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Welcome to the June 2017 issue of MassMobility! Read on to learn about how municipalities are committing to "complete streets" that accommodate all users, new initiatives to improve senior mobility in Brookline and the Pioneer Valley, and more news about community transportation, human service transportation coordination, and mobility management in Massachusetts.

This newsletter is compiled by MassMobility, an initiative of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, with support from MassDOT.
Nine municipalities recognized for strong Complete Streets policies
Nine Massachusetts municipalities are among 13 recognized this month by Smart Growth America for passing the strongest Complete Streets policies nationally in 2016: Brockton, Hull, Mansfield, Sherborn, Bridgewater, Brookline, Chester, Ayer, and Wales. Complete Streets policies instruct municipalities to ensure that roadways accommodate all users: drivers but also pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders of all ages - and people with disabilities as well as nondisabled individuals.
 
Every year for the past decade, Smart Growth America has analyzed the policies passed by communities, scored them, and ranked them. Scores have risen over time as policies have strengthened; this year, three policies - including Brockton's - tied for first with a perfect score of 100.
 
In 2016, MassDOT launched a statewide program to promote and support municipalities in developing, passing, and implementing Complete Streets policies. To date, 85 percent of all cities and towns in Massachusetts have received training from the state, nearly half have  registered with this program, 70 have received technical assistance grants to develop prioritization plans, and 26 municipalities are constructing projects.
Brookline Senior Center partners with Lyft
The Brookline Senior Center launched a pilot program that will use Lyft as a transportation option for Brookline residents over the age of 60. Thanks to the money donated to Board President Betsy Pollock at the 2016 Brookline Rotary's Dancing with the Stars event, the Brookline Senior Center has $10,000 in start-up funds to cover the cost of approximately  100 rides a month for a year. 

Trips will be provided to medical appointments, to outings during the times that the Brookline Senior Center van is not available (early mornings and evenings), in emergency situations, and to those individuals looking to experience Lyft for the first time. The Senior Center hopes that introducing seniors to Lyft will help to demonstrate how advancements in transportation technologies can improve quality of life for older adults. One participant remarked, "The driver wasn't so much a driver but more like a neighbor who was offering a ride. She was very nice. I had no problem and would be happy to use it again."
 
In order to book a ride, an individual should contact the Brookline Senior Center. Center staff will arrange the transportation through Lyft and then contact the resident with all information pertinent to the trip.
 
Ruthann Dobek, Director of the Brookline Council on Aging/Brookline Senior Center, shared that they're "excited to be able to offer innovative technology to the community" and that this service will be "essential for helping increase mobility for Brookline seniors."
Conference materials available for download
Visit the 2017 conference website for presentations, workshop summaries, and photos from this year's Massachusetts Community Transportation Coordination Conference, held May 2 in Worcester. Thanks again to all our attendees and presenters!
New report highlights collaborative strategies for addressing healthcare transportation challenges
A recent report, which was researched and written by MassMobility and published in conjunction with MassDOT, highlights ways in which human service agencies, transportation providers, and other partners have worked together to address healthcare transportation challenges in Massachusetts. Check out the report for examples of strategies that Regional Coordinating Councils in Southeastern Massachusetts, North Central Mass, and the Berkshires have used to improve access to healthcare services in their regions.
PVTA partners with Councils on Aging

The need for senior van service in the Pioneer Valley is growing fast, and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) is meeting that increased need through a new partnership with the Northampton Council on Aging (COA). For years, PVTA has provided complementary van service for any resident in its service area over the age of 60. As the number of seniors in the region grows, however, the PVTA and its municipal partners must become more creative in how to serve the increased transportation demand.
 
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the Northampton COA launched this new partnership on March 13. Since then, the Northampton COA has provided all transportation services to seniors living in Northampton who do not qualify for PVTA's ADA service (ADA service is still provided by PVTA). The idea is that this program can be both more cost-effective and provide a higher level of service for the city's seniors. For PVTA, the COA can provide transportation at a lower cost than PVTA can; for seniors living in Northampton, the service is more flexible and responsive because it is managed by the familiar faces at the Senior Center.
 
Judging by ridership, the first month of service has been quite successful. April, the first month for which there is a full month's worth of data, saw 147 trips using the van service. This is an increase of 33 trips over February, where the PVTA-run Senior Van Service saw 114 trips.
 
PVTA sees great potential in this kind of partnership. The population in the PVTA service area eligible for either ADA or Senior Van Service transportation is projected to grow at least two percent per year for the next 15 years. Given the high cost of providing these crucial transportation services, PVTA is looking to expand these kinds of partnerships. To that end, PVTA recently signed a contract with East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, and Hampden to implement the same COA partnership program in those communities. Scheduled to begin July 1, this program will be coordinated by East Longmeadow on behalf of the other partner towns.
Forum explores accessibility at the MBTA
On May 24, the Access Advisory Committee to the MBTA (AACT) hosted its annual Summit on Transit Accessibility. This year's theme, "The Future of Transit Accessibility," focused on ways the MBTA is working to ensure system-wide accessibility.
 
Stephanie Pollack, MassDOT Secretary of Transportation and CEO, began the day by focusing on the idea that improving the MBTA for persons with disabilities will improve service for all riders. Brian Shortsleeve, MBTA Chief Administrator and Acting General Manager, and David Scorey, Keolis Customer Service General Manger, also shared a few words.

The keynote speaker, former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation James Aloisi, discussed his proposed safety impact review (SIR) process, which would require transportation planners to evaluate the equity and accessibility of planned actions in order to better serve persons with disabilities, cyclists, and pedestrians.
 
A panel discussion followed the prepared remarks, with professionals in city and transportation planning, and disability and transit advocacy/policy, fielding questions from the moderator and attendees, engaging in lively dialogue with one another and the audience.  The day concluded with a presentation by Jessica Podesva, an ADA Transportation Advocacy Fellow with Greater Boston Legal Services, discussing the future of the AACT, and the Honorable Patrick A. King (retired) touching on the MBTA's system-wide accessibility access initiatives,  including infrastructure and policy changes that would allow the transit system to go above and beyond ADA compliance.
MassDOT honors employers for excellence in commuter options
Two hundred employers convened at Fenway Park on April 12 for the annual Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) awards, hosted by MassDOT in partnership with MassRIDES and MassCommute. This year, seven employers received awards for outstanding efforts to encourage their employees to choose green commutes.

E Ink of Billerica and AthenaHealth of Watertown won awards in the employer category. Both have championed shuttle routes for employees, among other initiatives.

In the government category, the Soldier's Home in Holyoke received an award for a vigorous outreach campaign supporting carpooling, as well as their provision of bike racks, shower and locker rooms for cyclists, and preferential parking for carpools and vanpools. Kindred Nursing & Rehabilitation - Laurel Lake in Lee was recognized as a healthcare facility that promotes employee carpools.

Two universities also won ECO awards. Northeastern received recognition for prioritizing alternative transportation within its institutional master plan and incorporating transit and pedestrian infrastructure into its new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex. Salem State was recognized for active participation in the North Shore Transportation Management Association (TMA), including partnering with the TMA to improve the efficiency of its campus shuttle.

The final award went to the Bedford Veteran Affairs Medical Center, recognized as being a "rising star" for its work to develop vanpools.

Secretary Pollack praised the participating employers: "MassDOT is proud of the strides that employers are taking to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the Commonwealth...over time, we hope to see a continued increase in the number of individuals using alternative transportation options, and subsequently, a reduction in emissions from our transportation sector."
National conference provides inspiration from other states
Mobility management staff from MassMobility and MassDOT attended the national CTAA EXPO conference in June, held this year in Detroit. This annual conference is a great opportunity to hear how other states are approaching challenges and opportunities in mobility management, technology, rural transportation, and more. Highlights of this year's conference included a session on Liberty Mobility, a new company piloting services designed specifically for rural areas; discussions on how to build relationships with elected officials; and explorations of new developments in technology that seek to incorporate demand-response transportation into trip planners. Next year's conference will be held in Pittsburgh in June 2018.
Plan a transportation vacation

What's a perfect - and air-conditioned - destination for a transportation-oriented vacation? Transit museums. There are quite a few in the United States, though most are in the Eastern US and many focus on trolleys.

Northeast Mid-Atlantic and South West
Visit this Wikipedia page for a worldwide list of the many transportation museums of all kinds, from automobiles to railways.  
Share your brochure for a chance to win a prize
Send your transportation brochure or passenger guide to the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP), and you could win a free conference registration or gift card! Check out the details and submit by July 31.
Job postings
National RTAP seeks a Resource Center Manager in Woburn.

Transportation for Massachusetts seeks a Transportation Justice Organizer to work statewide.
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