Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Unified Planning Work Program Committee Meeting Summary
June 25, 2020 Meeting
9:00 AM–9:30 AM, Zoom videoconferencing platform
Benjamin Muller, Chair, representing Stephanie Pollack, Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Committee agreed to the following:
Materials for this meeting included the following:
1. Meeting Summary of the April 2, 2020 meeting
2. Meeting Summary of the May 28, 2020 meeting
3. Draft Amendment Two to the FFY 2020 UPWP
B. Muller read the accessibility statement and called the meeting to order.
There were none
A motion to approve the summary was made by Daniel Amstutz (Town of Arlington) and seconded by Tom O’Rourke (Town of Norwood/Three Rivers Interlocal Council [TRIC]). The motion carried, with T. O’Rourke abstaining and Steve Olanoff (Town of Westwood/TRIC alternative) voting in his place.
A motion to approve the summary was made by T. O’Rourke and seconded by David Koses (City of Newton/At-Large City). The motion carried unanimously.
S. Johnston presented the amendment. He noted that the committee members should be familiar with the content of the amendment at this point given previous discussions. The amendment removes the study called Transit Mitigation of New Development Sites, funded at $60,000, and replaces it with two $30,000 studies called Review of Vision Zero Policies and Innovations in Estimating Trip Generation Rates. The MPO has already seen the scope for Trip Generation Rates, and Bradley Putnam (MPO Staff) will present the scope for Vision Zero at the MPO meeting later today. Since the amendment moves money around rather than increasing or decreasing the overall budget, top-line numbers will remain the same. Staff request that the committee approve the amendment so that they can ask the MPO to release it for public comment at the meeting to follow.
B. Muller asked for a motion to approve the amendment and pass it to the MPO. Len Diggins (Regional Transportation Advisory Council) made the motion and Tom Bent (City of Somerville/Inner Core Committee) seconded. Tom Kadzis (City of Boston) asked for a reminder as to why the Transit Mitigation study is being removed, and who at MassDOT is doing the redundant work. Annette Demchur (CTPS Director of Policy and Planning) explained that the initial idea had been to conduct a literature review, and with MassDOT doing something similar, CTPS had been unable to come up with work that could add value on the topic. B. Muller explained that MassDOT’s Public-Private Development Unit is taking the lead on this work. There was further discussion; A. Demchur noted that MassDOT had identified legal issues that are challenging and do not fall into CTPS’ expertise.
D. Amstutz wondered if, given the current climate and protests about police brutality, and that organizations such as the Safe Routes to School National Partnership have dropped enforcement from their priorities, the Vision Zero work scope should deal differently with the question of enforcement of traffic safety. A. Demchur said that CTPS had been conducting significant internal discussion on that question, and that staff would be looking deeply into the literature and current media as to how to bring that perspective into the study. L. Diggins noted that even prior to the current climate, organizations involved in Vision Zero had already de-emphasized enforcement. He also thanked T. Kadzis for bringing up important questions about the development mitigation work.
With discussion concluded, the motion carried unanimously.
B. Muller mentioned MassDOT’s Shared Streets grant program, and noted that the Department of Conservation & Recreation had announced a similar program. Both of these could be significant resources in the phased reopening of the state from its COVID-19 restrictions. L. Diggins thanked B. Muller for bringing up those programs and said a member of the Regional Transportation Advisory Council was very interested in these programs, so this was valuable information.
The next meeting is to be held on July 16, with a vote expected to approve the final FFY 2021 UPWP before its final endorsement by the MPO board.
A motion to adjourn was made by T. O’Rourke and seconded by T. Bent. Without objection, the meeting adjourned.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Office of Transportation
Planning) |
Ben Muller |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Lenard Diggins |
|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
David Koses |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) |
Daniel Amstutz |
|
City of Boston (Boston Transportation
Department) |
Tom Kadzis |
|
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) |
Tom Bent |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal
Council (Town of Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce) |
Tom O’Rourke |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal
Council alternate (Town of Westwood) |
Steve Olanoff |
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Annette Demchur, Director of Policy and
Planning |
|
Scott Peterson, Director of Technical Services |
|
Hiral Gandhi, Director of Operations and
Finance |
|
Mark Abbott, Traffic Analysis and Design Group Manager |
|
Sandy Johnston, UPWP Manager |
|
Kate White, Public Outreach Coordinator |
|
Matt Archer, Transportation Planner |
|
Bradley Putnam, Transportation Planner |
|
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in
compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of
1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination
in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United
States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin
(including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in,
denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any
program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal
nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration,
Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis
of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected
populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation
and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful
access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited
English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation
policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166. The Boston Region MPO also complies with the
Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a,
which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in
admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race,
color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability,
or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with
the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all
programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered,
funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without
unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry,
national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era
veterans), or background. A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this
information in a different language or in an accessible format, please
contact Title VI Specialist |