By Meredith McCulloch
Bedford’s Selectmen voted unanimously on November 18 to approve Bedford’s participation with four other communities— Burlington, Billerica, Chelmsford and Lowell—that make up the Middlesex 3 Coalition in an application for a Community Innovation Challenge Grant (CIC) of $160,000.. The CIC grants, funded by the Commonwealth, support regional efforts to solve local problems. The goal would be to evaluate current transportation, to educate the public about available services and coordinate resources within the existing towns. Transportation was seen as a top priority by the group and a transportation committee was formed.
Resources already spent on transportation are greater than usually understood. In addition to the obvious services, such as the MTBA trains and buses, there are many private bus routes in operation. Towns, Councils on Aging, Middlesex Community College, hospitals, and large employers have bus routes, but they are limited in the area or population that they serve. Many companies are interested in starting shuttle services or joining existing ones. The purpose of the grant would be to analyze what services are being provided and to look for ways to coordinate their use.
It is a competitive grant, but the application, due December 14, is strengthened by the number of communities involved.
For more information about the Coalition, see: https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2013/06/18/middlesex-3-regional-development-group-assesses-first-year.
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