Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has established a statewide mode-shift goal of tripling the share of travel in Massachusetts by bicycling, transit and walking.
With the mode-shift goal, MassDOT will be able to foster improved quality of life by improving our environment and preserving capacity on our highway network, MassDOT said in a statement, by letting other travel options absorb travel demand that is increasingly contributing to highway congestion that is slowing our potential for economic growth. In addition, we will achieve positive public-health outcomes by providing more healthy transportation options in a time when our children and adult neighbors are experiencing record rates of obesity.
“We all have a stake in achieving a statewide mode-shift goal and establishing a sustainable transportation system that meets all our customers’ needs and that we can afford to maintain.” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey.
“We are pleased MassDOT is taking steps to get more people walking, biking and taking public transportation,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan. “This initiative will reduce the number of cars on the road and help us make further progress towards our nation leading greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target of 25% by 2020.”
The mode shift will be featured in MassDOT’s GreenDOT Implementation Plan being finalized this fall. The GreenDOT Implementation Plan establishes the strategy for a multimodal MassDOT emerge as a national leader in “greening” a state transportation system.
