DRAFT Meeting Notes
6-4-14
Meeting/Project
Name:
Healthy Transportation Compact Advisory Council
Meeting Date:
6/2/14
Meeting Time:
2-4
Location:
MassDOT Suite 4150
Meeting Host:
David Mohler and Suzanne
Condon
Invitee List:
Name
Department
Polly Hoppin
American Council Of
Engineering
Consultants
Central Mass Regional
Planning Commission
Harvard School of
Public Health
Union of Concerned
Scientists
Boston Harbor
Association
UMass Lowell
David Watson
MassBikes
Michelle Ciccolo
Town of Hudson
Jon Levy
Boston University
School of Public
Health
New Bedford Health
Department
Richard O’Brien
Yahaira Graxirena
Steve Miller
Ken Kimmell
Vivien Lee
Brenda Weis
Wendy Landman
Phone
In-Person
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Dean Rizzo
Quincy Chamber of
Commerce
Maddie Ribble
Massachusetts Public
Health Association
Andre Leroux
MA Smart Growth
Alliance
Lea Susan O’Jama
DPH
x
Steve Woelfel
MassDOT
x
Kurt Gartner
EEA
x
Margaret Round
DPH
x
David Mohler
MassDOT, co-chair
x
Suzanne Condon
DPH, co-chair
x
x
Meeting/Project
Name:
Healthy Transportation Compact Advisory Council
Jennifer Slesinger
MassDOT
x
Steve Woelfel
MassDOT
x
Agenda:
I.
Welcome
II.
General Updates from Agencies
III.
Action Items from Last Meeting
IV.
Discussion of Priorities
Presentations:
 weMove Massaschusetts
 Project Selection Advisory Council
 Complete Streets
 Health Impact Assessments
Discussion
V.
Discussion of Agenda for Summer HTC Meeting
VI.
Other Items
VII.
Public Comment
VIII.
Next Steps
Handouts:
Agenda
Request for Access to SharePoint Form
weMove Mass
Contact list for Project Selection Advisory Council
Discussion Items
1. General Updates from Agencies
MassDOT: Steve Woelfel discussed the High School Video Contest for Safe Travel
2 of 5
Meeting/Project
Name:
Healthy Transportation Compact Advisory Council
announcement.
AC members urged MassDOT to flesh out a feedback process/criteria for the video. They also
encouraged that we partner with TV stations to create more excitement around the initiative.
Steve will check with MassRides on their plans for publicity so that MassDOT can share materials
for AC members to assist with advertising.
DPH: Suzanne announced the release of the Logan Airport Health Study. Key findings include:
 Among children, study results identified some respiratory effects indicative of
undiagnosed asthma (i.e., probable asthma); children in the high exposure area
were estimated to have three to four times the likelihood of this respiratory
outcome compared with children in the low exposure area.

Among adult residents, individuals diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) were statistically significantly more likely to have lived in the high
exposure area for three or more years.

There were no statistically significant differences in cardiovascular outcomes in the
study population across the high, medium, and low exposure areas. \
EEA: Maeve Bartlett will be replacing Secretary Sullivan, who is leaving for the Governor’s office.
HED: Victoria Maguire has left for the Governor’s office. Larry Fields will be replacing her as staff
to the HTC.
2. Action Items: Jennifer provided an update about the action items from last meeting.
 New members: Reached out to recommended contacts; will make a decision this month.
 We will be using SharePoint to share documents and links. If you were not at the
meeting, you will need to sign a return a consent form.
2. Presentations:
- WMM: Steve Woelfel presented about the weMove Massachusetts: Planning for
Performance Tool, which allows for multi-modal capital planning based on funding
scenarios and performance measures of asset classes mostly related to state of good
repair. The second phase of the project, currently underway, is incorporating health
and sustainability performance measures into the tool. We will be looking for the AC
for feedback on this second phase.
Concerns were raised about how the performance measures used in the first phase
can encourage more driving and favor the vehicle over active transportation. David
raised the point that the looking at person hours does try to balance out transit
3 of 5
Meeting/Project
Name:
Healthy Transportation Compact Advisory Council
mobility with auto mobility; however it isn’t perfect. The second phase should
address these issues.
-
Project Selection Advisory Council: Sheri Warrington presented about the formation
and purpose of the Council. Preliminary criteria for 6 areas including healthy
transportation have been developed. Sheri encourages everyone to attend the public
hearings, email her, or contact any member of the council to share their feedback.
Concerns were raised about the auto-focus of the MAP-21 performance measures in
the proposed rule. Sheri offered to send AC members a copy of MassDOT’s comment
letter.
-
Complete Streets: Eileen Gunn presented briefly about the challenges that must be
addressed to make complete streets viable. She can do the full presentation when
more non-Transportation focused members of the AC are present.
-
Health Impact Assessments: Margaret Round discussed typical and rapid HIAs and
how the next steps for the HTC is to determine guidance around the use of HIAs in
transportation projects.
3. Closing thoughts: Is there a way to encourage lower level agency/regional collaboration for
health and transportation?
Next Meeting:
Mid-July, TBD
Action Items:
Action
Submit Bio to Jennifer
Submit any materials you think should go on
an HTCAC bibliography resource
Address comments and Submit Final Version
of Notes
Invite additional members
Schedule July mtg
Send comments about Selection Criteria
Responsible Party
AC Members
AC Members
MassDOT
HTC Working Group Staff
MassDOT
AC Members
Comments:
None
4 of 5
Links:
http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51600/51604/annual_rpt.pdf?utm_source=government&utm_medium=newsl
etter&utm_campaign=May%20newsletter
Another good reference: “Improving the health of Londoners. Transport Action Plan”
http://www.polisnetwork.eu/uploads/Modules/PublicDocuments/2014-tfl-improving-the-health-oflondoners-transport-action-plan.pdf
World Health Organization’s Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) to calculate benefit-cost ratios
for walking and bicycling.
http://www.heatwalkingcycling.org/
List of publications can be found at http://profiles.bu.edu/Jonathan.Levy. MBTA HIA can be found at
http://www.mapc.org/resources/health-impact-assessment. Executive summary of MRVP HIA can be
found at http://www.mahomeless.org/files/Health_Impact_MRVP_Exec_Summary_2_27_14.pdf.
Recently, they released a report from the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy related to
transportation. Their work was instrumental in getting more state funding for the RTA’s. Here is the link
for the bibliography: http://www.n2nma.org/news/announcements/neighbor-to-neighbor-and-thedukakis-center-for-urban-regional-policy-release-tra
2012 Greater Worcester Region Community Health Improvement Plan (Strategies to improve region’s
health include Complete Streets, Mass in Motion and Safe Routes to School, among others)
http://www.worcesterma.gov/uploads/bf/02/bf025dca732a04d5ef3f541cea3113f7/chip-report.pdf.
Updates in the Worcester DPH page: http://www.worcesterma.gov/ocm/public-health/greater-worcesterchip
http://www.trbhealth.org/ - a great resource. I recommend everyone signs up for their listserv.
Steve Miller was recently directed to a Transportation And Health document put out by the Volpe
Center that might be useful to us:
http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51600/51604/annual_rpt.pdf?utm_source=government&utm_medium=newsl
etter&utm_campaign=May%20newsletter
Research on bike lanes and car exhaust in Boston:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/05/31/brainiacbikes/iIWGcr1voH6IrPD6RWEgbO/story.html?s_campaign=8315
5 of 5