Metropolitan Planning Organization
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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 policy making organization
responsible for prioritizing transportation initiatives. Members
include the communities of Abington, Brockton, Plymouth, and West
Bridgewater, the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT), the
Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD), 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.
Route 28 Corridor Traffic Study
Completed in 2006 was the Route 28 Traffic 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 28. 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 Avon, Brockton, West Bridgewater, and Bridgewater 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 Transportation Plan.
Transportation and Land Use Policy Implementation Plan
Under this
planning effort, staff developed a plan that identifies several
strategies that help maximize the benefits of an effective
transportation system at a variety of levels. For example, coordinated
land use and transportation planning can help promote compact
development patterns and village centers that support public
transportation systems. In addition to land use planning that promotes
public transit and other steps for effective transit planning, traffic
congestion can be alleviated through strategies including highway
construction, travel demand techniques, use of new techniques, and
coordinated intergovernmental planning. Additionally, the plan make
recommendations for design, zoning, open space planning, transportation,
transit oriented development, smart growth, bicycle and pedestrian, and
land use guidance controls in communities and develop implementation
strategies.
UPWP activities completed in 2006
§ 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 2007 Unified Planning Work Program, which specifies planning activities and products of the MPO.
§ Developed and distributed a series of JTC Newsletters.
§ Implemented the FY 2006-2010 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
§ Developed and endorsed the FY 2007-2010 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
§ Prepared the 2005 Fixed Route Ridership Analysis for Brockton Area Transit.
§ Continued with the development and maintenance of comprehensive GIS highway planning data layers. Updated layers include traffic signals and traffic count locations.
§ Provided MHD with updates to the Road Inventory File.
§ Worked with member communities to increase network mileage by facilitating the acceptance of private roads.
§ Continued to monitor ridership and parking utilization for the two Old Colony Commuter Rail Lines and the regional park and ride lots. Activities included the MBTA commuter rail boarding and alighting study.
§ 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 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 2006 OCPC Traffic Volumes Report, which contains over 4,000 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 EOT-Planning in the preparation of statewide modeling efforts.
The JTC and MPO provide complete information, timely public notice, and full public access to decisions and documents. They support early and continuing public involvement in the development and review of its plans and programs. They especially try to seek out and consider the interests of people whose needs may be not be well served by the existing transportation system, such as low income and minority households and persons with limited personal mobility. The JTC and MPO also invite the public to identify places in the Old Colony Region where traffic is congested and suggest ways to reduce that congestion.
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?
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SIGNATORIES |
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REPRESENTATIVES |
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Abington - Del |
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Kenan Connell |
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Abington - Alt |
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Bruce Hughes |
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Avon |
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Edward Sarni |
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Bridgewater – Del. |
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Robert B. Wood |
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Bridgewater - Alt |
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David Matton |
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Brockton - Del |
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Michael Thoreson |
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Brockton - Alt |
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Elaine Czaja |
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East Bridgewater - Del |
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Richard O’Flaherty |
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East Bridgewater - Alt |
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John Haines |
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Easton |
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Wayne P. Southworth |
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Easton |
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Maurice Goulet |
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Halifax |
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Troy E. Garron |
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Hanson |
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Noreen O'Toole, Chair |
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Kingston |
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Paul Basler |
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Pembroke |
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Michael Valenti |
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Plymouth |
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Saeed B. Kashi, Vice Chair |
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Plympton |
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James Mulcahy |
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Stoughton |
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Carin Klipp |
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West Bridgewater |
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Tom Green |
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Whitman |
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Michael P. Regan |
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AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES |
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EOT |
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Kenneth Miller |
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EOT Planning |
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Joanne Telegen |
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MHD, District 5 |
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Bernard McCourt |
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MHD, District 5 |
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Tim Kochan |
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BAT |
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Reinald Ledoux, Jr. |
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DEP |
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Leah Weiss |
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FHWA |
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Michael Chong |
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FHWA |
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Edward Silva |
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FTA |
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Andrew Motter |
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FTA |
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Donna Laidley |
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MBTA |
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Joseph Cosgrove |
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Brockton Traffic Commission |
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Lt. John Gomes |