Work Program

Representing the Experiences of People with Limited Mobility

January 8, 2026

Proposed Motion

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) votes to approve this work program.

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Classification

Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

Project Number 26002

Client 

Boston Region MPO

Project Supervisors

Principal: Rose McCarron
Manager: Sophie Fox

Funding Source

MPO Planning Contract and MPO §5303 Contract 131249

Schedule and Budget

Schedule: Eight months after work commences

Budget: $50,000

Schedule and budget details are shown in Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.

Relationship to MPO Goals

The Boston Region MPO elected to fund this study with its federally allocated metropolitan planning funds during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2026. The work completed through this study will address the following goal areas established in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan: safety and transportation equity.

Background

Throughout planning and decision-making, transportation planners and analysts characterize and quantify mobility metrics to understand how people travel throughout the region.  Many quantitative analysis efforts do not adequately reflect the perspective of people with limited mobility. The goal of this study is to develop strategies to incorporate the experiences of travelers with limited mobility in the quantitative analyses done by the Boston Region MPO staff. These strategies will strengthen our data-driven decision-making capabilities and support more inclusive transportation planning. This study will draw from existing research and conversations with stakeholders to inform these strategies and solutions.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are as follows:

  1. Gain a better understanding of the perspectives of those with limited mobility as they travel throughout the Boston region and existing efforts to represent these experiences in quantitative analysis.
  2. Identify ways future data-driven transportation planning work can more accurately model the travel conditions and behavior of people with limited mobility.

Work Description

This study consists of three tasks that build upon each other to develop a strategy for including the perspective of individuals with limited mobility in quantitative analysis. None of these tasks involve quantitative analysis. Instead, the findings from these tasks will be used to more accurately incorporate the travel conditions and experiences of people with limited mobility in future analyses.

Task 1  Literature Review

MPO staff will examine a variety of sources, including research publications and technical documentation, to identify existing best practices, analysis approaches, and strategies to include the needs of people with mobility limitations in data-driven transportation planning. Themes that will be explored through this literature review include planning and decision-making, data availability, and analysis techniques and tools.

Products of Task 1

Draft of the literature review section of the technical memorandum

Task 2  Stakeholder Engagement

MPO staff will work with organizations that advocate for people with limited mobility, and individuals with limited mobility themselves, to understand obstacles they face when traveling in the region and identify ways in which their experiences are meaningfully different than other users’. The stakeholder engagement could include surveys, attendance at events, one-on-one interviews, or roundtable discussions with organizations. Through these engagement efforts, MPO staff will learn about different types of mobility impairments that people experience and what aspects of the transportation system create challenges for those users.

Products of Task 2

Draft of the stakeholder engagement section of the technical memorandum

Task 3  Strategy Workshops

MPO staff will conduct internal strategy discussions to identify potential solutions to better represent how the transportation network serves people with limited mobility. These workshops will include MPO staff who use, maintain, and analyze data, as well as those who have specialized knowledge about transportation safety and equity, and will incorporate the stakeholder feedback and literature review information gathered in the previous two tasks. The aim of these workshops is to develop recommendations to incorporate the perspective of individuals with limited mobility in data-driven planning at a regional scale.

Products of Task 3

Draft of the strategy workshops section of the technical memorandum

Task 4  Technical Memorandum

MPO staff will summarize the results of the first three tasks into a technical memorandum that will identify best practices and potential next steps to better represent the experience of people with limited mobility throughout MPO program work. The next steps could include addressing gaps in data and further developing strategies or metrics.

Products of Task 4

Technical memorandum

 

 

Exhibit 1
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE
Representing the Experiences of People with Limited Mobility


Task 		Month
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1.
Literature Review
From Month 1.0, Week 1 to Month 2.75, Week 4.
Deliverable
A
Delivered by Month 2.75, Week 4.
2.
Stakeholder Engagement
From Month 2.5, Week 3 to Month 5.25, Week 2.
Deliverable
B
Delivered by Month 5.25, Week 2.
3.
Strategy Workshops
From Month 5.0, Week 1 to Month 7.75, Week 4.
Deliverable
C
Delivered by Month 7.75, Week 4.
4.
Technical Memorandum
From Month 7.5, Week 3 to Month 8.75, Week 4.
Deliverable
D
Delivered by Month 8.75, Week 4.
Products/Milestones
A: Literature review draft section
B: Stakeholder engagement draft section
C: Strategy workshop draft section
D: Technical memorandum

 

 

Exhibit 2
ESTIMATED COST
Representing the Experiences of People with Limited Mobility

Direct Salary and Overhead

$50,000

Task 		Person-Weeks by Pay Grade Direct
Salary 		Overhead
(122.59%) 		Total
Cost
G-8 G-7 G-6 Total
1.
Literature Review
0.2 0.2 2.2 2.6 $4,147 $5,084 $9,231
2.
Stakeholder Engagement
0.2 0.6 3.7 4.5 $7,197 $8,823 $16,021
3.
Strategy Workshops
0.4 0.6 3.8 4.8 $7,743 $9,492 $17,235
4.
Technical Memorandum
0.4 0.2 1.4 2.0 $3,375 $4,138 $7,513
Total
1.2 1.6 11.1 13.9 $22,463 $27,537 $50,000

Other Direct Costs

$0

TOTAL COST

$50,000
Funding
MPO Planning Contract #131249
MPO §5303 Planning Contract #131249

 

 

 


CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎

 

You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.

 

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Phone: 857.702.3700

Email: civilrights@ctps.org

 

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