The picture above depicts how much space it takes to move 40 commuters by bus, individual car and bicycle. As you can see, space utilization is highly inefficient when one commutes alone in their car. In our highly congested part of the country, doesn't it make sense to try a shared transportation mode?

Stories like this and other resources for shared commuting are published bi-weekly in the MVTMA Blog, In the Zippah Lane.*

The MVTMA hosted a bike breakfast at Vicor

Greetings!

 

What an incredible month it's been for the Merrimack Valley TMA! We just wrapped up our annual commemoration of National Bike to Work Week and the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge. In just 8 days, a record number of 3800 bikers in Massachusetts collectively rode more than 138,000 miles, saving $23,650 in gas and preventing 129,117 pounds of CO2 from entering our atmosphere. 

 

We also hosted a parklet in Andover on May 13th, giving us a chance to demonstrate what can be done with space, especially in a city center, when it isn't designated parking and is instead designed for a space people can use.

 

At the Andover Town Meeting on May 12th, voters struck down plans to build medical marijuana dispensaries at River Road and Dascomb Road in Andover and they approved of a plan to build a dispensary at Lowell Junction industrial area of Andover.

 

And finally, the Parking Management Action Plan was approved at this year's Andover Town Meeting. In addition to data already collected by the Andover Planning Department and the Andover Economic Development Council, focus group meetings with downtown businesses and residents will also be held to gather their thoughts on parking in downtown Andover and their perceived needs for improvement.

 

Summer is almost here! Keep sharing your commute!

 

Cheers!

Andrea

The Real School of Music performs at the Andover Parklet on May 13.

On May 10th-18th, the Merrimack Valley TMA celebrated the 20th annual MassCommute Bicycle Challenge in conjunction with both the National and Bay State Bike Weeks. During the nine-day stretch, 63 employees in the MVTMA biked to work for a total of 1,460 miles. That equates to $250 saved in gas and 1,363 pounds of CO2 prevented from entering the air we breathe.

The MVTMA also hosted its first Parklet in downtown Andover on Tuesday, May 13th. In the space of two parking spots on the corner of Main and Barnard Streets, we shared space with Colonial Bicycle Company who provided triage for cyclists who rode in, Latitude Sports Club, the Real School of Music who performed an incredible hour of jazz, Metamorphosis Art & Design and the Village Garden Club of Andover, who gave an informative plant potting demonstration.

It was a fun day and an excellent way to demonstrate what can be done with space when it's not needed for parking. The MVTMA would not have been able to host this event without the support of the Andover Police Department, the Andover Business Community Association, and the Town of Andover. Thank you!

On May 12th, voters in Andover voted down a warrant article for medical marijuana dispensaries in two of the three business districts under consideration. The development of dispensaries in the River Road and Dascomb Road districts will not move forward while the construction of a dispensary in the Lowell Junction area (on the Andover/Wilmington border) will proceed.

This vote was related to a Fall 2013 general election vote in which Andover residents approved an article allowing the medical marijuana dispensaries to come into town. Prior to deciding on locations for the dispensaries, voters approved a zoning by-law amendment for the overlay district specifics. The vote on May 12th reflected concerns by residents regarding the impact these facilities might have on the River Road business district and concerns about both business and residential impacts in the Dascomb Road area. The approved location in the Lowell Junction area is mostly heavily industrial with some commercial uses.

This spring, a majority of town residents voted for the Andover Economic Development Council to work with the Town Planning Department and a parking consulting firm to develop a Parking Management Action Plan for downtown Andover.

The Economic Development Council and the Andover Planning Department in conjunction with a yet-to-be selected parking consulting firm will hold focus groups with downtown businesses and residents to develop ways to make parking easier to find and more reasonably priced, and to make paying for parking more convenient.

The MVTMA would like to thank the Andover Economic Development Council for promoting better management of parking to support Andover businesses and help them thrive.