10/12/2012

MassDOT Goal: Triple Travel by Bicycle, Transit, Walking

MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey this week announced a statewide mode shift goal of tripling the share of travel in Massachusetts by bicycling, transit and walking.

With the mode shift goal MassDOT will be able to foster improved quality of life by improving our environment and preserving capacity on our highway network; by letting other travel options absorb travel demand that contributes to highway congestion that is slowing our potential for economic growth. In addition, we will achieve positive public health outcomes by providing more healthy transportation options.

In the face of tight budgets and scarce resources MassDOT is rising to the challenge of providing sustainable and healthy transportation choices for all of our customers.

“We all have a stake in achieving a statewide mode shift goal and establishing a sustainable transportation system that meets all our customers’ needs and that we can afford to maintain.” said MassDOT Secretary Davey.

In collaboration with our regional transportation partners, community leaders, advocates and customers, MassDOT will consider what is possible for our transportation system and imagine healthier, greener and cleaner mobility. Transportation is second only to buildings as a source of greenhouse gas emissions, with the vast majority of transportation emissions coming from cars and trucks. Governor Patrick signed the Global Warming Solutions Act into law in 2008, and in 2010 established targets of 25 percent reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2050 – the most ambitious GHG emissions limits for any state in the nation.

The Commonwealth’s mode shift will be featured in MassDOT’s GreenDOT Implementation Plan being finalized this fall. The GreenDOT Implementation Plan establishes the strategy for a multi-modal MassDOT emerge as a national leader in “greening” a state transportation system.

MassDOT Statewide Transportation Conversation

MassDOT next week will continue statewide public meetings, engaging with residents, community leaders and business owners to discuss the future of transportation in the Commonwealth.

Representatives from each division of MassDOT – RMV, Highway, Aeronautics and MBTA/Rail and Transit will be available to answer questions and provide information.

Two meetings are scheduled for next week:

October 16, 2012 5:30-7:30 PM
Fitchburg Public Library Auditorium
610 Main Street Fitchburg, MA 01420

October 17, 2012 6-8 PM
Middlesex Community College
Federal Building - Assembly Room
50 Kearney Square Lowell, Massachusetts 01852

The complete list of meetings is available on the web at:
http://www.mass.gov/massdot/yourvisionourfuture

Moving Together Conference

MassDOT invites you to the Moving Together 2012 Conference, to be held
Wednesday, October 17, 7:45 AM – 4:00 PM
at the Boston Sheraton Hotel
39 Dalton Street, Boston.

The Commonwealth’s annual statewide walking and bicycling conference this year will focus on “Mode Shift to Healthier State.”

JudyAnn Bigby, MD, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the conference Keynote speaker. She will provide a unique perspective on healthy transportation.

MassDOT’s GreenDOT Policy supports sustainability and promotes the healthy transportation modes of walking, bicycling and transit as a top goal.

Moving Together, a GreenDOT initiative, hosts local, regional and state officials, community leaders and board members, planners, transportation engineers, landscape architects, public health and environmental professionals, advocates, educators, and consultants, all focused on bicycle and pedestrian transportation. For more information, visit the Moving Together 2012 website.

MassDOT Board November Public Meeting

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors will hold its next regular public business meeting on Wednesday, November 7, 1:00pm, MBTA Board Room, Suite 3830, 10 Park Plaza, Boston.

The meeting schedule is available on the MassDOT website.
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/BoardsCommittees/BoardofDirectors/BoardMeetings.aspx