Cambridge, Massachusetts: An evaluation of current transportation planning policies

1. Cambridge, Massachusetts:An evaluation of current transportation planning policies

2. Evaluation Points • Goals • Planning for desired outcomes • Providing access • Mode priority • Mode selection

3. Community development: Environmental and Transportation Planning Quality of life Environment and climate Transportation policy Public safety: Traffic, Parking and Transportation Enforcement Parking , Pollution control Intersection, bike lanes Transportation Planning

4. Planning for Sustainability Goal: to promote a healthy environment  • non-auto transportation • Energy efficiency • renewable energy sources Highest priority in walking, biking and multimodalism

5. Planning for Sustainability A major principle guiding transportation planning in this city is safety for pedestrians and bicyclists Traffic calming Safety for pedestrian Morse elementary school Delineated bicycle lane Safety for bicyclists

6. Planning for Sustainability Mixed land use pattern Increasing accessibility Central square Removing vehicle lanes/ expanded sidewalks Senses of city Harvard Square

7. Planning for Sustainability At construction site The plan must provide a temporary sidewalk, and often a bicycle lane, even in a parking or travel lane must be removed. Parking and Transportation demand management Each large employer is required to have a plan for helping its worker commute by means other than SOV

8. Investment in Parking and transportation demand management regional employment pattern that take advantages of areas well served by transit to and from Cambridge. sense of the street; it has a policy to protect the minor arterials with residential character whenever possible. Policies for future

9. Developed Publications • Cambridge Pedestrian Plan • VTRO • Cambridge Growth Policy • Traffic Calming • Transportation Demand Management • Citywide Growth Management • Citywide Rezoning

10. Cambridge Pedestrian Plan Policies and Guidelines for Facilities Design Standards for Physical Improvements Encourage Walking as Alternative Action Plan to Reduce Auto Travel

11. VTRO and Growth Policy • Clean Air Act 1990 • Growth Policy Document (1994) • Policy 14-Increase the cities investment in Transportation Demand Management to promote non-single occupancy vehicle forms of transportation and assist Cambridge Employers, both Individually and Collectively, in developing such programs for their employees and operations

12. Transportation Demand Management • Improve Mobility and Access • Reduce Pollution • Safety • Reducing Drive Alone Traffic

13. Land Use and Transportation • Citywide Growth Management (1997) • Citywide Rezoning (2001) • Policy 15-Enact Land Use Regulations that encourage transit and other forms of non-automobile mobility by mixing land use, creating a pleasant and safe pedestrian, bike environment, and restricting high density development to areas near transit stations

14. Cambridge Priority • Priority should be given to cleaner, cheaper, more efficient modes of transportation • Walking • Biking • Bus • Subway • Cambridge Policy: To promote the use of non single occupancy vehicles / Encourage all non-automobile forms of transportation • Achieved through: • Employer incentive programs • Bike lanes • Transit funding

15. Bicycle/Shared Lanes • Bicycle lanes give dedicated lanes to bicycle traffic • Shared lanes treat bicycle same as an automobile • Bike cheaper and cleaner

16. Transportation Demand Management Plans • Employers sponsor programs to reduce use of single-occupant vehicles • Free access to EZRide • Transit/vanpool subsidies • Pre-tax deduction of transit fares • Shower and locker facilities for pedestrians/bicyclists • Carpool preferential parking • Secure/waterproof bicycle parking • Supported by the City of Cambridge

17. Central Square

18. Diversity of Modes • Private Car • ZipCar • MBTA Buses • EZRide Shuttle • Red & Green Lines • Bike • Walk

19. Diversity of Modes • Are the options being used? • Transportation Demand Management aims to further reduce use of Single Occupancy Vehicles

20. Effective Transportation Planning Plans that are GOOD in Cambridge

21. Broadly Defined Goals • Energy Goal • Non-auto Transportation • Energy Efficiency • Renewable Energy Source • Land Use and Urban Design • Connectivity • Increase Bicycle Use • Safer Lane Designs • Convenient Parking (Alewife Station, Racks near Building Entrances) • More Pedestrian Friendly Central Square Harvard Square Inman Square Kendall Square Porter Square

22. Desired Outcomes • Green Line Extension Project • Brookline Street Reconstruction • More Residential • Reduce Traffic Speed • Safer for Walking and Biking • Installing more Trees • Bicycle Program • Installing Bike Lanes • Installing Bike Parking • Bicycle Safety in Schools and Town Halls for Children and Adults

23. Priority Treatment • Cambridge Energy Alliance • Efficiency Improvements in Energy, Water, and Transportation • Reduce Greenhouse Gases • More Biking and Walking • Grand Junction Rail with Trail • Eastern Cambridge Planning Study • Path along Grand Junction • Enhance Non-Auto Mobility

24. Diversity of Modes • Cambridge offers: • Automobile • MBTA • Rail • Bus • Subway • Boat • EZRide • Zipcar • Walk • Bicycle

25. Awards • Golden Shoe (Cambridge Health Alliance • Environmental Purchasing and Sustainability (2006) • EPA Best Workplaces for Commuters • Smart Growth Leadership- Comprehensive Bike and Pedestrian Program • Best Walking City by Prevention Magazine

26. Non-Effective Transportation Planning Failures/Shortcomings of Planning in Cambridge

27. Failure/Shortcoming Cambridge has not changed the percentage of how people get to work. 1990 2000

28. Failure/Shortcoming • Despite a published and accepted pedestrian plan, it fails to address the entire area of Cambridge. • The plan focuses only on certain trouble areas from the past with only some focus on the future but has left room for improvement.

29. Failure/Shortcoming • There are gaps in the alternative transit sources: • Not all subway stations are easily accessed by pedestrians • There are gaps in the hours of service of fixed rail • The fixed rail lines aren’t interconnected enough causing the need to go into Boston for most destinations • Limited bus frequency during rush hour • Limited through routing causes a need for multiple bus transfers

30. Failure/Shortcoming • Trends show an increase in emissions through the 1990’s • Most of it’s energy use comes from the industrial/commercial and transportation sectors • Cambridge needs to implement it’s Climate Protection plan sooner rather than later

31. Questions?