WRTA buses will begin using the pullouts when the construction is complete in November 2015. Furthermore, VHB staff from all offices now consult with CMRPC anytime they work on a road where a WRTA bus runs. "Before this, we never worked directly with a design/engineering firm," explains Jonathan Church, Transportation Project Manager at CMRPC, "but this has been a very effective collaboration that has increased access to this area and these stores for everyone. It's a model that all Regional Planning Agencies can incorporate as part of complete streets."

With aging baby boomers and the increasing proportion of women driving, the number of older adults on the road continues to rise. Although skills and ability - not age - determine our capacity to drive, older adults tend to outlive their ability to drive due to age-related declines such as arthritis or reduced vision, hearing, or cognitive abilities. Men can expect to outlive driving by six years, and women by about ten. In our society, driving is viewed as a right of passage and a key to independence, and thus discussing retirement from driving with an older adult can be difficult.

On September 19, Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Elder Services of Worcester, and the Worcester Senior Center sponsored a free seminar for caregivers on just this topic. Five speakers discussed resources available to help caregivers with this conversation:

Caregivers left the seminar with an increased knowledge of the supports and programs available to them to facilitate the conversation to retire driving, as well as alternative transportation options in the region.

In September, the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) expanded its Boston Hospital Shuttle schedule from two days to three per week. Riders can now use the shuttle to get to medical appointments on Wednesdays, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays.