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On Street Parking and Transit Capacity

ExpansionScott Hamwey

MassDOT

April 12, 2023| Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence | www.mass.gov/massdot

April 12, 20232| Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence | www.mass.gov/massdot

• Legislature created MassDOT in 2009 to streamline transportation bureaucracy

• Four divisions: • Highway• Rail and Transit• Aeronautics• RMV

• Office of Transportation Planning serves all divisions

Transportation Reform - MassDOT

Transportation Revenue – The Way Forward

• Governor Patrick’s $19 billion/10 year revenue proposal submitted to the Legislature in January 2013

• Legislature’s funding bill passed in July 2013, includes less than half of The Way Forward funding levels

• MassDOT Capital Investment Plan released in 2014 programs these new revenues, but also highlights limitations

• Bus Rapid Transit, not rail rapid transit, will be our best bet for capacity expansions going forward

April 12, 20233| Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence | www.mass.gov/massdot

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What is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)?• Combines flexibility of bus with

features that collectively achieve rapid transit service quality:• Off-board fare collection• High frequency• Stations with amenities• Wider station spacing• Branding• Segregated right of way

• Planning informed by BRT industry standards, such as ITDP*

*Institute for Transportation & Development Policy

28 X Proposal

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BRT Elements: •Physically segregated median busway•Off board fare collection•½ mile station spacing•High capacity vehicles•Transit signal priority

Challenges: •Lack of familiarity•Advocacy for rail•Lost median, trees, on-street parking, turning movements and travel lanes

Where Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan

When 2009

Cost $173 million

Ridership(proj)

3,000 new riders per day

Peak Freq. Every 7-8 minutes

28X – Impacts and Public Response

• Parking eliminated at station locations and where left-turn lanes are preserved

• 249 parking spaces eliminated out of 1344. All but one of these were on the 3 miles of Blue Hill Ave

• $6 million included in the TIGER application for off-street parking replacement

• Parking loss totals = good ammunition for project opponents• Pulled proposal in October 2009

04/12/23| Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence | www.mass.gov/massdot

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Silver Line Gateway

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BRT Elements: Dedicated busway with high quality stations and countdown clocks; off board fare collection; 1/2 mi station spacing

Where South Boston, East Boston and Chelsea

When 2013

Cost $83 million

Ridership(projected)

8,730

Peak Freq. Every 10 minutes

SL Gateway – Impacts and Response

• Evaluated 3 alternatives• On Street alignment (80 spaces eliminated)• Busway/On-Street (29 spaces eliminated)• Busway (No spaces eliminated)

• Busway alternative performed best• Highest ridership• Most new riders• Fastest trips

• Busway also generated the most support (by far) from City and public process

04/12/23| Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence | www.mass.gov/massdot

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SL Gateway - Hawthorn Street

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• Improve reliability and travel time for local bus service

• 3 of MBTA Key Routes already serve this block

• 4,000 bus riders/day compared to 7,000 cars

• Relocation of Bellingham Square bus stop

• Net loss of 14 parking spaces

CHESTER AVE

Existing Section of Hawthorn Street

Section of Hawthorn Street with Left Side Bus Lane

9’ SIDEWALK8’ ±

PARKING LANE11’ ±

TRAVEL LANE

16’ ± BUS LANE WITH SHARED BIKE

ACCOMMODATION 9’ SIDEWALK

35’ ± PAVEMENT WIDTH

Other Experience

04/12/23| Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence | www.mass.gov/massdot

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SL4Key Bus Routes / Articulated BusesBarr FoundationOther Cities

BRT Challenges in BostonFor BRT generally: •Street width•Lack of grid•Existence of rail•Municipal fragmentation; transit/city mismatchFor BRT as it relates to taking parking:•Travel time savings are modest•Reliability improvements are difficult to communicate•Actual riders underrepresented in process

04/12/23| Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence | www.mass.gov/massdot

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