Work Program

Future of the CUrb, Phase 3

Janaury 20, 2022

Proposed Motion

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) votes to approve this work program.

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Classification

Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

Project Number 13313

Client  

Boston Region MPO

Project Supervisors

Principal: Paul Christner
Manager: Blake Acton

Funding Source

2022 MPO Combined PL Funds

Schedule and Budget

Schedule: 8 months after work commences

Budget: $70,000

Schedule and budget details are shown in Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.

Relationship to MPO Goals

The Boston Region MPO elected to fund this study with its federally allocated metropolitan planning funds during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2022. The work completed through this study will address the following goal areas established in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan: capacity management and mobility, and economic vitality. This study advances the MPO goals for capacity management and mobility by helping planners more effectively leverage curb space to meet community goals and adapt to changing demands.

Background

This study will build on the Future of the Curb, Phase 2, guidebook that provides local planners with a foundation of curb management implementation strategies and best practices. In this study, Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) will evaluate the effectiveness of curb management strategies described in the guidebook. CTPS will identify curb management case studies in the region and develop methods to determine the success of each curb management strategy. CTPS will identify metrics and datasets to evaluate the impact of each strategy according to the unique goals and community priorities in each case study. If available datasets are insufficient, staff will collect field data through counts, surveys, or other observations.

Objectives

This study will generate a method to measure curb space effectiveness by management strategy and municipality type, developed from available data within the Boston region.

Work Description

CTPS will identify specific curb management strategies to study (such as bus lanes, pick-up and drop-off [PUDO] zones, and designated spaces for freight loading and deliveries). CTPS will also find examples of where these curb management strategies are actively in use within the Boston region, keeping in mind different community types throughout the region. CTPS will then collect data to measure the efficacy of the strategies through available digital data sources (such as automatic passenger counter-derived bus delay data and municipal parking data) and through in-person data collection efforts (such as turnover counts in parking spaces). CTPS will then analyze the results to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of each curb management strategy.  

Task 1  Identify Curb Management Strategies to Study

CTPS will use the Curb Management Guidebook produced in the Future of the Curb, Phase 2, project to select as many as three curb management strategies to measure. CTPS will identify strategies that have been implemented in various locations throughout the region, considering data availability and the popularity of the strategies. Some of the possible strategies that may be selected from the larger set in the guidebook are parking policy and pricing changes as well as implementation of PUDO zones, parklets, and freight loading zones.

Product of Task 1

List of curb management strategies to measure and data needed for evaluation.

Task 2  Collect Data at Boston Region Locations

CTPS will identify locations in the Boston region where curb management strategies are implemented to serve as case studies. More than one location may be identified for the same strategy and more than one strategy may be evaluated within a single municipality. The locations selected will have varying densities and land uses in order to provide useful examples to municipalities throughout the Boston region. CTPS will work with municipalities to determine available data sources and schedule times for in-person data collection.

CTPS will create a data collection plan that establishes processes for data collection and will serve as an example for Boston region municipalities that wish to collect their own curb management data. CTPS will then collect all relevant data based on chosen locations and curb management strategies to be measured.

Products of Task 2

Data collection plan and final set of curb usage data.

Task 3  Analyze Data and Provide Results and Guidance on Measuring Curb Efficiency

Subtask 3.1  Analyze Data

CTPS will analyze the data that have been gathered in Task 2 to measure the effectiveness of curb management strategies based on individual community goals. Staff will examine and compare before-and-after data to make comparisons and measure the effectiveness of changes to curb management. If there is a lack of “before” data, qualitative measures may be used depending on community goals.  

Subtask 3.2  Provide Case Study Summaries and Guidance on Measuring Curb Strategy Effectiveness

After the data have been analyzed, CTPS will summarize each case study and provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of curb management strategies based on each community’s stated goals for the strategy. CTPS will also provide guidance on curb management data collection and analysis. The goal will be to provide municipalities with tools and guidance for curb data collection and analysis of curb management strategies. The guidance is intended to be relevant for all the different community types in the Boston region so that the municipalities can use this guidance to estimate the effect of curb management changes.

Product of Task 3

An online guide presenting case study summaries and guidelines for data collection and analysis to measure curb management strategy effectiveness.

 

 

 

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166.

The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background.

A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact

Title VI Specialist
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org

By Telephone:
857.702.3702 (voice)

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service:

  • Relay Using TTY or Hearing Carry-over: 800.439.2370
  • Relay Using Voice Carry-over: 866.887.6619
  • Relay Using Text to Speech: 866.645.9870

For more information, including numbers for Spanish speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay.

 

Exhibit 1
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE
Future of the Curb, Phase 3


Task
Month
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1.
Identify Curb Management Strategies to Study
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 2, Week 2.
2.
Collect Data at Boston Region Locations
From Month 2, Week 3 to Month 5, Week 4.
Deliverable
A
Delivered by Month 5, Week 4.
3.
Analyze Data and Provide Results and Guidance on Measuring Curb Efficiency
From Month 5, Week 2 to Month 8, Week 4.
Deliverable
B
Delivered by Month 8, Week 4.
Products/Milestones
A: Data collection plan, final set of curb usage data
B: An online guide presenting case study summaries and guidelines for data collection and analysis to measure curb management strategy effectiveness

 

Exhibit 2
ESTIMATED COST
Future of the Curb, Phase 3

Direct Salary and Overhead

$70,000

Task
Person-Weeks Direct
Salary
Overhead
(109.09%)
Total
Cost
M-1 P-2 Temp Total
1.
Identify Curb Management Strategies to Study
1.0 2.0 0.0 3.0 $4,054 $4,422 $8,476
2.
Collect Data at Boston Region Locations
1.3 6.0 2.0 9.3 $10,879 $11,868 $22,747
3.
Analyze Data and Provide Results and Guidance on Measuring Curb Efficiency
3.4 10.0 0.0 13.4 $18,546 $20,232 $38,777
Total
5.7 18.0 2.0 25.7 $33,478 $36,522 $70,000

Other Direct Costs

$0

TOTAL COST

$70,000
Funding
2022 MPO Combined PL Funds