As the key-planning agency for the Region, OCPC is engaged in a wide array of projects and programs ranging from air quality to transportation to housing and regional land-use planning.

The common thread in OCPC's projects and activities is regional collaboration. OCPC serves as a forum for studying and resolving regional issues, and fosters cooperation among all local governments in the region.

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The Old Colony Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) serves the Plymouth/Brockton Urbanized Area and is advised by the Old Colony Joint Transportation Committee (JTC). The MPO is the region’s policymaking organization responsible for prioritizing transportation initiatives. Members include the communities of Brockton, Plymouth, Plympton, and Whitman, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Brockton Area Transit (BAT), and the Old Colony Planning Council. The JTC, consisting of local elected officials or their designees, provides a valuable forum for citizen involvement in the in-depth and on-going process of selecting the proper combination and scheduling of local and regional transportation projects through the development of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), thereby ensuring the optimized utilization of financially limited resources. Thus, the Council and MPO rely on the JTC for input and guidance on matters pertaining to transportation.

The 2007 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is a 20-year plan for transportation improvements in our region based on projections for growth in population, housing and employment. The RTP is essential to the quality of life and economic health of our region.

Ensuring convenient access to jobs, school, entertainment, recreation, and critical services such as banking, medical care, and shopping requires a transportation system of adequately maintained roads, transit, bikeways, and sidewalks to manage our diverse needs.

Old Colony Human Services Coordination Plan

The Human Services Coordination Plan addresses the mobility issues of the communities and service providers located in the Old Colony Region, and focus specifically on the needs of Elderly, Disabled, School Aged and Low-income populations, and their transportation needs and services. Specific programs discussed in this Plan 5310, 5311, 5316 (JARC) and 5317 (New Freedom).

Coordinated special needs transportation is when multiple organizations work together to their mutual benefit, taking advantage of existing infrastructure and systems, gaining economies of scale, eliminating duplication, enhancing efficiency, expanding, and/or improving the quality of service in order to better address the transportation needs of the special needs population.

 There are many levels of coordination ranging from the basic sharing of training resources to the full integration of services. Examples of coordinating transportation include:

• Building on the existing transportation broker infrastructure to expand ride brokering to programs other than Medicaid
• Establishing feeder services to connect to fixed transit routes
• Identifying barriers to coordination in the regulatory environment and advocating for change
• Making greater use of technology to find providers and schedule trips
• Finding ways to group riders on the same vehicle van when they are sponsored by different funding agencies
• Leveraging purchasing power for vehicles, fuel, maintenance or training
• Improving communication capabilities

FFY 2010-2013 Transportation Improvement Program

Projects included in the FFY 2010-2013 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) are consistent with Regional Transportation Plan and are part of the area's overall strategy for providing mobility, congestion relief, improving safety, and reduction of transportation-related air pollution in support of efforts to attain federal air quality standards for the region.

Route 3A Corridor Study

Completed in 2007 was the Route 3A Corridor Study. The aim of the study was to identify specific and general problems and derive feasible actions that will improve the safety and traffic flow of Route 3A. Safety conditions and level of service for this roadway need improvements as the current traffic is projected to increase with further development along this route.   

Under this task, OCPC conducted a corridor traffic study to assist member communities of Kingston and Plymouth in developing the appropriate solutions for identified transportation deficiencies. Staff prepared a report, which outlines the Study's findings and recommendations. The findings and recommendations contained in the final report serve as the basis for including projects in the region's TIP and Regional Transportation Plan.

Route 27 Corridor Study

Completed in 2009 was the Route 27 Corridor Study. The aim of the study was to identify specific and general problems and derive feasible actions that will improve the safety and traffic flow of Route 27. Safety conditions and level of service for this roadway need improvements as the current traffic is projected to increase with further development along this route.   

Under this task, OCPC conducted a corridor traffic study to assist member communities of Kingston and Plymouth in developing the appropriate solutions for identified transportation deficiencies. Staff prepared a report, which outlines the Study's findings and recommendations. The findings and recommendations contained in the final report serve as the basis for including projects in the region's TIP and Regional Transportation Plan.

Easton State Numbered Routes Corridor Study

Completed in 2006 was the Easton State Numbered Routes Corridor Study. The aim of the study was to identify specific and general problems and derive feasible actions that will improve the safety and traffic flow of the state numbered routes of 106, 123, and 138 in the town of Easton. Safety conditions and level of service for this roadway need improvements as the current traffic is projected to increase with further development along these routes.   

Under this task, OCPC conducted a corridor traffic study to assist Easton in developing the appropriate solutions for identified transportation deficiencies. Staff prepared a report, which outlines the Study's findings and recommendations. The findings and recommendations contained in the final report serve as the basis for including projects in the region's TIP and Regional Transportation Plan.

UPWP Activities Completed in 2009

§  Continued to support, implement, and refine the Public Participation Plan, as required by federal planning regulations. 

§  Sponsored regular meetings of the Joint Transportation Committee in order to encourage public participation.

§  Developed the 2010 Unified Planning Work Program, which specifies planning activities and products of the MPO.

§  Developed and endorsed the FFY 2010-13 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

§  Prepared the BAT 2009 Fixed Route Ridership Analysis.

§  Prepared the BAT System Time Study.

§  Prepared the Rockland Transit Feasibility Study.

§  Prepared the BAT Route 2A Route Analysis.

§  Prepared the 2009 Transit Resource Directory.

§  Prepared the Route 27 Corridor Study.

§  Conducted the annual solicitation of projects as part of the Old Colony Human Services Coordination Plan.

§  Continued with the development and maintenance of comprehensive GIS highway planning data layers. Updated layers include traffic signals and traffic count locations.

§  Provided MassHighway with updates to the Road Inventory File.

§  Worked with member communities to increase network mileage by facilitating the acceptance of private roads.

§  Implemented and maintained the Congestion, Land Use, Pavement, Safety Management Systems, and related annual reports.

§  Continued to monitor ridership and parking utilization for the two Old Colony Commuter Rail Lines and the regional park and ride lots.

§  Collected and maintained regional traffic volume counts, turning movement counts, accident data, and other related transportation statistics for various planning studies for OCPC member communities.

§  Responded to numerous requests for traffic counts, speed studies, vehicles classification studies, level of service analyses, and other transportation related data. 

§  Responded to municipal requests for local highway technical assistance on transportation related issues/problems/ and concerns.

§  Reviewed and analyzed demographic information and data from US Census 2000 to ensure that planning and programming analyses and forecasting methods are consistent with current methodologies and information.

§  Reviewed Environmental Notification Forms (ENFs) and Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) for projects located within the OCPC Region.

§  Completed the 2009 OCPC Traffic Volumes Report, which contains over 5,000 traffic counts.

§  Determined Air Quality Analyses for several transportation improvement projects.

§  Continued development, maintenance, and application of the Regional Travel Demand Model in order to fulfill the forecasting requirements of SAFETEA-LU.

§  Developed, updated, and refined the housing and employment projections for the planning horizon years of 2007, 2010, 2020, 2025, and 2030.

§  Assisted EOTPW-Planning in the preparation of statewide modeling efforts.

GET INVOLVED

Transportation Advisory Network (TAN) The TAN is a mailing list of individuals and organizations that have an interest in local transportation issues. The TAN provides a broad community resource for the formation and review of transportation plans, policies and strategies. This network provides key contact persons for outreach efforts, dissemination of information, and informal review and comment to ensure sensitivity to varied community needs, concerns, and interests.

For more information on the outreach efforts, please refer to the Public Involvement Plan. In addition, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has published an excellent overview of the metropolitan transportation planning process. This publication

This publication may be viewed in either HTML or PDF format on the FHWA Web site, where you may also find additional information of interest.

HOW CAN YOU BECOME INVOLVED?

• Ask to be put on the Transportation Advisory Network (TAN) mailing list.
• Attend public hearings, workshops, and forums, and comment in writing or in person.
• Attend meetings of the JTC and/ or the MPO.
• Review draft plans and other documents and comment in writing or in person.

Title VI

The metropolitan planning process establishes a cooperative, continuous, and comprehensive framework for making transportation investment decision in metropolitan areas. It also serves to promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned growth and economic development patterns.

 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. As a sub-recipient of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works (EOTPW), the Old Colony MPO utilizes a Title VI complaint procedure as part of its Title VI Program.

The purpose of Title VI is to prevent the denial, reduction or delay of benefits to minority and low income populations, to ensure full and fair participation by affected populations in transportation decisions, and to ensure that policies and programs avoid producing disproportionately negative effects on minority and low income populations.

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