Transit Action Plan

OVERVIEW

The Transit Action Plan (TAP) is a community-based vision for Malden's multimodal transportation network. The purpose is to prioritize the City's investments in public transportation over the next 10-15 years. The TAP was completed in March 2023.

Why did we look into public transportation in Malden?

  • 28% of Malden residents take public transit to get to work – the third highest percentage of any municipality in the State!
  • 94% of Malden residents live within a quarter mile of a bus stop
  • Existing transit services provide a direct "one seat" ride to 16 communities

Would you like to review the Malden Transit Action Plan? The TAP is available in two formats. 

There is an interactive Storymap where visitors can move through the project's history and learn how the plan progressed. This is meant to give a high-level overview of the plan.

If you'd like to go more in-depth with the TAP, there is an Executive Summary and detailed memos for Part 1: Documenting Existing Conditions, Part 2: Identifying Potential Mobility Strategies, and Part 3: Developing Recommendations. 

TAP Goals

  • Look holistically at the multimodal transportation options in Malden
  • Identify barriers and challenges to accessing and using transit
  • Develop solutions to make transit more attractive and easier to use
  • Map out the steps in an Action Plan to implement solutions

Project Phases

  1. Document Existing Conditions
    • Develop a community profile
    • Conduct a survey of mobility needs
    • Evaluate transit service and infrastructure
  2. Identify Potential Mobility Strategies
    • Identify transit and active transportation opportunities along select corridors
    • Identify opportunities to improve access to MBTA stations and enhance transit-oriented development
    • Identify regional opportunities to enhance intra-Malden and inter-regional mobility
  3. Develop Recommendations
    • Develop near-term and long-term recommendations
    • Identify potential funding sources to implement recommendations

Timeline

  • February 16, 2022: Project Kickoff with the Sustainable & Equitable Transportation Committee
  • April 18, 2022: Resident survey released
  • June 1, 2022: Community Meeting #1 - Virtual
  • September 21, 2022: Meeting #2 with Sustainable & Equitable Transportation Committee
  • October 6, 2022: Community Meeting #2 - Malden Senior Center's Gym/ Activity Room from 6:30-8:30pm.
  • November 16, 2022: Meeting #3 with Sustainable & Equitable Transportation Committee
  • December 14, 2022: Community Meeting #3 - Malden Senior Center's Gym/Activity Room. 
  • March 2023: Project Completion

RESIDENT FEEDBACK

The TAP continuously integrates resident feedback throughout the project's phases. This occurs in the following ways:

  • Sustainable & Equitable Transportation Committee (SETC) - This committee serves as an advisory group for the Transit Action Plan. It is made up of residents Jane Ventrone, Barbara Kim, Leslie Sullivan, Livia Chan, Dave Cohen and joined by Ward 6 City Councillor Stephen Winslow. The City's Transportation Planner, John Alessi, oversees the meetings. The SETC meets with the project team before every community meeting.
  • Resident Survey - The team released a resident survey on April 18, 2022 and closed it on June 6, 2022. The City received over 1,000 survey responses. The purpose of this was for residents to provide feedback on how they use public transportation in Malden and how they think it could be improved. Results from the survey are folded into the TAP's first phase: Documenting existing conditions. The survey was made available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, and Vietnamese. Survey results are currently being analyzed by the project team. 
  • Community Meetings - Based on the technical work prepared in each phase and feedback from residents on the SETC, a community meeting will be held after each phase of the project. Translation services are available for each upon request. You can find recordings and copies of the presentations at these meetings on this page.

SETC Screenshot

RECORDINGS & OTHER DOCUMENTS

If you'd like to provide feedback, you can contact John Alessi, Transportation Planner in the Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development at jalessi@cityofmalden.org. 

Community Meeting #1 Materials

Community Meeting #2 Materials*

Community Meeting #3 Materials*

Note: This meeting was held in-person, so no video recording is available. Materials from this meeting are included here, or you can visit the interactive project website to get the full story.