BOSTON REGION METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION HOME CONTACT US SEARCH SITE MAP
Mobility Monitoring – Bicycle/Pedestrian – Overview
OVERVIEW • REGIONAL TRENDS • ROADWAYS • INTERSECTIONS • TRANSIT
BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN • HOV LANES • TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT • PARK-AND-RIDE
Overview • Crosswalks at MBTA Stations • Bicycle Parking at MBTA Stations
Bicycling and walking provide an alternative to motorized roadway travel, especially when they can be used in conjunction with transit, and thus they are instrumental in reducing motorized, single-occupancy-vehicle travel and improving air quality.
Bicycling and Walking to Work
According to 2005–09 U.S. census estimates, over 98,000 residents of the Boston Region MPO area walked to work, constituting just over a six percent mode share for all commuters in this area. The mode share of walking as the primary means of traveling to work increased between the 2000 census and the 2005–09 U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Commuting by bicycle increased between the 2000 census and the 2005–09 U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The number of residents in the Boston Region MPO area who reported bicycling as their main means of traveling to work was 9,100 according to the 2000 census, and 15,700 according to the 2005–09 estimates (which represent an average of the data over those five years). This figure does not include those who used a bicycle for a portion of their commute trip—for example, those who bicycled to a rail station where they transferred modes from bicycling to transit.
Transit Station Access
Based on the 2000 census figures, approximately 54 percent of the population within the MPO region lives within walking distance of MBTA transit service. This statistic reinforces the importance of promoting public transit use, particularly by providing a safe environment for pedestrians and bicyclists in the areas served by transit.

Walking is the mode used for approximately half of all trips to MBTA rapid transit stations. According to surveys conducted by CTPS in 2008–09, it is the mode chosen for 53 percent of trips to the Blue Line, 51 percent of trips to the Orange Line, 56 percent of trips to the Red Line, and 64 percent of trips to the Mattapan High-Speed Line. For the Green Line, walking is the access mode for 81 percent of trips overall: 97 percent of trips to the B branch, 96 percent of trips to the C branch, 73 percent of trips to the D branch, 93 percent of trips to the E branch, and 70 percent of trips to the Central Subway.

Therefore, providing and maintaining convenient, pleasant, and safe access to transit stations is important to enhance the experience of existing pedestrians as well as promote the use of public transit. Facilitating pedestrian access includes providing sidewalks, sufficient lighting, properly placed and designed wheelchair ramps, and pedestrian street crossings.