wenham,and Topsfield)

• AssabetRiverRailTrail(Hudson,Stow,May-nard, and Acton)

• Mass.CentralRailTrail(Hudson,Sudbury,Wayland, Weston, Waltham, and Belmont)

• BruceFreemanRailTrail(Carlisle,Acton,Concord, Sudbury, and Framingham)

• UpperCharlesTrail(Milford,Hopkinton,Ash-land, Holliston, and Sherborn)

• PeabodyBikeway

• SwampscottRailTrail

• MinutemanExtensiontoConcord(Bedfordand Concord)

• MinutemanExtensiontoBillerica(Bedford)

• SouthBayHarborTrailExtension(Boston)

• SomervilleCommunityPathExtension

• MysticRiverPathExtensions(Somerville,Arlington, and Medford)

• NeponsetRiverTrailExtension(BostonandMilton)

2-17The BosTon Region MPo and iTs exisTing TRansPoRTaTion sysTeM

fig

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2-18 JoURney To 2030

• Belmont/Cambridge/SomervilleProject

• WatertownBranch

• CochituateRailTrail(FraminghamandNatick)

• NorthSuburbanBikePlanPaths(Wakefield,Lynnfield and Wilmington)

• RiversideConnector(NewtonandWellesley)

Sidewalks

Safe pedestrian use of our transportation network requires sidewalks, crosswalks, and other street crossing infrastructure, and the enforcement of laws to protect pedestrians. While sidewalks may not be absolutely necessary for some low-vol-ume local streets, the presence or absence of sidewalks is a good indicator of whether road-ways in a community have been designed to give pedestrians equal access to all adjacent uses served by autos.

The percentage of all roadways in a transporta-tion analysis zone (TAZ) with sidewalks on one or both sides of a roadway are shown in Figure 2-8 (limited-access highways and other roads that exclude pedestrians are not included). A TAZ

is an aggregation of census geography used in the MPO’s transportation demand model based on demographic information and numbers of trips produced and attracted within its borders. Most urban areas and some community centers provide sidewalks along most of their roadways. However, for most TAZs within the Boston MPO region, almost 80 percent of existing roadways have no sidewalks.

In the past, MassHighway guidance on proj-ect design required that pedestrian and bicycle accommodations be considered in all roadway projects. MassHighway’s current Project Devel-opment and Design Guide requires pedestrian mobility to be given the same importance as all other uses.

Local interest in walkable communities can be seen in the response to the MPO’s Walkable Community Workshop program. Since 2004, the MPO has sponsored more than eight workshops in cooperation with host communities, and is ex-pected to conduct at least six workshops per year in the future. The MPO supports more detailed studies and technical support for municipalities through the study of bicycle and pedestrian im-provements in both small-town and urban centers. MAPC is developing a regional Pedestrian Plan proposed to be adopted in 2009.

Road Travel

Chapter 90E, Section 2A, of the Massachusetts General Laws (Chapter 87, of the Acts of 1996) requires consideration of bicyclist and pedestrian needs regarding roadways whenever feasible. The intent of this law is to make travel as safe as practical for bicyclists and pedestrians. In some cases, restriping may be all that is necessary, but space for bicyclists can also be provided by adding bicycle lanes or paved shoulders, or by striping wide outside travel lanes.

Access to Other Modes

Many people bicycle or walk to other modes. Those who bicycle to transit connections either park their bicycle or take it on board in accor-