Bike, drive or ride? Here are some Brockton-area transpo changes you'll want to know about

Namu Sampath, The Enterprise
·4 min read

Brockton and surrounding communities will be seeing a lot of improvements in transportation over this month and in coming years, Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) officials said at Thursday's Joint Transportation Committee (JTC) meeting.

First up, May is "Bay State Bike Month." After a few years of cancellations thanks to the pandemic, Bike Month has finally returned to riders across the Commonwealth.

MassBike is hosting a "Ride Tracking Challenge," where riders can track their rides through the "Love to Ride group."

  • Each week you log three or more trips, you will be entered to win the weekly prize

  • At the end of the month, each person who logged their bike trips throughout the month will be entered into a grand prize drawing where you will have the opportunity to win a $500 gift card from Priority Bicycles

Bay State Bike Month is also hosting a social media challenge, which started on May 1 and runs until May 15. This challenge is perfect for any bike riders who carry items on their bikes in innovative ways. If this is you, snap a photograph of your setup and share the story of the item via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (@MassBike) or email (bikeinfo@massbike.org).

May is "Bay State Bike Month," and there are many opportunities for residents to win prizes and to get involved across the Commonwealth.
May is "Bay State Bike Month," and there are many opportunities for residents to win prizes and to get involved across the Commonwealth.

The one lucky winner of this challenge will receive a basket from Nantucket Bike Basket Co.

Also this month, Brockton riders will have the opportunity to participate in the "Brockton Bike to Work Day," on May 20.

From 7-8:30 a.m., people who commute to work via bike will be able to participate in this event at the Brockton Area Transit (BAT) Intermodal Centre. Coffee and refreshments will be provided.

For more information regarding the activities happening this month, check out https://www.baystatebikemonth.org/ and click "Events" for options near you.

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Planning for the future

As announced at the end of April at the Metro South Chamber of Commerce transportation luncheon, BAT is in the process of hauling in a new electric bus fleet to replace the current fleet through 2027.

"Currently, our ridership is steady, but as any other transit authority, we are hoping for a slight increase," Glenn Geiler, BAT grant manager, said at Thursday's JTC meeting. "We are bringing on a consultant who will be helping us in bringing in electric buses."

Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton and Stoughton (among other Massachusetts cities and towns) will be seeing improvements to intersections and roads through 2027 as well.

"Through the OCPC's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)'s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), there will be 11 roads and three bridges — two of which were added by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) after a draft review by the public — improved over the next five years," Charles Kilmer, assistant director and transportation program manager for the OCPC, said.

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The total cost of the project is $68.3 million. An additional $26 million funded by the BAT capital assistance program will be spent on the replacement of 17 route buses.

"Each year's projects are on a prioritized list of highway, transit, and bridge projects that will be implemented throughout the next five fiscal years that reflect the needs of our constituents and that of the regional transportation system," Kilmer continued.

Additionally, earlier Thursday, MassDOT announced its "Beyond Mobility" transportation plan for 2050. The plan provides a long-range guide for how the state will "establish the vision, strategy, and goals for the future of transportation and document the most important transportation priorities and values among all residents," the project's website states.

Currently, the future of transportation is threatened by a few issues facing Massachusetts: climate change, the future of the workforce, the diversity and prosperity of residents and the rise of e-commerce over time.

MassDOT is building on its earlier iterations of the future of transit in Massachusetts, including (but not limited to) the 2017 "Massachusetts Freight Plan," the 2018 "Transportation Asset Management" plan, and the 2019 "Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)."

According to the plan's website, Beyond Mobility will utilize data from current trends and visions for the future and is open to feedback from residents.

For more information about the plan, visit https://beyond-mobility-massdot.hub.arcgis.com/.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton transportation improvements: From Bay State Bike Month to BAT