Kendall Leaders Release Report on Transportation Priorities


7/10/2019 • 5 years ago

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Transport Kendall

Cambridge, MA, July 10, 2019 -- The Kendall Square Association, in partnership with the City of Cambridge and the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, today officially announced the Transport Kendall Report: Actions to Transform Mobility. The report promotes the transit system investments that are critical to Kendall Square’s ongoing success and growth, including investments in the Red Line, new transit connections across the Grand Junction, and expanded bus service. The report builds on the work of the Kendall Square Mobility Task Force, a three-year planning process initiated by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and carried forward by the City of Cambridge, that explored the link between transit infrastructure and economic growth in Kendall Square. View the full report online at www.transportkendall.org

“Transport Kendall sheds light on the mobility needs of Kendall Square, Cambridge’s dynamic innovation and employment hub,” said Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development. “The recommended action items to expand our sustainable transportation network reflect the citywide mobility goals detailed in Envision Cambridge -- to enhance safety, transportation equity, and encourage our residents, employees, and visitors to walk, bike, and take transit to their destinations.”

Transport Kendall highlights that as Kendall Square has grown, transit has played a key role in avoiding traffic growth, with data from 2014 showing that 41% of commuters rely on transit compared to 34% who drive.

“Bus rapid transit, efficient Red Line service and a new connection through the Grand Junction are critical to the future of Kendall Square,” said Brian Dacey President of the Cambridge Innovation Center and co-chair of the Kendall Mobility Task Force. “Kendall Square has transformed into an innovation hub because of its proximity to institutions like MIT and Harvard, and its accessibility. We need to prioritize investments that make connections between developing job centers and Kendall.”

“Right now Kendall Square relies primarily on one rapid transit option: the Red Line. We need to develop a complete network of transit options for the region,” said Tom Evans, Executive Director of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority. “The Grand Junction corridor is an untapped resource that we need to take advantage of to reduce our reliance on cars as we continue to grow.”

Transport Kendall calls the Red Line the “backbone of the Cambridge transit system,” explaining that Kendall Square station entries increased 34% from 2007 to 2016 and are expected to double from 2012 to 2040.

Transport Kendall states that “a multi-use path alongside new public transit service connecting West Station in Allston, Kendall Square, and North Station in downtown Boston would provide a transformational link between growing and thriving innovation economies.” 42% of jobs in Cambridge and 33% of residents are within a half mile of the Grand Junction.

“We generated this report because, as Kendall Square has boomed over the last decade, our transportation system has deteriorated. Transport Kendall prioritizes what our economic center needs in order to continue thriving,” said C.A. Webb, President of the Kendall Square Association (KSA). “Kendall leaders continue to call on our elected leaders to direct the revenue our transportation system needs in order to enhance the system and serve more people with increasingly frequent and higher quality service. Our economy and our climate depend on it.”

In the wake of the Red Line derailment on June 11th, the KSA led a group of Kendall leaders in calling on Governor Baker, Senate President Spilka, and Speaker DeLeo to raise revenue to invest in our transportation system

The Kendall Square Association is a next-generation community platform that connects, advocates for, and advances one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems. Founded 10 years ago, the KSA is made up of 180 leading employers in Kendall Square, including Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Broad Institute, Draper, Google, Ipsen Bioscience, Microsoft, MIT and others.