Issuu

Multi-Modal Master Plan

City of Quincy, Massachusetts

This Page Left Intentionally Blank

Acknowledgments

Project Team About the Project

The City of Quincy Multi-Modal Master Plan was a multi-disciplinary transportation planning effort involving contributions from a wide array of municipal officials, consulting staff, and city residents. This plan would not have been possible without the feedback of engaged community members. On behalf of the project team, we extend our most heartfelt appreciation.

City of Quincy

Edward Grennon, Jr. - Director TPAL

Allison Luff, PE - Traffic Engineer

Fuss & O’Neill

Project Planning Lead, Main Report Author, and Report Design

George Klevorn, AICP, ENV SP

Project Engineering Lead

Katherine Patch, PE

Contributing Staff

Connor Agro, PE

Stefan Bengtson, AICP

Ben Cohen, EIT

Matthew Skelly, PE, PTOE

Rowena Sullivan

Strategic Priorities: Modal Priorities and Toolkits

Introduction and Approach

Bicycle Priorities

Bicycle Interventions Toolkit

Pedestrian Priorities

Pedestrian Interventions Toolkit

Concept Plans: Multi-Modal Network and Priority Safety Upgrades

Introduction

Multi-Modal Network Plan

Southern Artery West Squantum Street

Washington Street

Beale Street

Franklin Street

Funding Sources

Transportation

Federal

This Page Left Intentionally Blank

Executive Summary

Introduction and Key Findings

The City of Quincy commissioned the Multi-Modal Master Plan as an update to the city’s existing Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan, which was originally produced in 2014. Since that time, numerous changes related to multi-modal infrastructure have been implemented by the city or have taken place otherwise, including the creation of multiple dedicated bicycle facilities, roadway lane reconfigurations, and new land use development. Further, the continued study of the interactions between non-motorized and motorized roadway users has led to an increased understanding of new modal-specific safety requirements. Today, there is an emphasis on the implementation of data-driven, context appropriate, and safe multi-modal infrastructure at all levels of government. As such, the Multi-Modal Master Plan is a comprehensive reevaluation of the existing multi-modal environment in Quincy takes into account today’s conditions and serves as a guiding policy document for the continued implementation of safe multi-modal infrastructure.

The Multi-Modal Master Plan is organized into sections that outline an overview of the city’s existing demographic and multi-modal transportation conditions, public engagement efforts related to the development of the plan, strategic policy priority recommendations, the conceptual network plan, area-specific priority safety recommendations, and an identification of funding sources for plan implementation.

Key Findings

The key findings of the Multi-Modal Master Plan, based on both data-driven analysis and public engagement efforts, include the following:

The existing demographics and travel profiles of city residents are conducive to greater investment in multi-modal transportation infrastructure

The City of Quincy has a relatively young population that regularly travels short distances for work trips, with most trips being under ten miles and headed north. Currently, most city residents travel by personal automobile for these trips, resulting in greater vehicular congestion and increased travel times on the city’s roadways. This creates an opportunity for the city to provide alternative travel modes to improve quality of life for city residents.

The existing transportation infrastructure presents challenges for users of non-motorized modes of transportation

Major barriers to multi-modal mobility include large, multilane roadways with high vehicle speeds, antiquated and outdated pedestrian infrastructure, and a lack of warning signage and markings for crosswalks. These conditions are hazardous to users of non-motorized transportation, especially around critical destinations like grocery stores, and they reduce the attractiveness of alternative transportation modes. Further, the existing multi-modal network is concentrated downtown, limiting safe and direct opportunities for north-south trips.

City residents have expressed a desire for upgraded, connected, safe, and accessible multi-modal facilities, as well as for opportunities to decrease the impact of hazardous motorist behavior

Residents that participated in the creation of the MultiModal Master Plan identified and were supportive of improved and well-connected multi-modal facilities. These included protected and off-street bicycle facilities, as well as upgrades to pedestrian signal equipment, crosswalks, refuge islands, and other supporting infrastructure. Additionally, residents identified motorist behavior as a major contributing factor to the perception of a hazardous environment and expressed support for traffic calming interventions.

A bike lane in Quincy Center

Executive Summary

Recommendations

Recommendations City of

Based on data analysis, community and municipal feedback, and a review of upcoming city projects, the Multi-Modal Master Plan project team has created a series of recommendations for the city, including strategic modal policy priorities, a citywide multi-modal network plan, and site-specific priority safety upgrades to be implemented or explored moving forward.

Strategic Priorities

The Multi-Modal Master Plan strategic priorities are modalbased policy approaches that help to guide the direction of future multi-modal infrastructure investments. They serve the purpose of increasing the effectiveness of the transportation network by making alternative travel modes more attractive and useful, and should be implemented into projects moving forward where feasible. The strategic priorities are listed below.

Strategic Bicycle Priorities

Establish a Fully Articulated, Comprehensive Bicycle Network Based on Complete Streets Principles

Focus on Creating a North-South Connection with Dedicated Contiguous Bicycle Facilities

Provide Safe and Direct Bicycle Facilities Leading to Important Destinations Such as Schools, Transit Stations, and Grocery Stores

Increase the Amount, Diversity, and Geographical Distribution of Dedicated Supporting Bicycle Infrastructure

Strategic Pedestrian Priorities

Increase the Effectiveness of Crosswalks Through Improving Directness and Increase their Supply Where Possible

Continue to Integrate High-Visibility Safety Treatments into Pedestrian Crossing Areas

Upgrade Sidewalks and Curb Ramps as Part of Reconstruction Projects

Explore and Implement Traffic Calming Interventions to Help Reduce Instances of Unsafe Motorist Behavior and Promote a Safer Multi-Modal Transportation Environment

Network Plan Recommendations

The Multi-Modal Master Plan recommends creating two new contiguous routes connecting the northern and southern portions of the city to the existing multi-modal network. These routes, known as the West Side Connector and the East Side Connector, are located on lower stress roadways or existing shared use paths that run roughly parallel to Hancock Street. In addition to these new routes, the MultiModal Master Plan recommends upgrading existing bicycle facilities throughout the city, such as shared lane markings and on-street bicycle lanes, to facilities that offer greater separation between vehicles and bicycles where safety conditions warrant.

Priority Safety Upgrades

The Multi-Modal Master Plan identifies five specific locations for priority safety upgrades. The locations identified in the Multi-Modal Master Plan have either a history of severe or fatal vehicular crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists or a reoccurring pattern of similar crashes, are in close proximity to vulnerable user generators such as schools and grocery stores, or have challenging geometries, site lines, or lane configurations that contribute to a hazardous environment for roadway users. Typically, these locations involve a combination of the three factors.

Priority Upgrade Locations

Southern Artery between Coddington Street and McGrath Highway

West Squantum Street from Arlington Street to Hancock Street

Washington Street from Southern Artery to Washington Court

Beale Street from Newport Avenue to Greenwood Avenue

Franklin Street from Water Street to Presidents Avenue

Background, and Approach

Introduction

Study Purpose and Background

Introduction

The City of Quincy is a suburb of Boston, and with a population of nearly 101,000 people, is the seventh largest municipality within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. First settled in 1625, incorporated as a town in 1792 and again as a city in 1888, the City of Quincy lies to the immediate southeast of Boston in Norfolk County along the Atlantic Shore. An important location during the founding of the United States of America, as well as the birthplace of two presidents, the City of Quincy developed rapidly during the first part of the 20th Century as a primarily residential community, with nearly 62% of the current privately owned housing stock having been constructed between 1900 and 1950. Today, the City of Quincy is an established bedroom community featuring numerous beaches and large outdoor recreational areas that contribute to a distinct residential community ambiance relative to the more densely urbanized Greater Boston area.

Given its close proximity to Boston and primary focus as a community of commuters, the City of Quincy has developed over time around numerous transportation arteries and a fixed-route public transportation system that link the city tightly with Boston’s urban core. Like many American cities, motorized transportation is the primary method of travel in the City of Quincy. However, as time has passed and population growth has occurred, increases in demand on the existing transportation infrastructure have led to strain on both the capacity and the physical condition of the transportation assets. This has resulted in lengthened time spent traveling, a general decrease in air quality, and an at times uninviting or unsafe environment for non-motorized roadway users.

In 2014, in response to these challenges, the City of Quincy saw an opportunity to diversify its transportation infrastructure by commissioning a plan for a multimodal bicycle and pedestrian network. This plan built the foundation for the construction of a robust bicycle and pedestrian network that could reduce the community’s reliance on motorized transportation, create linkages with existing public transportation assets, and foster an opportunity for bicycling and walking to become viable and competitive modes of transportation on their own merits. In 2024, as a result of a recognized need, the City of Quincy commissioned Fuss & O’Neill to update the city’s existing Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan and modify it to meet the demands of a new decade.

Study Purpose

The purpose of this study is to create an updated longterm multi-modal master plan to guide responsible investments in multi-modal infrastructure throughout Quincy. This study, known as the Multi-Modal Master Plan, will examine the existing conditions related to community demographics within the City of Quincy, as well as pertinent right-of-way and safety characteristics that determine the appropriateness of new multi-modal facility recommendations. The recommendations will be strengthened by a robust community engagement effort to ensure that residents of the city are appropriately represented throughout the planning process. Building on the existing conditions analysis, this study will present policy-based multi-modal strategic priorities for the city to integrate into multi-modal projects, a long-term multi-modal network plan, and short- and medium-term improvements in targeted areas to increase safety and to improve the multi-modal environment overall. Finally, the study will identify funding sources for implementation All recommendations will focus on the priority areas of safety, appropriateness of solutions, comprehensive network coverage, and feasibility of implementation.

Pedestrian infrastructure in Quincy

Introduction

Study Purpose and Background

Study Background

The City of Quincy unveiled its first citywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan in 2014. Produced by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the City of Quincy’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan presented a comprehensive overview of the City’s existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, as well as barriers to bicycle and pedestrian mobility. The plan recommended a series of priority and secondary bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements that would serve as the backbone of an expanding and interconnected bicycle and pedestrian network within the city, as well as in the broader regional context.

The 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan focused on linking Quincy’s four transit stations, off-road trails, parks, and other cultural amenities with dedicated bicycle and pedestrian facilities that could be implemented relatively quickly and at low cost. MAPC prioritized recommendations for facilities that could be accommodated along existing public rights-of-way that would not require changes to curb locations where implemented. The expressly stated intentions of this approach were to minimize the time between the conception of the plan and its implementation, resulting in a quickly-realized local and regional bicycle and pedestrian network, as well as to normalize the implementation of bicycle and pedestrian accommodation at the local level in all projects moving forward.

As part of the 2014 planning process, MAPC primarily focused on creating a unified network of dedicated bicycle facilities within the City of Quincy. Pedestrian facilities were acknowledged in the plan, but were assigned a lower degree of importance due to the extensive network of sidewalks already present. Further, as the 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan identified, prior to 2014 the City of Quincy had not only never had a bicycle and pedestrian master plan, but also did not have a single bicycle-specific facility in the entire city. Planners at MAPC recognized that in order to create an effective bicycle and pedestrian network in the city over time, a foundational operating network would need to be produced that could not only immediately improve bicycle connectivity across the majority of the city, but could also serve as the basis of a much larger combined bicycle and pedestrian network as the city implemented new projects. This approach resulted in the creation of the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network as well as the 2014 Priority Greenway Corridors Network.

The 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network

MAPC formulated the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network recommendations as the core of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan. Functioning as the minimum system required to create a larger and more interconnected bicycle and pedestrian network in Quincy, the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network recommendations were presented as requiring only simple, paint-based lane width reallocations along a number of streets within the city. Notably, the high-priority recommendations were identified in the 2014 plan as being achievable by the end of 2014.

The Key Corridors identified in the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network are identified below.

City of Quincy: 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network

Hancock and Washington Streets

Dedicated Bicycle Lanes and Non-Exclusive Shared Lanes

Sections:

• Hancock Street Bridge to Furnace Brook Parkway - Shared Lanes

• Furnace Brook Parkway to Adams Street - Bicycle Lanes

• Adams Street to Coddington Street - Part of Adams Green Project

• Coddington Street to Southern Artery - Bicycle Lanes

• Southern Artery to the Fore River Bridge - Shared Lanes

Adams Street

Dedicated Bicycle Lanes and Non-Exclusive Shared Lanes

Sections:

• Furnace Brook Parkway to Newport Avenue - Bicycle Lanes

• Newport Avenue to Hancock Street - Shared Lanes

The Braintree Spur

Non-Exclusive Shared Lanes Only

Sections:

• Hancock Street to School Street - Bicycle Lanes

• School Street to Franklin Street - Shared Lanes

• Franklin Street to Independence Avenue - Shared Lanes

Introduction

Study Purpose and Background

The 2014 Priority Greenway Corridors

As a second set of priority investments, MAPC identified two new Priority Greenway Corridors that could be implemented as a part of the 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan. These two new Priority Greenway Corridors, which were named the Sea to Summit Greenway and the Quincy Spine Greenway, would link with the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network to create a more comprehensive series of connections and that could be better suited to pedestrian use in many instances. Both of the proposed greenways, while considered priority investments, were to be implemented over time on low-stress rights-of-way for bicyclists and pedestrians and were to be primarily identified through enhanced wayfinding signage.

City of Quincy: 2014 Priority Greenway Corridors

Sea to Summit Greenway

The Sea to Summit Greenway is an approximately 12-mile trail proposed in the 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan. The east-west trail was to run between Nut Island on the Atlantic Coast to Chickatawbut Hill in the Blue Hills. The general path of the proposed trail began at Nut Island and then followed the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) dike through Houghs Neck to Merrymont Park. The trail was to then follow Furnace Brook Parkway to the Skyline Trail, ending at Chickatawbut Hill. According to MAPC, the greenway would have only required signage to be implemented due to its proposed location on existing trails and roadways, though the surface of the MWRA dike was later identified as needing upgrades for practical bicycle and pedestrian usage.

Quincy Spine Greenway

The Quincy Spine Greenway is an approximately 5-mile proposed north-south trail connecting the four MBTA Red Line Stations in Quincy with a low- or traffic-free route for bicyclists and pedestrians. Running roughly parallel to Hancock Street, the Quincy Spine Greenway was proposed to begin at the Hancock Street Bridge and run along the side roads of Hancock Street to Quincy Center, Burgin Parkway, and Quincy Adams Station. Notably, the recommendation for the Quincy Spine Greenway proposed a painted, low-cost shared use path along Commander Shea Boulevard in the excess space of the roadway.

Quincy

A crosswalk in Quincy

City

Introduction

Study Approach and Methodology

Approach and Methodology

In identifying a core bicycle and pedestrian network, the 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan offered a solid foundation for continued multi-modal planning activities within the City of Quincy. However, changes in multimodal planning paradigms that have taken place over the preceding decade, as well as an increased understanding of the complex interactions between bicycles, pedestrians, and motorists, necessitate a reexamination and update of the existing plan to better align the recommendations of the plan with today’s priorities.

The Multi-Modal Master Plan places considerable emphasis and importance on data-driven planning that is complemented by community outreach and engagement. This allows for the recommendation of evidence-based solutions that are respectful of resident input and put the community’s needs first. To best inform this update, the Multi-Modal Master Plan will proceed with the following approach:

Multi-Modal Master Plan: Study Approach

Review of Existing Conditions:

Effective planning proceeds from a full understanding of the conditions that exist today. A complete understanding of the existing conditions allows communities to move forward with plans and recommendations that are fact-based and supported by verifiable evidence. The Multi-Modal Master Plan will examine factors relevant to bicycle and pedestrian planning, such as an overview of the community demographic profile, important cyclist and pedestrian destinations, existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities, barriers to bicycle and pedestrian access and mobility, and the safety issues that the barriers to mobility create. This analysis will be used as the basis for future network planning and facility recommendations.

Solicit Feedback from Community Through Public Engagement:

Data gives a good overview of a community’s general composition, but cannot reveal the underlying priorities of a community alone. The Multi-Modal Master Plan includes a robust public outreach element designed to solicit targeted feedback in order to best understand the community’s needs around bicycle and pedestrian amenities. The results of the public outreach efforts will complement the Existing Conditions analysis and support network recommendations.

Identify Strategic Priorities and Recommend Concept Plans:

Incorporating the results of the existing conditions analysis and feedback received from the community, the Multi-Modal Master Plan will present a series of strategic priorities the city should focus on implementing as part of new projects, an overall network plan, and short-term safety improvements.

Identify and Recommend Funding Sources:

Even the best plan in the world does not do much good if it sits on a shelf. The Multi-Modal Master Plan will identify and recommend funding sources for implementation to ensure that projects may be built when the timing is appropriate and feasible.

Introduction

Study Approach and Methodology City

Master Plan Guiding Principles

The provision of multi-modal facilities within a community should not be an ad-hoc process. One-off interventions may temporarily meet an immediate need but lead to a series of discontiguous facilities that are difficult for people to use and navigate. Further, they may be inappropriate for the surrounding roadway context and may increase the level of danger for roadway users if implemented quickly without an appropriate degree of preparation, or if done partially. In order to help mitigate the possibility of this outcome, the following Guiding Principles have informed the recommendations included in the Multi-Modal Master Plan.

Multi-Modal Master Plan: Guiding Principles

Roadway User Safety:

Proposed bicycle and pedestrian recommendations in the MultiModal Master Plan are driven first and foremost by roadway user safety. Facility recommendations prioritize roadway user safety over other considerations.

Appropriateness of Facility Recommendations:

All facility recommendations are context appropriate in relation to safety and exiting community characteristics. Existing conditions are taken into account to inform the overall form of the network plan as well as site-specific recommendations.

Comprehensive Network Coverage:

The Multi-Modal Master Plan is focused on providing comprehensive and direct network coverage where possible to increase the appeal of using non-motorized forms of transportation.

Feasibility of Implementation:

Facility recommendations are made with a focus on implementation. This focus on implementation is based on pragmatic assumptions and time frames, and does not compromise on other priorities for the sake of convenience.

Design and Guiding Sources

The Multi-Modal Master Plan follows the most current best practices in transportation planning. As such, it relies on a wide variety of federal and state guidelines to inform its recommendations. These institutional sources include, but are not limited to, manuals and materials published by the US Census Bureau, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), MassDOT, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Planning Association (APA), and the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE).

bike lane in Quincy Center

Existing Conditions

Community Profile and Travel Characteristics

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Community Profile

Before undertaking an analysis of the bicycle and pedestrian environment within the City of Quincy, it is necessary to examine the relevant demographic characteristics of the community. This is to gain a better understanding of the overall character of the population of the City of Quincy as a whole, which will help inform the most effective bicycle and pedestrian facility recommendations possible. Places are made by the people who live and work in them, and the goal of any multi-modal master plan should be not only to provide efficient transportation connections, but to effectively and humanely serve the people who live in the community directly and interact with the infrastructure on a daily basis.

To perform an analysis of the existing community profile, this study relies on the US Census Bureau 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) data for pertinent demographic characteristics, as well as the 2022 LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) for employment data. This represents the most up-to-date data from the US Census Bureau available for the relevant demographic characteristics at the time of this writing – for consistency, 2022 has been chosen as the year where both data sets have overlapping availability. The information presented in this section should be understood to represent a general overview of the community, rather than as constituting the exact makeup of each person and household within the City of Quincy. Nevertheless, it is effective for understanding a community in broad terms.

Community Population

In 2022, the City of Quincy was estimated to have a population of 100,981 individuals. This represents a gain of approximately 8,061 persons from the 2014 estimated population of 92,920. This population growth is significant in that it constitutes a growth of 9% of the total population of the City of Quincy, which is 3% greater than the 6% growth that the Boston Metro Area experienced over the same time period. The City of Quincy has therefore grown faster than the Boston Metro Area as a whole, though it still accounts for approximately 2% of the Boston Metro Area’s total population, as it did in 2014. A growth in population is significant for Quincy in that a larger population places more demands on the existing transportation infrastructure. These demands necessitate a degree of investment in the infrastructure if it is to continue to function effectively.

Median Age and Age-Sex Distribution

The median age in the City of Quincy is 38. This value has stayed constant between 2014 and 2022. In the same time period, the median age for males has increased from 36.8 to 37.5, while the median age for females has decreased from 40.2 to 39.3.

The age-sex distribution for the City of Quincy in 2022 is displayed in the population pyramid included above. The largest single age category is individuals between 25 and 29 years of age, constituting 11.2% of the population. The second largest age category is individuals 70 and older, representing 10.7% of the total population. The third largest category is the age range between 30 to 34 years, at 10.1%.

A significant finding for the age-sex distribution in Quincy is that two of the largest single age categories for both males and females are between 25 to 29 years of age and 30 to 34 years of age. These age ranges are some of the most physically prime periods of the human life cycle, which could indicate that more active modes of transportation, such as walking or cycling, might be more likely to be utilized if better facilities were available, as the population age composition supports them.

Male Female

Quincy, MA: Population Pyramid

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Individuals with Disabilities

According to the 2022 ACS estimates, approximately 13% of the population of the City of Quincy has a disability. Generally, the likelihood of an individual having a disability increases with age. The largest category of individuals in the City of Quincy with a disability is for individuals over the age of 65, with 31% of persons 65 or older falling into this category. The second largest category of individuals with disabilities is within the 35 to 64 years category, with 9% of individuals in this category having a disability.

The increase in disabilities as age increases suggests that disabilities may be primarily related to age, which has important implications in the City of Quincy given that nearly 17% of the total population is over the age of 65. Specifically, pedestrian safety infrastructure may need to be enhanced to meet the specific needs of this particular population.

Race and Ethnicity

The City of Quincy is a diverse community, like many others in Massachusetts. In 2022, individuals identifying as White Alone constituted 58% of the population, making up the largest segment. Individuals identifying as Asian alone accounted for 29% of the population, and individuals identifying as Black or African American alone made up 6%. Individuals identifying as Two or More Races made up 5%, and the smallest category constituted Some Other Race Alone at 2%.

As an important finding, between 2014 and 2022, individuals identifying as Asian alone grew by 22%, representing 29% of the total population. Nearly 70% of individuals identifying as Asian alone in the 2022 ACS estimates are individuals over the age of 18 and classified as being born in a country other than the United States. This represents a significant population of immigrants within the City of Quincy.

Ethnicity is defined by the ACS as whether an individual is of Hispanic or Latino origin or if they are not of Hispanic or Latino origin. The City of Quincy, according to this classification, is 7% Hispanic or Latino and 93% Not Hispanic or Latino.

Race in Quincy, MA

by Age in Quincy, MA

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Household Vehicle Availability

Of all households within the City of Quincy, 14% have no vehicle available. These households must use alternative modes of transportation in order to travel or are required to rely on other individuals or services for rides. For a predictable and scheduled trip, such as a work commute, this arrangement may be feasible. For unexpected or necessary trips that are not on a fixed schedule, such as going to the grocery store, having to use an alternative mode of transportation may be significantly more inconvenient.

Further, 48% of households have only one vehicle available – for households larger than one person, having only one vehicle available necessitates alternative modes of transportation for other household members in the case of scheduling conflicts. Typically, as household size increases, the number of vehicles available increases as well, with most three- or four-person or more households having access to at least one vehicle. Three- or four-person or more households constitute 32% of households in Quincy, however, compared to 68% of households that are either one- or two-person.

Direction and Destination

Over half of the jobs that workers who live in the City of Quincy commute to are located in Boston, Quincy, or Cambridge. The majority of jobs, or 68% of all jobs held by workers who live in the City of Quincy, are located under ten miles away from workers’ home census tracts. The primary direction of travel for all workers that live in the City of Quincy is to either the north or the northwest, with 60% of all jobs held by workers that live in the City of Quincy requiring a commute in this direction. This makes northsouth connections particularly important for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure for work-related commutes, as the majority of commuting activity to and from the City of Quincy necessitates connections in these directions.

Given that a majority of commutes from Quincy are to the north or northwest, Hancock Street, Newport Avenue, and the Neoponset Bridge take on a high degree of importance as some of the only transportation arterials that run contiguously in a north-south direction. Establishing a north-south bicycle and pedestrian link is critical for the overall success of any multi-modal network plan within the City of Quincy, as without this link the creation of a viable network is complicated significantly.

Vehicle Availability in Quincy, MA

Primary Job Direction in Quincy, MA

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Means of Transportation to Work

While not a perfect measure of all the ways people in a community travel due to the changing nature of commuting, as well as a specific focus on capturing only traditional work commutes, the ACS Journey to Work estimates can help explain the best general outline of how individuals travel within their communities without performing a detailed outreach survey.

The working population of the City of Quincy 16 years and older primarily commutes by car, with 60% of individuals traveling to work by car, truck, or van. Further, approximately 53% of the working population over the age of 16 drives to work alone, representing nearly 30,000 individuals. The second largest category of commuter, representing 20% of all workers over the age of 16, commutes by public transportation, with 83% of these individuals commuting from a station on either the Red Line or Commuter Rail. Currently, 3% of individuals walk to work and under 1% bike.

Taken together, the approximately 24% of commuters who walk, bike, or take public transportation to work constitute a number of potential pedestrians and cyclists in the City of Quincy, as all users of public transportation need to access

transit stations and stops. Most often, users of transit live close to the stations they use most frequently and will often access their transit stations or stops on foot. To reinforce this inference, according to the 2023 MBTA Ridership Census, the three Red line Stations of North Quincy, Wollaston, and Quincy Center all have a pedestrian or cyclist access mode share of over 75%, meaning that over 75% of trips that occur from each of these stations begin with individuals either walking or bicycling to the stations. This means that, especially around transit stops, there could potentially be numerous pedestrians and cyclists present at any time.

Another important finding from the Means of Transportation to Work data for Quincy is the low percentage of individuals that bike to work as their main form of transportation. Recent studies have found that individuals often avoid biking as a means of transportation if they feel unsafe, or if the existing bike facilities are of poor quality or inappropriate to the surrounding roadway conditions (Lauren, et al. 2022). The low share of individuals biking to work could suggest that bike infrastructure in Quincy is currently inadequate and therefore non-competitive with other forms of transportation.

Quincy, MA: Means of Transportation to Work

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Travel Time to Work

Quincy, MA: Travel Time to Work by Mode

Percent of Trips by Category

Time (Minutes)

Despite the relatively short distance of travel required to reach most employment destinations, with 68% of all jobs held by a worker in Quincy being under 10 miles away from the worker’s home census tract, over 58% of commuting trips take 30 minutes or more for all modes of travel. For cars, trucks, and vans, 51% of trips take 30 minutes or more. For public transportation, the percentage of trips taking over 30 minutes is 91%. Walking trips are typically much shorter in duration, with most walking trips taking under 14 minutes.

Under ideal circumstances, in order to travel ten miles in 30 minutes an individual would need to move at approximately 20 miles per hour without stopping. As this represents perfect travel conditions, it can be reasonably inferred that the average speed of travel for commuters is less than 20 miles per hour due to the length of time each commute takes. This is a relatively low speed. While this relatively low speed may be expected for public transportation (due to frequent stops), bicycles, and pedestrians, it represents a considerable amount of inefficiency for motorized vehicles, as speed limits within the City of Quincy on most roads –especially arterial roads - are typically higher than 20 miles

per hour. The existing roadways are also quite wide, which should theoretically allow for higher travel speeds, more maneuverability for motorized modes of transportation, and a higher theoretical attraction to motorized transportation as a means of travel for most roadway users.

This finding suggests that there could be considerable congestion in Quincy for motorized transportation. The provision of improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities may be a viable strategy to reduce vehicle congestion throughout the city by shifting individuals who may have driven to other modes of transportation that have a cycling or walking element, provided that the implementation of improved cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure is done in an appropriate, context-sensitive, and well-planned manner.

Car, Truck, or Van Public Transportation Walked

Other (Including Bicycle)

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Language Spoken At Home and English Proficiency

According to the 2022 ACS estimates for the Total Population of Quincy over the age of 5 years, 62% of individuals speak English at home. The second largest category is Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese, at 17%. Other important categories include Other Indo-European languages (that are not Spanish, French, West Germanic, or Slavic) at 7%, Vietnamese at 4%, and other Asian Languages at 3%.

It is important to note that for individuals speaking Chinese, Vietnamese, or other Asian Languages, English is generally spoken less than very well. For example, 70% of individuals speaking Chinese at home speak English less than very well. This is the same for 66% of Vietnamese-speaking individuals and 41% of Other Asian language-speaking individuals.

As previously noted, the City of Quincy has a large population of recent Asian immigrants. Low English proficiency among this population may make it more likely to be reliant on non-motorized forms of transportation due to language-related barriers impacting employment opportunities, insurance rates, and other factors influencing vehicle ownership.

Language Spoken at Home in Quincy, MA

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Transportation by English Proficiency

As noted, the City of Quincy is a diverse community and has a large population of immigrants, many of whom speak a language other than English at home and do speak English at a level of proficiency of less than very well. A significant implication of having a large immigrant population present within an urban area is increased bicycle usage and pedestrian activity. A research study published in 2010, for example, found that, controlling for all other factors, recent immigrants were more than 10 times as likely to bike, walk, or take an alternative mode of transportation such as a taxicab for their transportation needs (Smart 2010).

This contention is born out through the data. For all categories other than driving alone, the majority of commuters that speak a language other than English at home are classified as speaking English “less than very well.” For example, 71% of commuters that speak a language other than English at home and that bike, walk, or take other means of transportation such as a taxi or motorcycle speak English less than very well. 51% of public transportation commuters that speak a language other than English at home are also categorized as speaking English less than very well. Conversely, for individuals traveling by car and driving alone that speak a language other than English at home, the percentage of individuals that speak English less than very well is 42%.

An inference that can be drawn from this data is that individuals who walk to public transportation stations, or who bike and walk as their primary means of transportation, may have a significant likelihood of speaking English less than very well, reinforcing the contention that a large recent immigrant population is present in Quincy. It also means that deficiencies in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure may be more likely to impact the safety of low-English proficiency individuals who may not have the ability to easily avail themselves of alternative modes of transportation or legal remedies should an injury occur as the result of a crash. While continuing to represent a small share of total trips, recent immigrants are significantly more likely to bike or walk as a means of transportation, representing a source of demand for improved bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure within the city for reasons other than pure recreation (Smart 2010).

Means of Transportation by English Proficiency, Quincy MA

Existing Conditions

Community Demographic Profile and Travel Characteristics

Summary of Findings

The analysis of the existing community demographics in Quincy offers evidence that is supportive of cycling and walking as viable alternative modes of transportation. The most significant findings and their implications are discussed below.

Population Growth

The population of the City of Quincy has grown faster than the rest of the Boston metro area since 2014. Today,there is a larger population within the city that is reliant on transportation infrastructure that has not significantly increased in capacity, been altered in configuration, or in the case of non-roadway transportation infrastructure, been adequately maintained over the preceding ten years. The consequences of this population growth are an increase in the number of vehicles on roads in Quincy, an increase in time spent making relatively short trips due to vehicular congestion, and a need for more frequent or expensive roadway maintenance due to increased roadway usage. These consequences may negatively affect quality of life for members of the community. However, these challenges that come with growth also create an opportunities to provide alternative modes of transportation to improve active transportation opportunities. These opportunities can be used to offset the negative effects of growth, and may vastly improve resident’s quality of life over time by increasing modal choice, decreasing reliance on costly vehicles, and improving community air quality.

Conducive Demographics

The City of Quincy’s demographic profile is supportive of walking and cycling as alternative modes of transportation to personal automobiles. More than one of every four individuals in the city are between the ages of 20 and 34, which represents the age range of peak physical strength and fitness for humans. A significant portion of this population is made of up recent immigrants, who are more than ten times as likely to choose walking or cycling as transportation modes when controlling for other factors. Further, though personal automobile usage is the most common form of transportation throughout the city today, there is a significant number of households in Quincy that do not have access to a personal vehicle at all, which creates a need for alternative modes of transportation that are convenient, flexible, and inexpensive.

Manner of Commuting

The nature of commuting in Quincy also supports walking and cycling. The majority of commutes made by workers 16 years old and older are under ten miles away from those workers’ home census tracts, representing relatively short commutes that could potentially be made by bicycle if appropriate and safe facilities were available. Further, public transportation represents the second largest category of commuters’ means of transportation to work, with approximately one of every five workers in the city using public transportation as their primary means of commuting. As seen, walking and cycling are major access modes for public transit facilities. Therefore, commuters using public transportation represent a major segment of the population that also requires safe and effective multi-modal facilities and that could benefit from an investment in improved facilities generally.

The direction of worker commutes also has implications for bicycle and pedestrian network planning. Most commutes for workers that live in Quincy - or nearly 60% - require a movement in either the north or northwest direction. This makes north-south multi-modal connections significant in an economic sense in addition to the importance they have in simply providing alternatives to a personal automobile for transportation purposes. By providing north-south multimodal connections, investments by the City of Quincy could potentially reduce the amount of time workers spend in short automobile commutes and lessen both the productivity losses and degradation in air quality that are associated with them.

Implications and Next Steps

As seen in the Community Profile analysis, the population of the City of Quincy has the potential to support a viable urban multi-modal transportation network. An expanding and relatively young population supplemented by a growing number of recent immigrants creates a strong base for cycling and walking as viable alternative transportation modes to the personal automobile. Given the length of time city residents spend commuting in private cars for relatively short work trips, promoting cycling, walking, and other multi-modal options as alternative transportation modes through a safe network of multi-modal facilitiesand especially through a north-south connection - has the potential to improve the quality of life within the City of Quincy for all residents and visitors.

City of Quincy :

Existing Conditions

Multi-Modal Facilities Analysis

One of the primary purposes of the Multi-Modal Master Plan is to create a multi-modal transportation network for the City of Quincy that is safe, context appropriate, comprehensive, and implementable. However, no plan is effective without an understanding of the existing conditions related to multi-modal infrastructure, as well as the impacts of that infrastructure on cyclists and pedestrians, that are present in the community today. To that end, a detailed analysis of the multi-modal environment present within the city is required. The purpose of this analysis is to identify factors relevant to cyclists and pedestrians that will best inform future recommendations for both strategic policy priorities as well as the form of the overall multi-modal transportation network in Quincy.

Analytical Approach

The analysis of the existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities within this section proceeds from an evaluation of the overall network usability, connectivity, and safety for network users. To that end, this portion of the analysis is split into three loose conceptual sections, each building off the previous. The first component of this analysis is the identification of major cyclist and pedestrian origin and destination points. These destination locations are typically major community or civic uses - such as grocery stores, schools, and transit stops – that serve as community anchor points and that have a high potential or proven amount of cyclist, pedestrian, or vulnerable roadway user (VRU) access. The identification of these locations helps to show where pedestrians and cyclists are likely to travel within the city as opposed to longer, work-based commutes.

The second step of the analysis identifies the bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the city as they exist today, as well as the specific challenges that the existing roadway infrastructure poses for multi-modal navigation, connectivity, and safety. Looking at the existing positioning of the bicycle and pedestrian facilities, this section shows how important community destinations may or may not be connected by the existing network and how this impacts multi-modal accessibility. Further, this component of the analysis continues into an identification of barriers to multi-modal travel that exist within the city due to roadway configurations and traffic volumes.

The final section of the analysis is related to safety and the characteristics of crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians over the 5-year period between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. This section expands from simply identifying the challenges and barriers to movement that are faced by cyclists and pedestrians in the city into what the safety-specific effects of those barriers are on these roadway users. By examining how the existing infrastructure creates tangible safety, connectivity, and accessibility challenges, the Multi-Modal plan can effectively outline the issues within the city today and offer evidencebased solutions that can help mitigate the negative impacts of these challenges and create a successful multi-modal environment within the city.

typical residential road in Quincy

Existing Conditions

Bicycle and Pedestrian Destinations

Before analyzing the existing bicycle and pedestrian network present in Quincy, it is necessary to understand the locations in the city that serve as major bicycle and pedestrian destinations. These destinations have been chosen due to the potential for significant bicycle and pedestrian access, necessity of access due to healthand work-related needs, importance in community- and civic-anchoring activities, centralized location, and higher likelihood of access by vulnerable users, such as school children and the elderly. They must be accessed throughout the year and are not related to specific leisure activities that may limit the benefit of publicly funded infrastructure investments for all residents. The primary categories for these locations are MBTA Transit Stations, Grocery Stores, and Schools. The locations are described below.

MBTA Transit Stations

The four MBTA Red Line Stations in Quincy are major bicycle and pedestrian destinations. According to the 2023 MBTA Rider Census, for the stations of North Quincy, Wollaston, and Quincy Center, cycling and walking as a means of first accessing the station were reported to be over 70% for both modes. Quincy Adams had a lower first access share for cyclists and pedestrians but was still over 50%. Further, for all four stations, over 65% of riders use the station at least three times a week. This means that there is frequent use of these stations. Since large percentages of riders access the station by bicycle or on foot, and do so relatively frequently, it is important to provide adequate bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure that connects to the stations in order to improve both safety and network connectivity.

Grocery Stores

Large grocery stores are important neighborhood destinations. Typically located along wide, busy, and wellconnected roads, grocery stores in urban environments are often accessed by cyclists and pedestrians that live in close proximity to them. They are essential destinations in that all people need to purchase groceries, and avoiding grocery stores generally tends to lead to negative health outcomes for most individuals. Grocery stores tend to serve as anchors for other destinations, such as gyms, restaurants, and other commercial and community destinations, leading to a high number of related trips taking place within the vicinity of the grocery stores.

Cyclist and Pedestrian Destinations

MBTA Transit Stations:

• North Quincy Wollaston • Quincy Center Quincy Adams

Grocery Stores:

99 Ranch Market

• C-Mart

Fortune Supermarket

• H-Mart

• Kam Man Foods

Schools:

• Stop & Shop (Holbrook Road)

& Shop (Southern Artery) • Walmart

As mentioned in the Community Profile, 14% of households in Quincy do not have access to a vehicle. This represents a sizable number of individuals that may have to access these grocery stores either by other modes of transportation, such as by bicycle or on foot. Given the location of these grocery stores on busier transportation arterials, it may be hazardous for cyclists and pedestrians to access them without dedicated infrastructure present. The areas around large grocery stores therefore presents opportunities to improve the quality of the bicycle and pedestrian network.

Schools

Schools are important destinations in a community that serve multiple purposes. Aside from their primary purpose as educational centers, schools may also serve as locations for other civic and recreational opportunities, such as polling locations or areas that provide appropriate facilities to youth sports leagues. As such, they serve a diverse group of citizens. In Quincy, the location of many schools in residential areas provide opportunities for access by cyclists and pedestrians.

The populations served by schools makes improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities within the vicinity a matter of public safety. Schools are accessed by numerous individuals under the age of 18, as well as many seniors over the age of 65. Improving the bicycle and pedestrian facilities near schools improves the safety of vulnerable users as well.

Existing Conditions

Existing Bicycle Facilities

Since 2014, the City of Quincy has begun the construction of a bicycle network along important roadway corridors that has deviated somewhat from the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network. The primary focus of the bicycle network that has been completed to date is a series of shared lane markings, bike lanes, and buffered bicycle lanes on roadways that converge onto the downtown area. The bicycle facilities that are present along these roadways are not always of the same type. For example, along Washington Street, a major roadway identified in the 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan, portions of bike lanes have been implemented as called for by the plan. Other segments of the roadway, however, have shared lane markings in a change from the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network’s recommendations.

Deviations from established plans are a normal part of the process of plan implementation. Sometimes, original recommendations are infeasible, or opportunities arise for new projects that could not have been foreseen at the time of the plan’s creation and that serve an identified need. Examples of these sorts of adaptations are Quarry Street and Quincy Avenue, neither of which were included in the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network. Quarry Street was noted as in the 2014 plan a project to be undertaken after the 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Network was completed, and Quincy Avenue was not mentioned. Regardless, these facilities add robustness to the network and serve to link a major concentration of grocery stores in the southern portion of Quincy.

The effect of the current bicycle facility network is a concentration of existing and planned facilities in the southern section of Quincy along major roadways and that do not serve major destinations in the north. There are no direct linkages with the northern section of Quincy for cyclists. Further, only the Quincy Center MBTA station has dedicated bicycle facility connections. As seen in the Community Profile, a lack of north-south connections and connections to MBTA stations in Quincy lowers the attractiveness of cycling as a viable mode of transportation, as over half of all jobs held by individuals living in Quincy require a commute in the north or northwest direction. Remedying the lack of north-south connections and connecting the southern and northern parts of Quincy therefore represents an opportunity to be addressed as part of the Multi-Modal Network Plan.

Bicycle Facilities in Quincy

In 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Plan

Adams Street:

Planned Facilities: Bike Lanes

Implemented Facilities: Shared Lane Markings, Bike Lanes, Buffered Bike Lanes

Washington Street:

Planned Facilities: Bike Lanes

Implemented Facilities: Shared Lane Markings, Bike Lanes, Buffered Bike Lanes

Not in 2014 Priority Bicycle Facility Striping Plan

Billings Road: