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Happy fall from MassMobility! For many, the words "autumn in Massachusetts" bring to mind time spent outdoors: picking apples, enjoying the foliage, taking a walk, riding a bike. In addition to fun options for recreation, walking and biking can also be important forms of mobility for seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals. Read on for some examples of how stakeholders in Massachusetts have been working to make alternative modes of transportation, such as walking and biking, safer and more accessible to residents of Massachusetts.
Of course, walking and biking are not for every occasion and not for everyone; some people need a ride. In this issue, we also profile a new transportation option for seniors in Brookline looking to get to their eye appointments; highlight discussions about transportation to jobs; and share other news about community transportation, human service transportation coordination, and mobility management in Massachusetts.
This newsletter is compiled by MassMobility, an initiative of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, with support from MassDOT.
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Berkshire County hosts third annual Clean Air Challenge
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Berkshire County celebrated the third annual Berkshire County Clean Air Challenge September 16-24. Organized by the Berkshire County Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), the event promotes community transportation options that offer alternatives to driving alone. The
RCC is a voluntary coalition of stakeholders working together to improve mobility for area seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income residents; members include local Councils on Aging, disability-serving agencies, transit, regional planners, and other stakeholders.
The week kicked off in North County with a demonstration of adaptive bikes on Monday. The Adams Council on Aging (COA) owns two adaptive bikes to lend out to seniors and visitors. One bike has hand cycles, and the other is a three-wheel, 21-speed bike. Two individuals who attended the demonstration have already been back to borrow the bikes to use on the local bike trail.
Wednesday and Thursday featured events in Pittsfield. On Wednesday, for the
second year in a row, Berkshire Community College President Ellen Kennedy rode the
BRTA bus to campus for the morning to chat with students who commute to campus by bus. On Thursday, RCC members exhibited at the Pittsfield Third Thursday street fair at a table hosted by
AdLib. BRTA's
travel trainer was available to answer questions about local transit, and RCC members shared information about local and regional transportation options, including the
Medical Rides pilot program. Visitors had the chance to enter a contest by drawing a proposed logo for the Clean Air Challenge. The RCC will select one winner, whose submission will become the logo for the 2018 Berkshire County Clean Air Challenge.
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Marlborough launches bike share
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The C
ity
of Marlborough's bike sharing
pilot program launched Labor Day Weekend through a
partnership with Cambridge-based company
Zagster. The pilot seeks to
facilitate easy access to bike riding for residents and visitors.
Last year, the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) conducted a survey of employers and residents, which revealed interest in alternative modes of transportation - especially during the work day. In particular, employees expressed a desire to ride bikes at lunchtime for exercise, enjoyment, or simply as means to move to and from a meal. From there, MEDC reached out to Zagster.
Bike sharing allows users to rent a bicycle for an allotted period of time and return it to a docking station when finished. In Marlborough, stations are located near housing and office developments, as well as along a river trail. Individuals can choose a range of membership options, from an hourly plan to an annual membership. As of mid-October, over 100 members were active in the program.
Marlborough is excited for the potential of bike sharing to provide a healthy, sustainable mode of transportation and encourage more people to choose bicycles as a means of mobility. MEDC Executive Director Meredith Harris shared her excitement: "Bike share programs are rare in suburban communities, which is why we're excited to be one of the few small cities in the U.S. to be offering one to the people who work and live in Marlborough. We think this program will truly elevate our city."
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Funding and information support walkability
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To complement the Complete Streets effort, MassDOT has also prepared a Municipal Resource Guide for Walkability, to provide community officials and advocates the tools and information they need to discuss what makes a neighborhood walkable. The guide includes a chapter on accessibility and the ADA. MassDOT is accepting comments on the guide through October 31.
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Brookline transports seniors to eye appointments
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Residents of Brookline over age 60 have a new transportation option to and from their eye care appointments. Thanks to a grant from ITN America
, the
Brookline Senior Center
is providing the town's seniors with free transportation through ICARE (
Independent Clinics Accessing Rides to Eyecare).
In order to participate, individuals should sign up to be part of the HELP Homecare program at the Brookline Senior Center. Rides must be scheduled at least one week in advance, and will be provided by either a HELP Homecare worker or through the Brookline Senior Center's partnership with Lyft.
ICARE launched in July, and participants were quick to provide their positive feedback. One consumer described her connection with her driver as "harmonious." Jamie Donchin, HELP Counselor at the Brookline Senior Center, shared that they are "very happy to have received this funding, as there is clearly such a need, especially for people who can't afford transportation."
Riders should call the Brookline Senior Center helpline for more information or to schedule a ride.
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Merrimack Valley employers discuss transportation
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Betsy Goodrich, Senior Transportation Planner at MVPC, shared that the hope of the forum was to reach out to employers with whom they were not already in contact to identify gaps and find creative solutions. Prior to the forum, MVPC surveyed employers and reached out to career service providers to ask which shifts were hardest to recruit for, and whether transportation challenges made retaining employees difficult. At the forum, businesses shared their comments and concerns about retention and recruitment as related to the transportation needs of their employees, such as the difficulty many third shift employees experience when trying to arrange for a ride to and from the workplace.
The next step in the process is to gather more data from employers and agencies to pinpoint specific transportation needs in order to find the best solutions. Goodrich's ultimate vision is to create a multi-modal network because it is "what makes a transportation system healthy, efficient, affordable, interconnected and dynamic."
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New report explores mobility management for seniors
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At its core, mobility management is about bringing together multiple transportation options to fulfill consumer needs. In order to best serve a customer, a mobility manager needs to understand the specific wants of the individual, group, or organization requesting transportation. This can be done through direct interviews with consumers or contact with healthcare and human service agencies that serve older adults. From there, a mobility manager identifies all transportation options available from public agency sponsored services, to private transportation provers, and beyond. The report highlights the usefulness of a transportation inventory for detailing and organizing the various options available. The guide concludes with a discussion of mobility management specifically for older adults, as well as funding for senior transportation services.
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For those of you who only know us through the newsletter,
MassMobility is a state initiative based at
EOHHS which also receives funding from MassDOT. We seek to improve mobility for seniors, people with disabilities, and others in all regions of Massachusetts by sharing information about existing services and supporting organizations in their efforts to fill transportation gaps.
We provide presentations to human service agency staff to help them learn how to help consumers find transportation, and we also provide technical assistance to any organization looking to address transportation challenges. We welcome you to contact us any time if you have a question or idea for a project that would improve mobility for seniors or people with disabilities.
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Follow us on Twitter
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| Are you on Twitter? If so, follow us @MassMobility for links to community transportation resources relevant to organizations and agencies here in Massachusetts. If you aren't on Twitter, you can still see our posts online at twitter.com/MassMobility/. |
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We want to know your stories
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| If you have suggestions for news items or topics to cover in future newsletters, please contact us or submit a guest article. Comments, questions, and feedback are also welcome. |
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Please share this newsletter
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| Please forward this newsletter widely to others who are interested in mobility management, community transportation, or related topics and encourage them to subscribe to receive future newsletters and publications. You can also read past issues of all MassMobility newsletters. |
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