Council meets on
transportation funding
The Boston Regional Transportation Advisory Council offered recommendations to the Metropolitan Planning Organization on which transportation projects need funding at a meeting yesterday.
Guy Bresnahan, spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation, outlined the process of allocating federal funds for transportation projects.
“When earmarking is approached thoughtfully, you can get money for resources you might not otherwise have,” Bresnahan said.
State transportation projects often concentrate on roadway construction, focusing on road safety and congestion.
Eligible transportation-improvement projects receive the allotted funding over a five-year period.
Bresnahan emphasized the complexities project management. He said there are constant delays and not enough money to fund all aspects of all projects. The wording of every project proposal must be “crystal clear” in order to be a candidate for consideration.
In addition, the process of applying for and receiving funding is extremely difficult, Bresnahan said, citing an eight-step process for project development, including multiple permits, studies and committee reviews. Before any money is allocated, construction bids must be sorted and contractors — “the cheapest qualified ones” — must be selected.
At the meeting, other addressed problems included clogged streets, construction along the river, a pedestrian walkway along Route 9 and the potential closing of parts of Storrow Drive.
The council members represented groups as diverse as individual towns, engineering associations and environmental organizations.
“Any group that has an interest in transportation can send a representative,” council member John Stasik said.
Safe driver insurance plan examined
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance met yesterday to discuss amendments to the Safe Driver Insurance Plan and to update the plan so that it is in compliance with Melanie’s Law.
Edward Phalen, an attorney for the DOI, said the proposed amendments included technical phrasing modifications and harsher penalties for drunk drivers under Melanie’s Law — originally passed in October 2005 to increase penalties for driving under the influence.
The Safe Driver Insurance Plan is designed to award drivers who are not involved in at-fault accidents or traffic violations. In accordance with the plan, drivers who are involved in these incidents receive surcharge points on their insurance. Points are delegated depending on the amount and degree of the violations. The surcharge points increase the premiums on insurance policies. However, previously clean records can decrease point values.
According to the Safe Driver Insurance Plan, new Massachusetts drivers — including out-of-state college students — fall under a separate set of rules. Unlike Massachusetts drivers holding licenses for more than six years, they do not receive any discounts for safe driving.
If new Massachusetts drivers are involved in an accident, they must report to the Merit Rating Board, a committee that then decides how many surcharge points, if any, will be charged to the individual drivers.