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May is Bay State Bike Month, a celebration of two-wheeled transportation organized by MassBike, the state's bicycle advocacy organization. This month-long event highlights the many benefits of biking and encourages more people to try it.   On Cape Cod, a number of projects are underway to improve access for cyclists and pedestrians, bringing the region closer to realizing Vision 88, an effort to create a network of off-road shared use paths from Woods

The Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) welcomed Luisa Paiewonsky, Executive Director of the Megaprojects Delivery Office of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), to its May 19, 2025 meeting for an update on the progress of the Cape Cod Bridges Program. 

The Cape Cod Commission has released the draft Cape Cod Vision Zero Action Plan for a 21-day public comment period. The Vision Zero Action Plan is a comprehensive safety action plan to reduce and eliminate serious injury and fatal motor vehicle crashes affecting all roadway users on Cape Cod by 2050. Informed by extensive public outreach, the Plan was developed in close coordination with all 15 towns and the Vision Zero Advisory Committee. 

We know thousands of vehicles cross the Bourne and Sagamore bridges each day, but what about the people who don’t drive? To better understand how non-motorists are using the bridges and to plan for future needs, the Cape Cod Commission placed “eco-counters,” portable infrared sensors that detect heat to count pedestrians and bicyclists, near both the Bourne and Sagamore bridges. Data shows that hundreds of pedestrians and bicyclists traverse the canal bridges every year.  

FFY 2025-2029 TIP Amendment #4 would remove $8,284,827 in regional target funding from the Mashpee Route 151 Improvements (Phase 2) project to reflect the current construction bid price, adjust the funding allocated to Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority budget items in FFY 2025 for facilities, vehicles, and maintenance, and remove the Harwich Safe Routes to School project from FFY 2025. View the proposed amendment at www.capecodcommission.org/mpo.

Data collection plays a vital role in keeping roadways safe and accessible for everyone. Every few years, the Cape Cod Commission updates a list of high-crash intersections to help identify areas in need of safety improvements. By tracking crash trends over time, Commission staff can pinpoint problem areas and prioritize locations for Road Safety Audits, planning studies, and other safety interventions. This list serves as a valuable resource for transportation professionals, guiding strategic investments to make the region’s roads safer for all.

The Cape Cod Commission invites the public to attend a Cape Cod Vision Zero Action Plan public meeting to learn more about efforts to eliminate fatalities and serious injury crashes on Cape Cod's roadways. The meetings will provide an overview of the region’s High Injury and High Risk roadway and intersection network and a draft list of potential countermeasures, projects and strategies to reduce serious injury and fatal crashes in our region. Attendees will have an opportunity to provide feedback on potential solutions in their communities as we prepare the Action Plan document later this spring.  

Leaders across Cape Cod are embracing Vision Zero principles and committing to prioritizing safety. In February, the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners adopted an official Vision Zero goal to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries by 2050 and to reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2035. This commitment ensures that Vision Zero principles will be integrated into transportation planning and investment decisions across the region. 

During a meeting held on January 27, 2025, the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) released the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025-2029 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment 3 for a 21-day public review and comment period.

FFY 2025-2029 TIP Amendment 3 would add a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Safe Streets for All supplemental planning grant in the amount of $315,000 for the Town of Barnstable to be programmed in FFY 2025. The Town will use these funds to conduct Road Safety Audits at fourteen high-crash locations in Barnstable, a project that supports the ongoing regional safety work of the Vision Zero Action Plan, an initiative under development to improve traffic safety and reduce fatalities and serious injuries region-wide.

Passengers on Cape Cod’s public transportation network have a variety of ways to catch a ride, but by far, the most popular way is to flag a bus down anywhere along its route. While convenient, this method does pose some safety challenges. To help assess the most popular access points, the Cape Cod Commission and Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority collaborated to develop an online tool that, using ridership data from 2022, shows where riders are getting on and off the bus.