Everett Transit Action Plan Community Open House
Meeting Summary
LOCATION OF MEETING: Edward G. Connolly Center, 90 Chelsea Street, Everett, MA
DATE/TIME OF MEETING: November 16, 2015, Open House: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Presentation: 6:45 PM
MassDOT:
Stephanie Pollack, Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of MassDOT
Scott Hamwey, Office of Transportation Planning
Jennifer Slesinger, Everett Transit Action Plan Project Manager, Office of Transportation Planning
CONSULTANTS:
Dan Berez, Nelson\Nygaard
Ralph DeNisco, Nelson\Nygaard
Sam Wright, Nelson\Nygaard
Regan Checchio, Regina Villa Associates
Emily Christin, Regina Villa Associates
Gregory Flanigan, Regina Villa Associates
CITY OF EVERETT AND ELECTED OFFICIALS:
Mayor Carlo DeMaria
Massachusetts State Senator Sal DiDomenico
Massachusetts State Representative Joseph McGonagle
Mike Mangan, Councilor Elect
Anthony DiPierro, Councilor Elect
DeAndra Davis, Mass in Motion Coordinator
Evan DeMarzo, Everett High School
Jay Monty, Transportation Planner
Andrew Napolitano, Communications
Kevin O’Donnell, Human Resources Director
Catherine Rollins, Director of Policy
INTERPRETERS:
Milton Guardado
Alcione Hall
Michelle Lamothe
PUBLIC ATTENDEES: 45 (see Attendance)
November 16, 2015
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PURPOSE/SUBJECT: The purpose of this meeting was to:
- Educate interested community members about the Everett Transit Action Plan
- Present and receive feedback on initial findings related to demographics, natures of the existing transit
service, and transit service gaps.
- Engage with the community on priorities and major areas of concern.
MEETING MATERIALS:
 PowerPoint Presentation (posted on project website)
 8 Display Boards (posted on project website)
 Jars and Poker Chips for Transit Priorities Activity
FORMAT:
The meeting was arranged in an open house format with informational display boards set up around the
room. Meeting attendees were encouraged to review the materials, talk to project staff, write
comments on post-it notes, and participate in the Project Goals Activity. See “WRITTEN COMMENTS &
ACTIVITIES SUMMARY” for more details, below. Upon entering the meeting, attendees were given five
poker chips for the Project Goals Activity and three dot stickers to place on a display board. MassDOT
delivered a brief presentation at approximately 7:00 PM followed by a discussion session. The open
house format resumed after the presentation.
SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION:
Mayor Carlo DeMaria welcomed attendees and thanked them for attending. Mayor DeMaria introduced
Stephanie Pollack, Secretary and Chief Executive Officer for the Massachusetts Department of
Transportation (MassDOT).
Secretary Pollack thanked everyone for inviting her to the Open House. She noted that the Everett
Transit Action Plan represents a unique partnership between MassDOT and a local municipality. By
working together, MassDOT and Everett can more quickly and effectively implement transportation
improvements.
Jennifer Slesinger, MassDOT Project Manager, thanked everyone for attending. Ms. Slesinger introduced
the Everett Transit Action Plan and reviewed the agenda. She explained that the Everett Transit Action
Plan project team is working closely with the City of Everett throughout this year-long study, and that
recommendations from the Action Plan can directly feed the MBTA’s long-range investment plan for the
MBTA that is currently under development.
Ms. Slesinger reviewed other planning studies that are focused in the City of Everett. The project team
will review the data from these other studies in conjunction with the Everett Transit Action Plan. Ms.
Slesinger summarized the project tasks that have been completed to date, those that are ongoing, and
future tasks. She noted various approaches that the Project Team has taken with regards to outreach
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including talking to residents at bus stops. Ms. Slesinger stressed that it is a priority for the project to
connect with all facets of the Everett population and obtain as much feedback as possible.
Ms. Slesinger outlined a potential menu of project goals and asked that attendees prioritize them as part
of one of the open house activities.
Ms. Slesinger presented the findings of the Existing Conditions data analyses. The Market Analysis–
which looks at transit needs based off demographic information—showed that most areas in Everett
have the population and employment density to support a transit service that runs only every 15
minutes, which is a lower level of service than what is provided today for much of the City. She
explained that the population of Everett has a very high proportion of sub-groups that have a greater
likelihood of taking transit compared with the average population on which the 15 minute frequency
assumption is based. These populations include zero-vehicle households, persons with disabilities, lowincome households, and others.
Ms. Slesinger reviewed the findings of the Service Analysis, and presented Route Profiles of the three
bus routes that service Everett with the highest ridership activity: Routes 111, 104, and 109. The project
staff observed a high amount of crowding on Route 109 buses, particularly on Sundays. Route 104 also
showed crowding on buses. The frequency of Route 104 buses is not as great as other bus routes with
similar ridership. Route 111 offers the only direct bus service to downtown Boston from Everett. There is
only one stop in Everett along this route (at Woodlawn Cemetery), but it has the highest ridership
numbers excluding the stops on Broadway. This shows the project team that there should be more
opportunities for connections to downtown from Everett, as the demand is high.
Ms. Slesinger summarized the Transit Observations that the project staff has observed so far. In the
morning, Everett riders have very high service frequency to the Orange Line, as most can take almost
any bus in either direction to reach a station. When riders are returning from the Orange Line, they must
exit the Orange Line at Sullivan Square, Wellington, or Malden Center. Bus service back to Everett is
divided between these three stations, resulting in longer wait times for the commute home.
Ms. Slesinger pointed to maps showing that the available destinations of a two-seat (one transfer) bus
ride from Everett differ greatly depending on whether you transfer at Sullivan Square or Wellington
station. She also said that many of the major employers in Everett are poorly connected to the rest of
the city, making access difficult for workers. The Everett Transit Action Plan will not only look at existing
transportation modes, but will look at accessibility to main destinations.
Ms. Slesinger showed a photo of a recent outreach event at the Everett High School football game. The
project team has participated in several community events, interviewed commuters at Everett bus
stops, and held stakeholder interviews. She presented highlights from Stakeholder Input that the project
team has received so far.
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Ms. Slesinger outlined the Next Steps for the project. The team will look at alternatives for the short-,
medium-, and long-term. The team is also hoping to use CharlieCard data to show origin and destination
information, which has not been done before. Ms. Slesinger showed the transit primer, which was also a
display board for Open House attendees to review. The primer is an overview of many of the types of
transportation services that are available. She remarked that not every type of service will be
appropriate for Everett. Ms. Slesinger reviewed the project timeline and the tasks to be completed over
the next year, including public meetings.
Ms. Slesinger shared the address of the project website, and asked all attendees to visit the website and
take the Everett Transit Survey, if they have not done so already. She shared her contact information on
the PowerPoint slide for attendees to reach out with further comments and questions. Ms. Slesinger
encouraged them to participate in the activities and then opened up the floor for questions.
DISCUSSION:
A participant noted that a lot of people who live in Everett depend on transit services to go in the
opposite direction of downtown Boston, such as Saugus or Malden, and urged the project team to look
into this. Ralph DeNisco, Project Manager for Nelson\Nygaard, agreed and said the data observed so far
supports that and shows that many trips from Everett are pointing north, even though most service in
Everett is designed to go to Boston.
An attendee commented that it is very difficult for disabled people to use public transportation and
there should be a solution to this. She asked if The RIDE will be studied as part of this project. Ms.
Slesinger responded that The RIDE is not being looked at as part of the Everett Transit Action Plan, but it
is a part of the Focus40 long-term investment plan.
The attendee added that one bus changed destinations mid-way through the route, standing several
riders.
A participant asked about the status of a proposed Rutherford Ave. closure.
Mayor Carlo DeMaria said that the Mayor’s Office is coordinating with the City of Boston on the tunnel.
Mr. DeNisco added that Focus40 will be looking at all existing studies and projects. He described the
Regional Travel Demand model that will be used as part of this project, which will allow testing of
various alternatives; for example, it will show the impacts to service in a particular area if a certain road
is closed. MassDOT will use this tool when evaluating existing and potential projects.
Mayor DeMaria asked if the final report from this project will include short-term solutions in addition to
medium- and long-term solutions. Ms. Slesinger said it will.
An attendee asked what data is used to produce the ridership activity. Mr. DeNisco said the data is
based on a variety of sources including manual counts and Automated Passenger Count (APC) data.
November 16, 2015
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The participant said that he would not trust CharlieCard data because many riders use paper Charlie
tickets and a lot of bus operators wave passengers on without collecting fares. He noted that has seen
109 buses at Sullivan Square station completely fill up and leave passengers who have waited up to an
hour behind.
Mr. DeNisco said the CharlieCard data is just one part of the ridership picture. The project team is
looking at the whole market of riders and looking at the demand. He clarified that bus rider passenger
counts come from the on-board APC system, which is a sensor, rather than CharlieCard data. Continual
input from Everett commuters is important for the team to see if the data is accurate.
An attendee commented that the 105 and the 97 buses only run until 6:30 PM, which has not changed
for the last ten years, but there is enough ridership to fill the buses if more service is implemented.
Ms. Slesinger said that at peak service hours, all MBTA buses are being used, so there are no extra buses
to be put in service and additional revenue would be required to add bus drivers during the off-peak.
Instead, the project team can look at re-routing buses that are in use at that time, which may be a
shorter-term solution.
Mayor DeMaria asked the team if they are seeing other areas that need fewer buses.
Ms. Slesinger noted that as Secretary Pollack mentioned in her remarks, it had been some time since an
Existing Conditions analysis has been done on the whole MBTA service area. The same conversation of
needing more buses is being heard in almost every other community. Everett has a great opportunity
with the Everett Transit Action Plan because MassDOT is specifically focusing on the city. Mr. DeNisco
added that all attendees participating in the meeting are helping the study tremendously by providing
feedback.
A participant asked if it would make good fiscal sense to add more buses because they could generate
more revenue. Mr. DeNisco said the study will look for opportunities to modify or add service, in part
through an analysis of existing service productivity and usage.
An attendee commented that the traffic circle at Broadway and Main Street is chaotic and asked the
project team to look at solutions with timing of traffic signals or dedicated buses lanes, so the buses are
not caught in traffic. Mr. DeNisco said the suggestions were excellent. Fixing traffic for buses to flow is a
great solution and is going to be a large part of the alternatives development process.
A participant stated that she knows a veteran who has trouble getting to where he needs to go. He
needs to take the 110 bus and transfer to the 112, and it is very difficult for him. Mr. DeNisco said this
project will look at hidden barriers to transportation. For example, there are many hills in Everett which
make accessing certain bus stops difficult for disabled or senior commuters. Many jobs are being
created in the industrial area of town, but that is hard to access as well. The project will examine these
barriers.
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Ms. Slesinger thanked everyone for attending.
ACTIVITIES & COMMENTS SUMMARY:
Attendees placed three dot stickers on a display board that asked “What improvements would you like
to see to MBTA service in Everett?” A total of 98 stickers were placed on the board. The improvement
with the highest amount of stickers was “More Frequent Service,” which had 22 stickers. The results are
shown in the following table.
Improvements to MBTA Service Activity Results:
Improvements:
Total Dots
More Frequent Service
22
Faster Service
8
Better On-Time Performance
15
Later Service Hours
16
Fewer Transfers
13
Less Crowding on Buses
11
More Benches and Shelters at Stops
13
Total
98
Percentage
22%
8%
15%
16%
13%
11%
13%
Attendees were given five poker chips to participate in the Project Goals Activity. 10 jars were placed
next to cards that each listed one project goal:
1. Sustain: transit as a part of a greener Everett. An example solution would be to provide transit
services that relieve congestion and improve air quality.
2. Enhance: improve the user experience for riders. An example solution would be to improve
access to bus stops and add shelters.
3. Do: find and complete investments immediately. An example solution would be short term
improvements to immediately provide additional service.
4. Support: uses and users through Everett. An example solution would be to provide life line
services for Everett residents.
5. Thrive: make Everett a more attractive place to live and work. An example solution would be to
enhance the vitality of Everett’s local centers and neighborhoods.
6. Transform: use transit investments to foster development and change. An example solution
would be to expand transit to emerging areas to support development and commerce.
7. Reach: create a broader range of direct connections from Everett. An example solution would be
to add new direct routes to major destinations.
8. Accelerate: ensure faster service through Everett. An example solution would be to make
roadway improvements for transit.
9. Integrate: transit with overall transportation system. An example solution would be effective
transit as part of a range of mobility options.
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10. Connect: maximize connections using transit. An example solution would be to improve access
to jobs and activities within and outside of Everett.
Attendees placed their five chips in the Project Goals jars to vote on which goals are most important to
them. They were allowed to place multiple chips in a single jar. The jars with the highest amount of chips
were “Reach” and “Accelerate.” Both jars contained 28 chips. The results of the activity are shown in the
table below.
Project Goals Activity Results:
Option
Chips
Percentage
Sustain
23
11%
Enhance
20
9%
Do
19
9%
Support
17
8%
Thrive
25
12%
Transform 18
8%
Reach
28
13%
Accelerate 28
13%
Integrate
15
7%
Connect
24
11%
Total
217
Attendees were also encouraged to write comments on post-its and place them on the display boards.
The table below contains post-it comments as well as oral comments from attendees to project team
members during the Open House.
Oral Comments and Written Comments on Post-its:
Orange Line stop (between Wellington & Malden Center @ Little Creek)
Ped/Bike bridge over Malden River to Riverside Ave.
Pedestrian footbridge to Assembly
New signal system on Orange Line to immediately increase capacity
Sullivan Square connections are terrible
Ped/Bike bridge to Somerville
Pedestrian bridge to Assembly
Express bus to downtown
Future of Rutherford Avenue tunnel?
Dedicated bus/carpool lane (on Broadway)
Bridge across tracks to Gateway Center
DMU to North Station
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Light rail from Everett Square to Wellington
Commuter rail stop
Station at casino; diesel multiple units
Ped/Bike improvements at Santilli Circle
More crosswalks at bus stops
Connect Glendale/Everett to Route 111 into town
Connection to the Silver Line
Bus on Route 16 with ped/bike improvements
Reduce the number of bus stops or have an express bus
More bus shelters/benches everywhere
Clean snow at bus stop
Faster bus service on Broadway
Bike lanes (Broadway north of Ferry)
111 is reliable & overcrowded
110 stinks; it isn't reliable at all
More frequent service on 111 especially in reverse
Better "The Ride" service
Lower senior fares
More frequent service on Route 110
Longer service hours for 112
Everett needs much more bus service in the many, many unserved/underserved areas
Urban Ring: Logan-Chelsea-RR corridor-Rt 99-Sullvan Square-Somerville-McGrath-Lechmere-KendallCT2-BU Bridge-Longwood
So many 93 running when 104 not coming at Sullivan
Gateway Center - 97; bus running not late enough
November 16, 2015
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Everett Transit Action Plan Community Open House
Attendance
Claudia Ardon
Machelin Ardon
Christian Callcin
Ralph D'Agostino
Paul Degenkolb
Harry M. Ells
Jarod Evenson
Malinda Formen
Anthony Francis
Mary Gerace
Jack Gerace
Dotty Gomez
Antonio Guillen
Trevor Hjoroge
Silva Keytiana
November 16, 2015
Felicita Lemus
Jack McGrath
Michael McLaughlin
Rashaad McLennon
Jackie Miller
Gabriel Montresor
Amelia Neve
Cesar Nunes
Kathleen O'Brien
Alex O'Donnell
Jo Oltman
Yenise Oluwole
David O'Neil
Nativita Paul
Michael R. Pritchard
Wendy Pritchard
Ron Ramsdell Jr.
Nick Rand
Joseph Raneri
Patti Rogers
Katy Rogers
Katherine Rosa
Mana Salgado
David A. Senatillaka
Daniel Skeritt
Alessandra Souza
Maria Valle
Simret Woldecherkos
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