Falmouth Chamber and Mass Maritime Academy Work to Create a Beach Trolley System

Avoid the beach parking hassle

FALMOUTH - The Falmouth Chamber of Commerce is working with Cadets at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy this semester to study the possibility of a Beach Trolley route for Falmouth during the high season.  Cadets Alex Thomson, Matthew Kelley and Michael Loughman will be working under the direction of their instructor, Retired General John Flanagan, to assess the logistics and ramifications of such a program.  ?We are pleased to be working with our local college students on this classroom project.  The tourism community has talked for years about how a Beach Trolley might enhance pedestrian movement in the summer months while simultaneously reducing the number of cars of our congested roadways.  This endeavor will give us a chance to see if the pipe dream is even possible,? commented chamber CEO Christine Ross. 

"We have the opportunity for a synergistic solution among the Chamber, TMC, and the Board of Selectmen." - Retired General John Flanagan

John Flanagan also noted, "The Falmouth Transportation Management Commission is pleased to work with the Chamber of Commerce to enhance services to our residents and visitors.  We have the opportunity for a synergistic solution among the Chamber, TMC, and the Board of Selectmen. It also gives the business cadets from the Maritime Academy the opportunity to work on real world case studies, an invaluable experience compared to text book cases."

Over the course of the next several months cadets will gather data on a financial model, study GIS maps, research school bus routes, confer with the Beach Superintendent Don Hoffer, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority and local lodging establishments in town to develop a comprehensive feasibility study.  They are also studying established successful models such as the one available in Newport, Rhode Island.

Release courtesy of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce.