Exploring regional solutions to transportation challenges 

The Cape Cod Commission staff is exploring whether a Transportation Management Association (TMA) could help address the region’s growing mobility challenges, including seasonal congestion and workforce transportation needs, as well as the anticipated impacts of the upcoming replacement of the Sagamore and Bourne bridges. With major infrastructure projects approaching and travel patterns continuing to evolve, regional partners are considering new tools that can improve mobility, support economic development, and better coordinate services across Cape Cod. 

A TMA is a formally organized, professionally staffed, long-term partnership that brings employers, municipalities, and organizations together to solve shared transportation problems. TMAs are membership based and typically serve as advocacy organizations to keep members informed during significant regional changes, and provide direct services tailored to local needs (i.e. carpool match program). They often act as clearinghouses for information about transit and other mobility options, pursue grant funding in partnership with MassDOT, and coordinate shared first- and last-mile services that allow employers to jointly operate shuttles more efficiently. Because of this structure, TMAs can improve mobility and accessibility, reduce congestion and emissions, and help employers recruit and retain workers—benefits of particular importance on the Cape, where a seasonal workforce and tourism-driven travel add complexity to the transportation system. 

As part of the Unified Planning Work Program, Commission staff have been researching TMA models over the past two years. Commission staff are working with TransAction Associates, who specializes in planning and managing TMAs in Massachusetts, to support analysis and outreach on this topic. At the November Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting, Michelle Brooks, Transaction Associates’ Director of Consulting, offered an overview of TMA structures and shared preliminary findings from the study. 

There are currently about seventeen TMAs in Massachusetts, ranging from neighborhood-based organizations in dense urban areas to larger regional entities in suburban and rural settings. Brooks noted that any model for Cape Cod must account for both tourism and the impacts of major infrastructure projects, emphasizing that “tourism has to be part of the conversation of anything that gets done on the Cape.” She also highlighted opportunities for a Cape-focused TMA to support coordinated communications during bridge construction, enhance employer transportation programs, and improve access to key destinations. 

MPO Chair Mark Forest strongly supported the exploratory work. “I think this makes a great deal of sense,” he said. “To me, I see the need just growing, particularly as we get closer to construction for a new Sagamore Bridge and a bridge to replace the Bourne Bridge. I think quite frankly, with all of what’s going on, I think having an organization like this could be incredibly useful.” 

The project is in the exploratory phase. Next steps may include continued conversations with local businesses and organizations, forming a stakeholder group to examine a potential TMA model for the Cape Cod region in greater detail. These conversations will help clarify whether a TMA could provide long-term value to Cape Cod and what structure would best suit the region’s unique needs.