Government

Forum Will Educate Public About Transportation & Traffic Issues in Town

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A local group wants to give residents a voice in how transportation and traffic in Watertown looks in the future, and will hold a forum to educate residents about transportation planning. Traffic and public transportation have become big issues in Watertown, and will be even more vital as developments go up on Arsenal and Pleasant streets. So, the Watertown Public Transit Task Force, the Town Council and the Watertown Community Development and Planning Department will organize a forum on Thursday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library. The event is free and open to the all residents, employees and business owners in Watertown. The goal of the forum is to increase the shared knowledge about what modern transportation planning can do in municipalities like Watertown to improve local transportation and ease traffic congestion.

Transportation

MassDOT Has Technology to Help You Avoid Traffic on Memorial Day Weekend

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced it is encouraging the public this Memorial Day Weekend to take advantage of technology tools for drivers, to travel during low volume times on major roadways, and to make note of service hours at Registry Branch Offices and for the MBTA.   

In recent years, the heaviest traffic on roadways is observed during Thursday, Friday, and Monday afternoons and early evenings.  Drivers are encouraged to make travel plans accordingly and if possible on those days to avoid the hours between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Traffic is especially heavy on I-90 at the I-84 interchange at Exit 9 in Sturbridge on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and at the I-90 Exit 11A, I-495 interchange, which handles vehicles headed south to Cape Cod and north to New Hampshire and Maine. For traffic and road conditions, drivers may use new technology to make decisions:

Customers may dial 511 and select a route to hear real-time conditions,
Visit mass511.com, a website which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information,
Access MassDOT traffic cameras. Customers may visit www1.eot.state.ma.us/ in order to view traffic camera images covering portions of Route 3, Route 6, Route 28, and parts of  I-90, I-91,  I-93, and I-95. Download the Ridewise app. Customers may use Ridewise to obtain travel times for various routes including Route 3, Route 6, I-93 and portions of I-90.  The app is available on Android and iPhone.

Government

Public Forum on Transportation in Watertown Coming Up

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The Watertown Public Transit Task Force, in collaboration with the Town Council Transportation Committee and the Watertown Department of Community Development and Planning, presents a public forum on transportation planning for Watertown. The Watertown Transportation Planning Public Forum will be held Thursday, June 16, 2016, from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. at the Watertown Savings Bank Room at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St. in Watertown. Modeled after WPTTF’s very successful public program on Transportation Management Associations (TMA) held last year, the impetus for this June planning forum is the growing interest among residents for comprehensive transportation planning for Watertown. The program will include presentations on the ABCs of municipal transportation planning, examples of transportation planning taking place in nearby communities, transportation-related initiatives in Watertown and a round table Q&A.

Government

State Starts Study of Mt. Auburn Street Corridor in Effort to Improve Traffic

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The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), in conjunction with the Cities Cambridge and Watertown, plans to commence a Mount Auburn Corridor Planning Study later this month to develop a range of implementable short- and long-term plans for the improvement of Mount Auburn Street from the Watertown line to Fresh Pond Parkway and parts of Fresh Pond Parkway. Additionally, the agency will initiate a community outreach strategy that will assist the DCR’s project team in developing options for creating safe and welcoming conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians, enhancing access to the Charles River Reservation, and optimizing transit bus operations for Routes 71 and 73, while ensuring that vehicular access is maintained. The specific project area extends from Mount Auburn Street at Belmont Street in the west, to Huron and Aberdeen Avenues in the north, and to Fresh Pond Parkway at Greenough Boulevard and Memorial Drive in the southeast. Within the project area there are several high traffic destinations such as the Mount Auburn Cemetery, the Mount Auburn Hospital, local schools, historic neighborhoods, and several local businesses. DCR is assembling a stakeholder group to help work through the intricacies of the project.

Transportation

LETTER: Bring the Hubway BikeShare Program to Watertown

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Dear Editor,
One of the issues I hear most about around Watertown is problems with too much traffic. This problem will most likely get worse with the new projects on Arsenal St. and Pleasant St. While we will most likely never completely solve traffic problems considering our proximity to Boston and the population density in the Boston Metro Region, there are possible ways we could alleviate the traffic issue. One possibility is to bring The Hubway BikeShare program to Watertown.

Government

Council Subcommittee Searches for Ways to Cut Down on Use of Cars

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A Town Council subcommittee searched for ways to cut down on the use of vehicles in Watertown, particularly driver only trips, to reduce the traffic in Watertown as town grows. For future development projects, and some recent ones, the town will require a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan, but councilors on the Transportation Committee struggled with ways to encourage businesses and large residential complexes to reduce their use of vehicles at their meeting last Tuesday. A TDM can have many features, including having an on-site manager to oversee the program, discounted transit passes, car and van pools, guaranteed rides home for those using transit or carpools, flexible work hours and contributions to a shuttle bus. The TDM numbers are based on the traffic studies done by developers before the project is approved. Director of Community Development and Planning Steve Magoon said the traffic created by a project rarely exceeds the numbers in the study.

Government

Seniors Can Sign Up for their MBTA CharlieCards in Watertown

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger is sponsoring a Senior CharlieCard Day on Wednesday, May 11, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Watertown Senior Center, 31 Marshall Street, Watertown, the senator’s office announced. Seniors age 65 or older can save a trip to the MBTA offices in Downtown Boston and apply for a Senior CharlieCard at the Senior Center on this one day. Staff from the office of Sen. Will Brownsberger will be on hand to take a photo and process applications which will be provided. Seniors will need to bring a valid, state-issued photo ID that includes date of birth. No advance sign-up is needed.

Transportation

MBTA Hosting Series of Meeting to Get Input on Improvements in Next 5 Years

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will have a series of public meetings – including in Boston, Chelsea and Framingham – to get input on their proposed improvements over the next five years. MassDOT released the following information:

In the fall of 2015 MassDOT held Capital Conversations throughout Massachusetts to solicit public input for the preparation of the MassDOT 5 year Capital Investment Plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2017-2021. This multi-billion dollar program makes long-term, multi-modal investments across the Commonwealth and covers all MassDOT highway and municipal projects, regional airports, rail and transit, including MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities as well as the Registry of Motor Vehicles. MassDOT will hold a series of public meetings across the Commonwealth to present and discuss the Draft 5 year Capital Investment Plan. Please join us as we present the Draft CIP plan, seek additional public comments and answer your questions.