Author: walkboston

Prepping for a Fields Corner walk audit later this summer in Dorchester

Prepping for a Fields Corner walk audit later this summer in Dorchester

This week, we walked around Fields Corner in Dorchester and some of the surrounding streets in the neighborhood with the executive director of Fields Corner Main Street to scout out a walk audit route for later this summer. Fields Corner Main Street (FCMS) is one of twenty Main Street organizations established by the City of Boston to promote neighborhood business districts. Fields Corner is home to a diverse community of Vietnamese, African-American, Cape Verdean, Irish and Latino businesses, and residents. FCMS’ mission is to safeguard and advance the diverse character and economic vitality of Field’s Corner to better serve its residents and attract visitors.

Along the way, we stopped in to speak with a few business owners and others we met on the street while walking through the area, especially around the intersection of Adams Street and Dorchester Avenue. Please send Brendan a message if you live or work in the area and want to take part in the walk audit later this summer.

Don’t live or work in the area, but know it well? Do you know people that we should be reaching out to in order to include in this effort? We’d love to hear from you, and are also happy to incorporate any feedback and suggestions you may have. Thank you!

   

Poll: 64 percent consider making streets safer for walking “very important”

Poll: 64 percent consider making streets safer for walking “very important”

Poll: Boston-area voters support changes to local streets, 64% consider making streets safer for walking “very important”

Good news! The MassINC polling group found that voters support changes to local streets, even if it means less space for cars. On top of that, 64% of people surveyed think it is VERY IMPORTANT to make streets safer for walking, while 39% of people surveyed said they will walk MORE than they did before the pandemic. Read more about it on Streetsblog MASS.

What’s this mean?

Today’s MassINC poll shows that voters love these efforts, and want to see more. The poll results reflect what we’ve been hearing as we’ve with people across Massachusetts over the last year: people want to be able to walk in their neighborhoods, but need to be able to cross the street safely. 

What can you do today to help? Comment on the CIP 

Communities big and small across the Commonwealth have re-examined how their streets can be used over the last year thanks to the MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces program, and we’ve got good news: there is funding in the 2022 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) for it to continue.

Send in a quick note of support for the Public Realm Improvements Grant Program. That is the 2022 CIP name for MassDOT’s Shared Streets and Spaces program that was launched as a pilot this past year and has been WILDLY successful. (Check out our list of all the projects that cities and towns committed to implementing through Shared Streets and Spaces so far.) MassDOT extended the deadline for public comments on its draft FY2022 CIP to next Monday June 14th.

Here’s how to comment:

  • View a StopyMap of the CIP here, click “Public Comment” from the Table of Contents to send a message through the comment form. Click the big blue “General Comment” button to write your message.
  • Prefer to comment another way? You can email MassCIP@state.ma.us, or send a letter to: Capital Investment Plan, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 4160, Boston, MA 02116

More about the Public Realm Improvements (aka Shared Streets and Spaces)* This program will continue a successful initiative launched in FY 21 to provide grants for cities and towns to launch or expand improvements to sidewalks, curbs, streets, on-street and off street parking in support of public health, safe mobility, and commerce in their communities. $20 million has been authorized in the transportation bond bill, with $4 million in 2022 capital funding. *The authorization for Public Realm is reflected in the 2022 CIP as a new Shared Streets and Spaces program. (Source: DRAFT 2022 Capital Investment Plan, page 22)

Thanks for your support of safe walking and safe streets!

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, April 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, April 2021

Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 7 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in March. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in April 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 38 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in April in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 4 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in April was 45. (One person’s age is listed as “unknown.”)
  • At least 4 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.

Update 11/15/2022:

On April 26th, Denise Stracqualursi, an employee of Roche Bros – Acton, was killed in the parking lot when she was bringing groceries out to an awaiting customer. Read the story in MassLive: Denise Stracqualursi, 56-year-old woman struck by car in Acton grocery store parking lot, has died, authorities said – masslive.com

Date4/12/2021, 8:40 PM
LocationMcGrath Highway + Blakeley Ave.
TownSomerville
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age72
SexM

72-year-old Marshall Mac was hit on McGrath Highway at Blakeley Avenue at 8:40PM while on his way home from the grocery store by a driver who fled the scene in East Somerville. Marshall died on April 29th from his injuries. The driver, age 64, later turned himself in and faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, McGrath Highway is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is no crosswalk at Blakeley Avenue (you can see a person standing on the island. It is a desire line to connect Foss Park and the neighborhoods to the north to the closest grocery store, Stop and Shop. It also would allow residents to avoid walking near the dangerous Rt 28/38 interchange with 93. 200 people rallied on May 26th to pressure MassDOT to accelerate fixes to the surrounding area, including sound barriers and pedestrian safety improvements that have been long called for through multiple Road Safety Audits.

The Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets encourages you to sign a petition to MassDOT, as three of their neighbors have died on McGrath Highway and Mystic Avenue in the last two years, and attend an upcoming virtual public hearing on June 8th at 6pm to press for changes as part of a recently announced I-93 rehab project (Zoom link).

Date4/13/2021, 4:30 AM
LocationI-93 SOUTH, EXIT 6
TownBraintree
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age42
SexM

Thomas Gill, age 42, was hit and killed on Route 93 in Braintree; NBC Boston reported that the driver or drivers that struck him did not stop. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, I-93 is under MassDOT jurisdiction.

Date4/13/2021, 11:18 AM
LocationCabot St. + Merrimack St.
TownLowell
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age63
SexM

A 63-year-old man was hit and killed by a driver on Merrimack Street at Cabot Street in Lowell. The Lowell Sun reported that the person was flown to a Boston-area trauma center with serious injuries. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this intersection is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 30 mph.

Date4/15/2021, 9:08 PM
LocationI-190 NORTH, MM 10.6
TownSterling
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age29
SexM

A 29-year old man crossed the median into a northbound lane while driving, exited his car to inspect a flat tire in the breakdown lane, and was hit and killed by two drivers on I-190 in Sterling. WWLP reported that the first driver fled the scene, while the second person, a 37-year old, stopped after the crash; State Police were still seeking the driver that left the scene.

Date4/22/2021, 11:09 PM
Location453 Centre St.
TownBrockton
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age
SexUNK

The Enterprise reported that a 39-year-old Charlestown woman was hit and seriously injured by a driver in an SUV on Centre Street in Brockton. The 44-year-old driver stayed at the scene. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Centre Street (Rt 123) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is one lane in each direction, with a 35 mph speed limit. There is a plaza on one side of the street and a school on the other.

Date4/24/2021, 2:53 AM
LocationSR-140 NORTH, EXIT 7 – Braley Rd. ramp
TownNew Bedford
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age19
SexM

In New Bedford, South Coast Today reported that a 19 year old person was ejected from a vehicle in a crash on the ramp for Rt 140; the person was then hit by another driver who fled the scene. FARS determined that this is categorized as a pedestrian crash since the person was outside of a vehicle when struck.

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

DISCLAIMER:  The compilation of data is based on preliminary data we receive from a variety of local sources.  Some of the data may differ slightly from information provided by NHTSA as this dashboard does not use imputation methods.  Information is subject to change when/if updated information becomes available. Data updated daily as reported by police departments.

where we’ve been lately – May 2021 update

where we’ve been lately – May 2021 update

As summer approaches, we’ve been ramping up our work all over the Commonwealth!

Here are a few places we’ve been working with people lately, either in person or virtually, to help make their community more walkable:

  1. Blandford
  2. Boston
  3. Brockton
  4. Cambridge
  5. Chelsea
  6. Concord
  7. Cummington
  8. Egremont
  9. Haverhill
  10. Huntington
  11. Medford
  12. New Bedford
  13. Quincy
  14. Springfield
  15. Worcester
Strengthening Connections to Community and Transit in Gateway Cities

Strengthening Connections to Community and Transit in Gateway Cities

Since September 2020, WalkBoston has conducted a series of walk audits in Gateway Cities across the Commonwealth as part of our “Gateway Cities: Social Infrastructure and Walkability” project in partnership with MassINC and with support from the Solomon Foundation. We’re hosting walk audits in five Gateway Cities, in the area around each city’s downtown commuter rail station, in order to advance better connections to transit-oriented development (TOD) zones and public amenities in these communities.

WalkBoston and MassINC created interactive maps for participants in each community, noting the walking route, and highlighting the sites of pedestrian-involved crashes, social/gathering spaces, and the vast amount of the study area occupied by parking infrastructure. Click here to go to the interactive Google map.

This project not only assesses the neighborhoods’ walking conditions but also looks at the availability of spaces that foster gathering and social connection, such as parks, plazas, community centers, and cafes. Through virtual discussions, as well as sharing written and visual observations, we’re working with residents, municipal staff, and other community members to identify assets and opportunities, and develop program, infrastructure, and policy recommendations based on participants’ visions for the area. In addition to effecting change at the local level, WalkBoston and MassINC will produce policy papers based on the findings from these walk audits to inform state policy and budgetary investment in Gateway Cities.

So far, we’ve completed virtual walk audits in three cities as part of this project: Springfield, Fitchburg, and Brockton. Over the past year, the desire to live in a community with comfortable walking paths, open space, and street activity has dramatically increased as people spent more time at home and in their neighborhoods. The walk audits we’ve already completed have demonstrated that there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm to create more walkable, vibrant public spaces in our partner communities. In Fitchburg, participants are forming a bike/ped committee to advance the walk audit’s findings. In Brockton, residents looking for ways to get more involved in decision-making in their community used the walk audit to connect with municipal staff and each other and learn about joining committees, boards, and task forces.

Next, we’re kicking off our Haverhill walk audit tonight, Thursday, May 27th. This will be the first walk audit in the Gateway Cities series to include an in-person group walk option – we’re excited to get back to walking together again!