Seaport Transportation Management Association Annual Report Fiscal Year 2015

Transcription

1 Seaport Transportation Management Association Annual Report Fiscal Year

2 Letter from the Executive Director Dear members and friends of the Seaport TMA, As the South Boston Waterfront continues to evolve, so has the role of the Seaport Transportation Management Association. When I joined the Seaport TMA in 2005, the organization had 19 members. By 2011 we had grown to 29, and we now claim 41 members. This is not only indicative of the Waterfront s growth, but continued interest from area employers and land owners wanting to improve transportation and access. I am pleased to share with you some of our recent work in this report. As a member of the South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan Implementation Group, the Seaport TMA continues to collaborate with several agencies and stakeholders to implement a series of transportation improvements. Specifically, the Seaport TMA staff continues to participate in subcommittees of the transportation plan regarding comprehensive shuttle planning, pedestrian wayfinding, bicycling improvements, and water transportation. Recently, in order to supplement our funding derived from membership dues, the Seaport TMA worked with MassDOT and the other MassCommute TMAs in the Commonwealth to secure continued Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Through coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation s Office of Transportation Planning and MassRIDES, this funding allows the Seaport TMA to implement creative marketing and outreach strategies to our members and your employees regarding policy and transportation and commuter services. The greatest accomplishment for us this year was seeing to fruition our advocacy surrounding a pedestrian activated crossing signal on Congress Street by Boston Children s Museum. The Seaport TMA has been working with Boston Children s Museum, the City of Boston, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority for five years advocating for and studying implications and logistics surrounding the installation of a signal. Looking at the next year, we continue to participate in the South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan Implementation Group, with a special focus on implementing scheduled water transportation services to and from the area. We continue to improve our programs and seek new ways to get your employees to and from work, especially in the last mile of their commutes. It is with mixed emotions I announce that after 11 years, I am leaving my position as Executive Director of the Seaport TMA. During my tenure, I have sought to position the Seaport TMA as a partner, collaborator, and advocate for the South Boston Waterfront business community on transportation and land development issues and initiatives. We recently on-boarded our third full-time staff member, which will allow the Seaport TMA to better serve members with an increased number of targeted commuter events, programs, and communications. The Seaport TMA Board of Directors will now begin a search to fill the Executive Director role. I am incredibly proud of where the Seaport TMA is today and for the experience gained from being part of such a dynamically developing neighborhood. Thank you for joining with us to offer better commute options for your employees and tenants as we work to uphold the economic competitiveness of the South Boston Waterfront. Sincerely, Lauren H. Grymek Executive Director, Seaport Transportation Management Association

3 Mission & History Our Mission The Seaport TMA is a nonprofit transportation management association of employers, property managers, and land developers in the South Boston Waterfront working to improve area transportation and accessibility and incentivize sustainable commute options. In collaboration with the City of Boston, Massport, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the MBTA, and other agencies, we promote the use of non-drive alone commute options and advocate for transportation infrastructure and programs supportive of such. Through advocacy, education, and programming, we seek to support the economic vitality of the South Boston Waterfront by easing commuting and reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles traveling to the district. Our History In 1996, three area stakeholders Fidelity Investments; the Drew Company, on behalf of the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center; and P&G Gillette came together and formed the Seaport TMA as a neighborhood advisory group to maintain accessibility during ongoing and future development of the area. Today, as the South Boston Waterfront is rapidly developing and becoming a hub of innovation for businesses, the Seaport TMA continues to advocate for accessibility and encourage sustainable commute options. The Seaport TMA s membership base now represents 20,000 commuters and one million annual visitors, and includes a range of organizations in finance, technology, architecture, law, consumer goods, hospitality, the working port, and more. Membership with the Seaport TMA is open to any organization in the South Boston Waterfront. 3

4 Seaport TMA by the numbers 41 corporate members, as of Feb percent increase in membership tons of CO2 prevented by Seaport TMA programs in FY ,451 biking and walking trips taken by Seaport TMA member employees, per NuRide data 25,838 transit trips taken by Seaport TMA member employees in FY2015, per NuRide data 483,899 Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) reduced by Seaport TMA member employees biking, walking, riding transit, and carpooling in FY2015, according to NuRide data 4

5 Initiatives in 2015 Advocacy New pedestrian activated signal on Congress St. The Seaport TMA and its member Boston Children s Museum successfully advocated in 2015 for the installation of a pedestrian activated crossing signal which will be installed at a crosswalk on Congress Street by Boston Children s Museum in the spring of This culminates a 5-year advocacy project between the Seaport TMA and Boston Children s Museum including meetings with area abutters, the City of Boston, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and organizing two letter writing campaigns. The Seaport TMA continually liaised with the City and the BRA to ensure the traffic signal remained a priority during ongoing development. Construction related to the new traffic signal, to be located between 303 Congress street and the Museum at an existing crosswalk, began in October Installation of the signal is expected in the spring of Old Northern Avenue Bridge advisory group Following the closure of the Old Northern Avenue Bridge in December of 2014, the Seaport TMA participated in an interagency advisory group advising the City of Boston and its Department of Public Works. The group was formed to assess potential bridge designs for a rehabilitated or newly constructed bridge. The Seaport TMA and representatives from several area stakeholders, businesses, and advocacy groups, attended a series of meetings where we discussed and analyzed potential options to restoring or constructing a new bridge, and the funding required for each. The groups voted on choices for a bridge design. The Seaport TMA voted for bridge designs which were pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Votes from all participating groups were submitted to the City for review. Interagency collaboration South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan The South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan Implementation Group was put in place following the release of the Plan in January Managed by A Better City, the implementation group includes representatives from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Boston Transportation Department, the City of Boston, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, MassDOT, Massachusetts Port Authority, the MBTA, and the Seaport TMA. This followed an 18-month study conducted in order to define and prioritize transportation system investments needed over the next two decades due to the rapid pace of development in the South Boston Waterfront. Since the release of the Plan last year, the Seaport TMA has participated with these agencies to implement short-term transportation improvements. Specifically, the Seaport TMA staff continues to participate in subcommittees of the transportation plan regarding comprehensive shuttle planning, pedestrian wayfinding, bicycling improvements, and water transportation. Twenty pedestrian wayfinding signs were installed in locations throughout the South Boston Waterfront to direct pedestrians to transit stations and key destinations. The current signage is a pilot only and future changes will be made based on feedback following a social media campaign using #WalkSBW. Most recently, a water transportation subcommittee including the MCCA, BRA, MassDOT, Massport and the Seaport TMA is analyzing potential ferry service for commuters between Lovejoy Wharf (at North Station) and a South Boston Waterfront dock. 5

6 Members Current Seaport TMA members include: A&A Metro Transportation AEW Capital Management Au Bon Pain Autodesk Barking Crab Boston Global Investors Boston Children s Museum Boston Private Cabot Corporation Casner & Edwards LLP CBRE - The Channel Center Digital Lumens Deutsch Williams Brooks DeRensis & Holland, P.C. Elkus Manfredi Architects The Fallon Company Fidelity Investments Fish & Richardson Foley Hoag LLP Freeman Jamestown Properties John Hancock Partnerships & Affiliations Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Massachusetts Port Authority Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP P&G Gillette Park Lane Seaport Pembroke Real Estate Renaissance Boston Waterfront Rethink Robotics Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center Seyfarth Shaw Shorelight Education Skanska Commercial Development State Street Thomson Reuters Tishman Speyer Veritude Vertex Pharmaceuticals VPNE Parking Solutions The Westin Boston Waterfront WithumSmith + Browne, PC The Seaport TMA is a member of MassCommute, the statewide TMA council. MassCommute advocates for transportation improvements which benefit both businesses and employees, while also supporting statewide goals for public health, the economy, and environmental sustainability. The Seaport TMA collaborates with MassCommute TMAs to execute and promote three statewide events: Massachusetts Clean Air Challenge, Massachusetts Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards, and the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge. Seaport TMA members recognized at the 2015 ECO Awards at Fenway Park include: Boston Children s Museum, Cabot Corporation, Fish & Richardson, Foley Hoag LLP, John Hancock, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, P&G Gillette, Rethink Robotics, Thomson Reuters, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Thank you for your continued efforts to support your employees commutes and sustainable commute options. Additionally, congratulations to Seaport TMA members Digital Lumens and Elkus Manfredi Architects who each won their respective employer size in the 2015 MassCommute Bicycle Challenge. Seaport TMA staff belong to the following organizations: Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) ACT Patriot Chapter ACT TMA Council LivableStreets Alliance Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT) v Staff Lauren H. Grymek Executive Director Alexandra V. Smith Director of Communications Mary C. Daly Operations Coordinator Board of Directors Chair: Fred Peterson Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Linda Danyluk AEW Capital Management Jo-Anne Baxter Boston Children s Museum Jeff Cook Fidelity Investments Dana Griffin Jamestown Properties John Durnan John Hancock Financial James Britt P&G Gillette David O Shaughnessy Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center Jim Larsen Vertex Pharmaceuticals Notes: Seaport TMA FY2015 includes Sept Aug Report published Feb