►
From YouTube: Cummins Highway Virtual Presentation: October 8th, 2020
Description
Project dsign update for the Cummings Highway Project
A
For
this
presentation,
I'd
like
to
give
you
a
quick
project
summary
and
an
update
about
where
we
are
in
the
design
process.
I
will
go
into
detail
about
the
lane
reduction
traffic
pilot
and
the
results.
Finally,
I'll
talk
about
the
project
status
and
our
next
steps
moving
forward
to
provide
you
with
the
brief
overview
of
this
project,
the
public
works
department
started
looking
at
the
redesign
of
cummins
highway
back
in
december
of
2018..
A
A
What
we
heard
from
the
three
community
meetings
that
we
hosted
and
the
survey
information
that
we
solicited
was
that
the
cummins
highway,
that
was,
that
cummins
highway
needed
to
be
safer
for
pedestrians,
cyclists
and
drivers
to
make
this
corridor
safer
and
address
the
community's
concerns
that
this
vehicle
speeds
were
too
high
on
commerce
highway
and
that
the
crashes
were
too
frequent
and
too
severe
public
works
developed
a
few
design
concepts
that
aimed
at
resolving
these
safety
issues
to
select
the
preferred
alternative
that
would
significantly
improve.
That
would
significantly
improve
the
safety
of
the
corridor.
A
A
Reducing
vehicle
speeds
was
the
number
one
concern
that
we
heard
from
the
community.
We
found
that
the
only
way
to
address
this
issue
and
improve
safety
on
compass
highway
is
to
reduce
the
number
of
travel
lengths.
This
design
concept
calls
for
two
11-foot
travel
lanes,
which
is
one
foot
wider
than
the
existing
travel
lanes
on
cummins
highway.
A
As
I
mentioned,
this
design
concept
improves
safety
for
all
modes
of
transportation
in
response
to
public
works,
department's
selection
of
the
preferred
design
concept
the
community
raised
some
valid
concerns
and
here's
what
we
heard
residents
were
concerned
about
the
increased
congestion
with
only
two
travel
lanes.
Residents
were
also
concerned
about
the
increased
travel
time
through
the
quarter,
and
they
were
also
concerned
about
delays
to
the
mbta
bus
service.
Instead
of
moving
forward
with
the
design,
we
agreed
with
what
some
of
the
residents
at
the
february
community
meeting
said,
and
that
was
the
test.
A
This
summer,
the
public
works
department
installed
plastic
water
filled
barriers
to
reduce
travel
to
one
lane
in
each
direction.
For
the
pilot,
we
wanted
to
look
at
the
limits
between
woodhaven
street
and
the
harvest
street
wood
avenue
intersection
to
simulate
a
two-lane
roadway.
We
converted
the
outside
travel
lanes
in
the
eastbound
and
westbound
directions
into
parking
lanes
when
travel
lanes
adjacent
to
the
medium
were
maintained
for
travel,
and
the
existing
parking
lanes
were
closed
off
of
plastic
barriers
to
provide
temporary
bicycle
accommodations
in
each
direction.
A
To
evaluate
the
pilot,
we
determined
that
the
metrics
to
best
assess
the
lane
reductions
was
to
take
traffic
counts
measure,
vehicle
speeds,
measure
travel
times
the
mbta
bus
travel
times
and
to
monitor
the
number
of
crashes
within
the
limits
of
the
pilot.
The
following
slides
will
go
into
more
detail
about
what
we
discovered.
A
One
of
the
concerns
that
we
heard
from
the
community
in
regard
to
the
pilot
was
that
testing
a
lane
reduction
on
cummins
highway
during
covert
19
would
not
accurately
depict
the
traffic
along
the
quarter.
Taking
a
look
at
the
vehicle
volumes
and
comparing
the
numbers
from
october
2018
to
august
2020,
we've
found
that
the
average
percentage
of
traffic
decreased
only
about
15
percent
along
the
corridor
from
an
engineering
standpoint,
we
do
not
believe
that
this
decrease
is
significant
enough
to
dispute
these
results.
A
In
addition,
when
we
gathered
data
on
two
days
back
in
october
2018,
we
discovered
that
35
and
39
of
drivers
traveled
at
speeds
of
35
miles
per
hour
hours
or
faster
respectively.
In
comparison.
The
data
we
collected
on
two
days
this
august
indicated
that
only
10
and
11
of
drivers,
traveled
at
speeds
of
35
miles
per
hour
or
faster
respectively.
A
Another
concern
the
residents
raised
was
in
regard
to
the
increased
travel
times
through
the
quarter,
to
determine
the
average
travel
times
along
cummins
highway.
During
the
pm
peak
hour,
we
conducted
10
travel,
runs
in
the
eastbound
and
westbound
directions.
As
you
can
see
when
we
conducted
this
study
in
march
of
last
year,
it
took
us
two
minutes
and
26
seconds
to
travel
down
the
westbound
direction
and
one
minute
and
52
seconds
to
travel
down
the
eastbound
direction
about
a
month
after
the
pilot
was
implemented.
A
We
conducted
another
study
and
found
that
it
took
26
seconds
longer
to
travel
in
the
westbound
direction
and
30
seconds
longer
to
travel
in
the
eastbound
direction.
As
always
with
slower
speeds,
we
can
expect
longer
travel
times
with
the
improvements
of
safety
that
we're
able
to
accomplish
with
the
lane
reduction.
The
city
feels
that
an
additional
30
seconds
of
travel
time
is
worth
the
minor
delays.
A
Another
one
of
the
major
concerns
that
the
residents
raised
was
in
regards
to
the
delay
in
mbta
bus
services.
We've
been
coordinating
with
the
mbta
on
this
pilot
and
based
on
the
data
that
they
have
collected
travel
times,
increased
about
26
seconds
in
the
westbound
direction
and
13
seconds
in
the
eastbound
direction.
During
the
pilot.
A
A
A
Since
the
implementation
of
the
pilot
we've
reached
out
to
the
boston
police
department
to
request
the
crash
data
within
the
limits
of
the
pro,
the
pilot,
as
you
can
see,
more
still
needs
to
be
done
to
make
cummins
highway
safer.
In
less
than
two
months,
they
reported
an
additional
11
total
crashes
to
resulting
in
personal
injury.
A
A
We've
received
over
hundreds
of
online
survey
responses,
3-1-1
calls
emails,
hand-written
letters
and
mail-in
surveys.
We
also
receive
additional
survey
comments
from
the
street
ambassadors,
who
are
individuals
from
the
mattapan
community
that
were
on
the
streets
talking
to
residents
who
live
and
walk
up
and
down
cummins
highway.
A
Some
of
the
people
that
they
spoke
to
may
or
may
not
have
been
aware
of
this
project
in
our
ongoing
design
process,
but
they
were
able
to
to
inform
the
residents
that
we
weren't
able
to
reach
here
at
public
works.
We
believe
that
informed
constituency
would
have
the
best
tools
to
assist
us
in
this
process
and
the
work
of
these
street
ambassadors
have
been
greatly
appreciated.
A
I'll
go
into
more
detail
regarding
these
concerns
in
the
following
slides
in
the
responses
we
received,
residents
expressed
that
vehicles
are
still
speeding
on
cummins
highway
and
crop
and
crashes
are
still
occurring.
We
understand
and
acknowledge
that
there
are
still
some
vehicles
speeding
on
commerce
highway.
However,
our
data
shows
that
the
majority
of
vehicles
traveling
on
commerce
highway
are
driving
slower.
A
A
A
In
regard
to
biking
on
cummins
highway,
some
residents
have
expressed
that
there
aren't
many
cyclists
using
cummins
highway
and
others
have
expressed
that
the
pilot
should
have
been
extended
to
american
legion
highway.
First,
I'd
like
to
emphasize
that
this
project
is
mainly
about
safety.
That
being
so,
we
also
need
to
recognize
that
there
are
individuals
who
actually
bike
on
cummins
highway
realistically
biking
on
cummins
highway
today
isn't
really
a
viable
mode
of
transportation,
because
it
doesn't
feel
safe
with
vehicles.
A
Speeding
up
and
down
this
four
lane
quote
unquote
highway
and
with
the
frequency
of
the
crashes
riding.
The
bike
on
this
road
feel
like
feels
like
taking
your
life
in
your
own
hands
for
this
project,
we're
looking
at
improvement
safety
for
all
modern
transportation
and
in
our
experience,
we've
also
seen
that
more
people
ride
bikes
when
safer
bicycle
accommodations
are
provided.
A
That
being
said,
the
bike
lanes
in
this
concept
design
have
only
been
proposed
as
a
result
of
proposed
lane
reductions
to
reduce
speeds,
as
I've
also
mentioned
in
our
previous
presentations.
Connectivity
is
also
important
to
the
city.
Not
only
will
these
accommodations
benefit
the
cyclists
of
today
it
would
be
a
great
benefit
for
future
riders
who
would
like
to
have
access
to
different
modes
of
transportation
to
get
around
matapan
roslindale
and
dorchester.
A
A
We
acknowledge
these
concerns
and
we're
looking
for
ways
to
improve
on
the
temporary
design.
Please
know
that
these
please
note
that
these
issues
would
would
also
be
resolved
in
the
final
design,
where
we're
proposing
to
widen
the
parking
lane
by
one
foot
and
relocate
the
parking
lane
back
to
the
curbside.
A
Finally,
the
last
concern
that
we
heard
and
witnessed
in
regards
to
the
parking
pertain
to
illegal
parking
in
the
temporary
bike
lanes.
We've
also
seen
that
the
bike
lanes
have
been
blocked
by
trash
barrels
and
other
debris
as
part
of
this
trial.
We
do
not
want
to
ticket
and
tow
vehicles
along
commons
highway,
but
we
have
been
working
with
the
transportation
department
and
the
boston
police
department
to
issue
warnings
to
keep
cars
moving
and
we've
also
reached
out
to
the
public
works
operation,
division
to
clear
out
debris
and
actually
hand
sweep
the
bike
lane
regularly.
A
Another
concern
we
heard
regarding
the
pilot
focused
on
the
poor
visibility
at
intersections
residents,
expressed.
They
had
difficulty
exiting
side
streets
due
to
cars
parked
in
a
temporary
bike
lane,
as
well
as
the
barriers.
The
preferred
alternative
will
serve
to
resolve
these
issues,
with
curb
extensions
at
corners
and
with
better
lighting.
A
A
A
Moving
on
to
emergency
services.
These
vehicles
have
variety
priority
on
all
of
our
city
streets.
This
is
true
for
nearby
streets
with
two
lane.
Two
travel
lanes
like
river
street
at
the
eastern
end
of
the
project
limits
and
even
on
cummins.
However,
westerly
of
harvard
street
emergency
vehicles
are
able
to
pass
on
these
streets
and
with
the
removal
of
the
median
in
the
preferred
alternative.
More
than
enough
space
will
be
provided
to
accommodate
passing
on
this
section
of
cummins
highway
ahead
of
the
pilot.
A
The
traffic
signals
along
the
corridor
will
also
update
to
complement
the
lane
reductions,
also
in
response
to
one
of
the
congestion
issues
that
we
noticed
during
the
pilot,
the
intestine
of
the
pilot.
We
made
repairs
to
the
traffic
signals
at
the
cummins
highway
in
rockdale
and
rockdale
street
intersection
to
improve
efficiency.
A
Lastly,
in
regards
to
the
congestion,
I
would
also
like
to
refer
to
the
measurements
that
we've
taken
on
cummins
highway
as
I've
shown
in
one
of
our
previous
slides.
Our
data
indicates
that
the
travel
times
have
only
increased
an
average
of
28
seconds
during
peak
hours
from
two-lane
roadway
traffic
is
expected
to
move
slower
and
take
longer
through
the
corridor.
A
A
So
what
do
we
go
from
here?
As
I've
previously
mentioned,
we've
been
looking
at
different
ways
to
make
some
short-term
improvements
to
address
the
concerns
expressed
about
the
pilot
from
the
numbers
that
we've
seen
from
the
crash
data
and
the
vehicle
speeds.
It's
clear
that
we
that
we
still
need
to
do
more
on
cummins
highway.
We
would
like
to
maintain
these
temporary
improvements
and
implement
the
phase
two
of
the
pilot
on
cummins
highway.
A
To
address
some
of
the
concerns
raised
by
the
community
phase.
Two
will
remove
the
orange
and
white
barriers,
install
flex
posts
and
pavement
markings.
We
will
extend
the
pilot
to
american
legion
highway.
We
will
continue
to
monitor
illegal
parking
issue
warrants
and
maintain
the
bike
lane
to
remove
debris.
A
The
blue,
highlighted
section
indicates
the
transportation
department's
american
legion
hired
project
that
will
install
bike
lanes
from
cummins
highway
to
blue
hill
avenue,
as
I've
shown
on
this
map.
This
extension
provides
a
vital
connection
for
safer,
multiple
modes
of
transportation,
from
the
mattapan
neighborhood
to
dorchester
or
roslindale.
A
Here
is
an
image
of
what
phase
two
of
the
pilot
will
look
like.
As
you
can
see,
the
removal
of
the
waterfield
barrier
improves
visibility
and
we
provide
more
of
the
standard
design
elements
we
generally
use
for
traffic
calming
more
space
provided
for
parking,
and
the
drivers
are
able
to
regain
a
little
bit
more
comfort
when
entering
and
exiting
their
vehicles.
A
To
go
into
detail
about
the
next
steps
phase
two
of
the
pilot
is
expected
to
start
in
mid
to
late
october.
We
will
continue
to
continue
monitoring
the
pilot
by
measuring
traffic
volumes,
traffic
speeds,
congestion
travel
times
and
the
bus
delay,
and,
as
always,
we
want
to
hear
from
you.
We
will
be
providing
another
online
survey
and
we
ask
that
you
leave
comments
and
tell
us
what
you
think.
Please
visit
the
public
books
project
webpage
for
comments
highway
for
more
information
there.
A
You
will
find
a
link
to
the
survey
as
well
as
other
project,
information
and
materials.
We
would
really
love
to
hear
from
you.
Let
us
know
if
you
like
the
trial
dislike
the
trial.
If
you've
noticed
any
issues,
the
more
we
hear
from
you,
the
better
we're
able
to
respond
and
deal
with
any
design
issues
in
real
time.
A
Public
works
was
out
in
the
community
last
week
weekend
at
the
matapan
farmers
market.
We're
planning
on
being
there
this
weekend
as
well.
Please
come
join
us
to
speak
more
about
cummins
highway
if
needed,
more
dates
will
follow
and
we'll
also
be
attending
more
neighborhood
association
meetings
in
the
future.
A
To
give
you
an
update
on
our
current
timeline,
here's
our
anticipated
project
schedule,
as
I've
already
mentioned,
we've
hosted
two
public
meetings.
Last
year
in
april
october
and
one
meeting
in
february
of
this
year,
we
released
an
online
presentation
on
july
17
and
the
temporary
traffic
common
pilot
began
on
july
24th,
the
public
works
department
hosted
a
pop-up
at
the
mattapan
farmer's
market
on
saturday
october
3rd,
and
we
plan
on
hosting
a
second
one
on
saturday
october
10th
phase.