Congratulations to our 2017 Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards winners! At the leadership level, we're proud to recognize Pfizer Biotech (Andover) and Transwestern (Wilmington). At the Pacesetter level, we are honored to recognize Standard Duplicating Machines (Andover). These companies are dedicated to accommodating "green" commuters and we're thrilled to celebrate their achievements.
Register for the 2017 MassCommute Bicycle Challenge
Spring has FINALLY sprung and that means it's officially time to start thinking about biking to/from work. That also means that it's time to register for the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge (MCBC), which runs in conjunction with the Bay State Bike Week. Register by April 30th and log a trip during the Challenge May 13th- 21st and you'll be guaranteed a limited edition legendary T-shirt!
Last week, Junction TMO Executive Director Andrea Leary attended the annual Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) Public Policy Summit in Washington, DC. While many topics related to Transportation Demand Management (TDM) were discussed, the topic that drew the biggest audience was measuring the return on investment of a TDM plan or program. Our friends at the Mobility Lab presented on a universal methodology they created that leveled the playing field for transit and TDM programs and essentially made it easier to show the impact and ROI for TDM programs that receive grants from Federal Highway funds. Also highlighted was the importance of the employer/TMO relationship.
The take-away:When employers provide choices, 1 in 5 employees will "kick" their commuting habits and try something new.
Woburn Business Association Forum
On April 6th, JTMO Executive Director Andrea Leary spoke at the Woburn Business Association's Transportation Conversation Breakfast and provided an overview of what Transportation Management Organizations (TMOs) are and what they do. As a public-private partnership, a TMO serves the primary function of coordinating resources among the private sector, local and state governments to improve access for commuters. This could be in the form of shuttle or "last mile" gap coordination or the application of federal funding grants for transportation-related projects.
North Suburban Mobility Study Recommendations
In December, we reported that the
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) was conducting a survey and focus groups in the North Suburban area (including Wilmington, Woburn and Burlington). In February, MAPC issued their draft recommendations to the North Suburban Planning Council.
A few of their recommendations include:
Connected Routes. Expand and connect bus routes with the commuter rail to meet the needs of reverse commuters. Establish new bus serve or local shuttles that can move people from the Anderson/Woburn, Wilmington, Winchester and Wakefield stations.
Transportation Network Companies (TNCs). Partner with TNCs like Uber, Lyft and Birdj and offer subsidized rides to/from select locations. Using the TNCs' technology, they can restrict the rides to certain places and at certain times of the day.
Offer incentives to telecommuters. Telecommuting or "working from home" has doubled since 1980. In fact, in 2015, 4.5% of the workforce telecommuted, up from 3.3% in 2005.
Congestion mitigation funding. Funding could be required of new development that increases automobile trips. This mitigation funding could be implemented by any number of arrangements including membership in the local TMO.
