Congratulations to CrossTown Connect on receipt of its third Community Innovation Challenge grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance. These grants encourage towns to collaborate on innovative, regional approaches to shared challenges. CrossTown Connect is a regional transportation partnership that counts the towns of Acton, Boxborough, Concord, Littleton, Maynard, Stow, and Westford along with local employers as members. The grant will help these partners launch the next phase of the municipally-led Transportation Management Association (TMA) they are developing. They plan to identify Transportation Impact Zones, where clusters of small businesses could participate jointly in the TMA. They also plan to develop software to give the public up-to-date information about vehicle location and make the service more accessible to riders who speak languages other than English. The CrossTown Connect winning application is featured in a video on the CIC website, and a list of all CIC applications selected for funding is also available.

In late January, MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott announced that she has been approved as a customer of THE RIDE. According to the Boston Globe, Scott needs to wear a walking boot for three months for medical reasons, which prevents her from her typical commute on the 55 bus. Scott is using a pseudonym and keeping a diary of her experiences on THE RIDE so that she can share her impressions with staff. 

On February 6, the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and Worcester Regional Transit Authority convened 20 people from area senior centers, human service agencies serving people with disabilities, employment boards, anti-poverty organizations, and transportation providers at the launch of the Central Massachusetts Regional Coordinating Council. Attendees shared information with each other about transportation services available in the region and brainstormed unmet needs. They decided to develop a survey to identify transportation services in the region to increase awareness of existing options and have scheduled their next meeting for early March. Initial meetings of stakeholders in Merrimack Valley and the Pioneer Valley were also scheduled for this month, but were thwarted by snow and will be rescheduled.

Regional Coordinating Councils are developing across Massachusetts as part of the implementation of the Governor's Executive Order 530, which seeks to improve quality and efficiency of paratransit and human service transportation across the Commonwealth. To learn more, check out the EO530 report or contact us to get involved in your region.

A new report from the U.S. PIRG discusses the role that colleges and universities around the country can play - and are playing - in promoting alternatives to driving. The report cites a number of examples from Massachusetts, including partnerships between the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the five colleges, Harvard University and Hubway bike share, and MIT and Zipcar. In Massachusetts, higher education institutions with over 1,000 commuters are required by law to take steps to reduce the number of people who drive alone, but compliance is only one of many reasons that colleges get involved. The report argues that providing transportation options can benefit the school, the students, and the surrounding community, with potential for a long-lasting effect if students continue to use these transportation alternatives after graduating. 

Here in Massachusetts, we have already had quite a winter for snow - and the weather shows no signs of letting up soon. Last month, Easter Seals Project ACTION published a new report on the importance of snow clearance for transit riders and people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices. The report profiles the City of Cambridge for its strong snow clearance policies, active enforcement of those policies, and resources to help residents who need assistance. In addition to highlighting what municipalities can do, the report also discusses the role that community groups and private associations can play and provides examples from programs in the U.S. and Canada. 

MassDOT announced that its BusPlus partnership with private operator DATTCO will bring additional commuter bus service to Southeastern Mass, starting later this month and in early March. Service will increase between Fairhaven, New Bedford, Taunton, and Boston. UMass Dartmouth will get its first direct connection to Boston. And in Central Mass, Uxbridge will get commuter service for the first time.

The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) is collecting information on promising practices that have improved transportation, and they would like to hear from you! Share your practice with them here. They specifically ask for details about the context in which you implemented this practice and the impact it had on your community, to help other organizations throughout the U.S. that might be interested in replicating your program or policy.

Save the date! The semi-annual transportation coordination meeting is scheduled for April 17 in Natick. These meetings are a chance for members of original transportation coordination teams from 2009 to update each other on their progress and challenges and for new coordination efforts - including Regional Coordinating Councils - to get involved and network with peers from across the state. Look for more information by email. If you have not previously attended and are interested in joining the mailing list, please let us know.

Aniko Laszlo, Statewide Mobility Manager at MassDOT, blogs monthly on topics related to community transportation in Massachusetts. Check out her current posting and archives to learn about ongoing efforts around the state.

Follow us @MassMobility for links to community transportation resources relevant to organizations and agencies here in Massachusetts. If you aren't on Twitter, you can still see our posts online at twitter.com/MassMobility/.

If you have suggestions for news items or topics to cover in future newsletters, please contact us. Comments, questions, and feedback are also welcome.

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