QUICK FACTS: A Summary of Findings

The following are highlights of the findings for each of the six elements that are monitored and/or examined as part of the CMS program.

Arterial Roadways
CMS arterial roadway data and analysis have shown that, since the previous monitoring, average peak-period speeds have dropped and delay has increased. Average peak-period speeds are now below the posted speed limit on about 40 percent of the monitored network. Of the two peak periods, the evening is the worse, with 15 percent of the monitored signalized intersections having at least two approaches at an unacceptable level of service.

Limited-Access Highways
Travel speed data show that during the latest monitoring period, 10 percent more of the region’s expressway network had average morning peak-period speeds of less than 50 mph than during the previous monitoring period five years earlier. In the evening, however, the findings do not indicate that speeds have changed significantly between the two monitoring periods, possibly because deterioration of speeds during the evening peak period is harder to detect and measure, as the network is more congested at the outset of the evening peak period than at the outset of the morning peak period.

Public Transit
The performance measures of schedule adherence and passenger crowding offer a glimpse into the performance of the MBTA transit system. In the case of bus performance, these measures are an indication of roadway congestion, as encountered by the buses. Of the morning peak-period bus trips, 36 percent arrive more than five minutes late; of the evening peak-period trips, 39 percent arrive more than five minutes late. The MBTA standard for passenger crowding is violated by 5 percent of the morning peak-period bus trips and 4 percent of the evening peak-period bus trips.

Park-and-Ride Lots
Of the 107 MBTA commuter park-and-ride lots that were observed, 76 (71 percent) reached capacity (defined as being filled to 85 percent of capacity or more). Furthermore, 49 of the lots (46 percent) reached capacity well before the last morning peak-period inbound train. With regard to the five MassHighway park-and-ride lots in the MPO region, only one (Milton) reached capacity, and three of them were underutilized.

High-Occupancy-Vehicle Lanes
The I-93/Southeast Expressway HOV lane carries a daily average of about 8,700 vehicles, which corresponds to an estimated daily average of 33,660 persons. Approximately 95 percent of the vehicles are automobiles with carpooling passengers; the remainder of the vehicles are vanpool vans, public and private transit buses, and motorcycles. Information on numbers and types of users is not available for the I-93 North HOV lane.

A user of the I-93/Southeast Expressway HOV lane saves nearly six minutes on the morning-peak-period downtown-bound approach and nearly five minutes on the evening-peak-period southbound approach, compared to the general-purpose lanes, according to 2003 monitoring. On the I-93 North HOV lane heading southbound, the morning-peak-period travel-time savings are approximately six and a half minutes.

Travel Demand Management
This CMS report documents key TDM activities in the region, largely performed by MassRIDES and TMAs. For example, 40 vanpools are currently in operation; the vans originate in or are destined to urban and suburban locations in the Boston region, and they have an average daily round-trip mileage of 113 miles. Significant markets include commuters traveling from Cape Cod, southern New Hampshire, Worcester, and areas west of Worcester.

Bicycle and Pedestrian
Three pedestrian and bicycle transportation elements were examined: (1) pedestrian and bicycle access to transit, (2) the suitability of the CMS arterial roadway network for on-street bicycle use, and (3) the off-street bicycle network. The report identifies stations where safer street crossings for pedestrians could be provided and stations that lack minimal bicycle parking facilities. In terms of the suitability of CMS roadways for use by bicyclists during peak travel periods, the analysis indicates that only 14 percent of the network miles (directional*) can be rated “medium” or “best.” For rating the CMS roadways, CTPS created a bicycle suitability index.

*Notes:
1. Directional miles: One mile of a two-way roadway equals two directional miles.