MAYOR CURTATONE, TRAFFIC & PARKING CONVENE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT RESEARCH AND POLICY GROUP

SOMERVILLE -Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced today that he has created a Transportation Research, Innovation and Planning (TRIP) Team to advise the City on new technologies and procedures designed to increase accessibility, capacity, convenience and safety

in all modes of local transportation. The advisory panel is composed of representatives drawn from the city's residential and business communities as well as Somerville-based transportation and parking policy experts.

With City officials providing

support, the TRIP Team will have a broad mandate to review best practices and emergent

technologies including: pedestrian improvements; transit access and promotion;

bicycle safety; traffic calming strategies; parking configurations and payment

systems; parking permits; consumer services and innovative transportation technologies.

"Over the past two years, Traffic

and Parking has made tremendous progress in improving parking procedures,

services and technologies - and we've continued to advance the expansion of

bike lanes, bike sharrows and locations for bike corrals, as well as easier and

more convenient parking permits and payment options at parking meters throughout

Somerville" said Mayor Curtatone.  "But

with the Hubway bike rental kiosks coming to town this spring, with

construction about to begin at Assembly Square on the Orange Line station, with

design moving ahead on the Green Line Extension, and with some of Somerville's

MBTA bus service still threatened by future service cuts, it's time to take a

fresh look at our various transportation systems."

"When we reformed our parking

rules in 2009, we had constructive and valuable guidance from an outside

Parking Solutions Task Force," said Matthew Dias, Acting Director of Traffic

and Parking. "This time, the Mayor wants to cast the net more widely and

embrace modes and technologies that contribute to the convenience and mobility

of Somerville residents, visitors and businesses. The TRIP Team will research,

analyze and then advise us, on the applicability and cost-effectiveness of any

and all technologies relating to all of our transportation modes."

TRIP Team membership includes:

• Tony LaFuente - Ward 4 Alderman
• Rebekah Gewirtz - Ward 6 Alderman
• Lieutenant James Polito - Traffic Enforcement
  
  Unit, Somerville Police Department
• Carrie Dancey, Executive Director, East
  
  Somerville Main Streets
• Mimi Graney, Executive Director at Union Square
  
  Main Streets
• Gregory Coughlin, Owner, Olde Magoun Saloon
• Ian Judge, Manager, Somerville Theatre
• Tim Talun of the Somerville Bicycle Committee
• Alyssa Rosen of the Young Somerville Advisory
  
  Group
• Todd Easton, Independent Travel Consultant
• Courtney Koslow, Founder, Somerville Parking Advocacy and Reform
  
  Coalition
• Mark Chase, Transportation and Planning
  
  Consultant
• Joe Lynch, Founder, Magoun Square Neighborhood
  
  Association

"The SomerVision comprehensive

plan and our Happiness Survey both confirm that residents and businesses are

strongly committed to the idea of Somerville as a truly multimodal community,"

said Curtatone.  "We want to make sure

Somerville continues to maintain best practices and the intelligent use of

technology in transportation in much the same way as we have in administration,

finance and communications.  I've been

telling leaders at the state level that the Commonwealth needs a 21st

Century transportation system to support a 21st Century economy -

and I think we should be applying that principle at the local level, too.  This group will help us do just that."