walkboston

July 2023 Network Meeting – “Walk the Talk: Understanding Pedestrian Behavior & Creating Analytic Tools to Aid Planning & Policy” Recording

Rounaq Basu is the Manager of Multimodal Planning and Design at the Boston Region MPO, as well as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT joined us for this month’s WalkMassachusetts Network discussion. Rounaq shared research on many of the questions he’s been studying: Why do pedestrians choose one route over others? Which street attributes are considered attractive and which ones are onerous? What should urban planners and designers be looking out for? How do we then incorporate these behaviors into a framework that allows us to understand and predict where people walk? What are the implications for Vision Zero policies?

The session was recorded, and you can view the presentation below.

The WalkMassachusetts Network typically meets every third Wednesday of each month at 1 pm. Register for upcoming Zoom calls at this link.
Anyone can listen in and participate in monthly calls! Join the Google Group to get a reminder about these Zoom calls.
Do you have a topic that should be discussed at a future meeting? Suggestions welcome!

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, May 2023

Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in April; five were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in May 2023. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” Any Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

Of the 33 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in May in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in May was 44.6.
At least one person was on a sidewalk and two others were in crosswalks when drivers hit & killed them.

Date	5/7/2023, 1:37 PM
Location	Massachusetts Ave. + Cobblestone Cir.
Town	North Andover
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	47
Sex	F

47-year old Angela Desmond was walking on the sidewalk in North Andover when the driver of a Honda Civic struck and killed her. Boston 25 News spoke to a neighbor:

Bill Dolan also lives nearby — and frequently walks his dog along Mass. Ave. Dolan said he’s actually seen vehicles veer up onto the sidewalk, in an attempt to get around drivers making a turn.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Massachusetts Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides (note: road inventory says 1 side). The speed limit is 35mph.

Date	5/9/2023, 5:30 PM
Location	2 Elm St. South + Main St.
Town	Andover
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	5
Sex	F

5-year old Sidney Mae Olson was struck and killed by the driver of a large truck in a crosswalk in Andover. From WCVB:

The Olson family statement said the girl and another family member were in the crosswalk on Elm Street, and “the walk sign showed it was still safe to cross.”
“As long-time residents of the neighborhood, we’ve followed that route hundreds of times before. The rest was a blur, and Sidney was struck by a truck and killed, leaving an impossible void in our lives,” the family said.

The Eagle Tribute reports that MassDOT was leading a road safety audit in response to the crash:

Technically, MassDOT will be conducting what is known as a Road Safety Audit, which are reviews of existing, or planned roads and intersections, according to the state’s website.
In order to complete the audit, MassDOT is going to begin compiling crash data and other pertinent information as “soon as possible,” according to the MassDOT email to Finegold’s office.
“In an effort to assist the community, MassDOT will be organizing a Road Safety Audit for the location that can be used to determine potential safety countermeasures that could be implemented in the immediate, short and long term scenarios,” the email said.
MassDOT added that state, and local officials and departments will be involved in the audit.
News of the audit comes following a May 11 letter sent by local legislators to MassDOT asking that the state “focus resources on improving pedestrian safety at the intersection.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, each road at this intersection is under local jurisdiction. Elm Street is a two-way street, with three travel lanes in one direction (a channelized right turn lane, one travel lane, and left turn as it approaches the intersection) and one travel lane away from the intersection. There is a sidewalk on both sides. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date	5/14/2023, 7:20 PM
Location	E. Grove St. + Merchants Way
Town	Middleborough
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	15
Sex	M

15-year old Dylan Levesque was struck and killed by the driver of a car while crossing the street at the corner of Route 28 and the shopping entrance to the Hannaford Supermarket plaza in Taunton on Mother’s Day.

From the Taunton Daily Gazette:

Officials said there have been longstanding concerns over the lack of a traffic signal or crosswalk light at the intersection of Merchants Way and Route 28/East Grove Street where Dylan was hit.
Within the vicinity of the shopping plaza, also known as Middleboro Crossing, where Dylan was coming from, are two elementary schools, Middleboro High School and the YMCA.
“There are always kids, walking, riding bikes, families walking to and from the grocery store/shopping center. We need something so these people that aren’t in cars can be safe from cars flying by,” said Erika Rusconi, who started a Change.org petition to get a crosswalk light installed at that intersection.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, E. Grove Street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street and a shoulder on both sides. The speed limit is 40mph. A “Do Not Pass” sign is visible on Google Street View.

Date	5/19/2023, 8:42 PM
Location	Water St. + Nichols St.
Town	Fitchburg
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	76
Sex	M

The Telegram & Gazette reports 76-year old Mario Bratkon was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle while crossing the street in a crosswalk in Fitchburg near the Fitchburg/Leominster line.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Water Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

This intersection is at the Leominster / Fitchburg line; on the other side of Nichols Street, Fitchburg’s Water Street becomes Leominster’s North Main Street.

Date	5/20/2023, 2:02 PM
Location	243 Haverhill St.
Town	Reading
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	79
Sex	F

NBC Boston reports a 79-year old woman was struck and seriously injured by the 19-year old driver of a Nissan Rogue. The woman was taken by ambulance to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington. This crash was categorized as a fatal crash in the MassDOT portal when checked on June 30th.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Haverhill Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date	5/28/2023, 3:11 AM
Location	54 Woodlawn St.
Town	Everett
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	46
Sex	F

A 46-year old woman was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle.The call log of Everett, MA police for May 28th lists “911-FEMALE POSSIBLY STRUCK BY MV.” We could not find any additional news coverage of this incident.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Woodlawn Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk and street parking on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, as it is listed as 99 and not viewable nearby on street view. The default speed limit in Everett is 30mph.

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 2023 list. 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: | ||||| 2022 | 2023
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal
MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).

June 2023 Network Meeting – “Vehicle Design and Visibility” recording

Alex Epstein, Senior General Engineer at the USDOT Volpe Center, joined us for this month’s WalkMassachusetts Network discussion. Vehicle design and visibility from the driver’s seat are significant factors in the rise of traffic crashes and fatalities. Alex shared about global and local efforts to reduce traffic fatalities by developing a “Direct Vision Standard” for vehicles. This session was recorded, and you can view the presentation below.

Links shared during the discussion

Vehicle Blind Zone Calculator: https://blindzonecalculator.herokuapp.com/
NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) is accepting comments through July 25th
America Walks: Dangerous Cars shouldn’t receive top safety ratings (responding to NCAP, click for petition)

The WalkMassachusetts Network typically meets every third Wednesday of each month at 1 pm. Register for upcoming Zoom calls at this link.
Anyone can listen in and participate in monthly calls! Join the Google Group to get a reminder about these Zoom calls.
Do you have a topic that should be discussed at a future meeting? Suggestions welcome!

GBH: “As driving-related casualties mount, what would make Massachusetts roads safer?”

Those grim numbers are the backdrop for a new push by the city of Boston to make its streets safer by deploying speed bumps, redesigning problem intersections, and revamping the use of traffic signals. Could Boston’s plan serve as a model for other communities? And what could state government be doing to decrease fatalities? Adam Reilly discusses with Brendan Kearney, the deputy director of WalkMassachusetts, and Stacy Thompson, the executive director of Livable Streets.

Segment initially aired June 2, 2023

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, April 2023

Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in March; six were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in April 2023. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” Any Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

Of the 23 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in April in the MassDOT Crash portal, 5 were identified as people walking.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in April was 41.2.
3 of the fatal crashes took place at intersections.

Date	4/3/2023, 2:43 PM
Location	Lawrence St. + Erving St.
Town	Lawrence
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	64
Sex	F

According to a press release from the Essex District Attorney’s Office, 64-year old Silvana Seabra was struck by a van about 2:43 p.m. on April 3 at the intersection of Lawrence St and Erving [Avenue] in Lawrence. She passed away over a week later at Boston Medical Center. A man who also was struck suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at Lawrence General Hospital.

The intersection is a street crossing for the Spicket River Greenway and is adjacent to the Hayden Schofield Playstead park; Google Street View from October 2019 shows a faded crosswalk.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, each road at this intersection is under local jurisdiction. Erving Avenue is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides (note: road inventory says 1 side). The speed limit is unclear, as it is unlisted and not viewable nearby on street view. Lawrence Street is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk and street parking on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, as it is listed as 99 and not viewable nearby on street view.

Date	4/6/2023, 3:34 PM
Location	Road Rd. at Lot 6
Town	Dartmouth
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	19
Sex	M

WBZ/CBS Boston reports that 19-year old UMass Dartmouth freshman Frank Petillo, Jr. was struck and killed by another student on the campus’ Ring Road. As of this posting, a petition for pedestrian safety improvements on the campus had over 7,000 signatures.

From WBZ:

His death quickly drew attention to the perceived lack of safety on Ring Road, the school’s main thoroughfare and Chancellor Mark Fuller on Monday announced several steps to make it safer, either right away or by the end of the academic year.
They include portable speed bumps, flashing speed limit signs, additional patrol cars, elevated speed tables and crosswalks, and concrete barriers to protect some walkways.
UMass also said it plans to build a new pedestrian walkway to connect the school to a nearby apartment complex.
Students say these changes are long overdue. “The speed limit is supposed to be 25,” student Kyrillos Kedees said. “We really don’t want that to happen again.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under state college or university jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There are no sidewalks on some sections of the roadway, with a sidewalk on one side for other sections. The speed limit is 25mph.

Date	4/8/2023, 9:23 PM
Location	Daniel Shays Hwy.
Town	Athol
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	29
Sex	M

WWLP reports 29-year old Kyle Bezio was struck and killed after being hit by a car on Route 202 in the area of 150 Daniel Shays Highway. The 20-year old driver and his passenger stopped and tried to help Bezio before he was taken by ambulance to Athol Hospital.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is shoulder on each side and no sidewalks. The speed limit is listed as 35mph in one direction and 45mph in the opposing direction.

Date	4/9/2023, 8:21 PM
Location	258 Jefferson Ave.
Town	Salem
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	41
Sex	F

41-year old Tammi Lyn Guy was struck and killed as she was crossing Jefferson Avenue at Wilson Street on the night of Easter Sunday.

Boston.com spoke to Salem City Councilor Patti Morsillo about the crash:

“My heart breaks for Tammi Guy’s family,” Salem City Councilor Patti Morsillo told Boston.com in an email. “This was a tragedy, and happened right in her own neighborhood.”
Morsillo said that after years of accidents on the residential and school-area street, the Salem Police Department is gathering crash data from the intersection. She also said that Salem will conduct a city meeting “within a week or two” after the collection process is complete. She says the meeting would include the acting mayor, the Director of Traffic and Parking, the Police Chief, the Lieutenant in charge of the Traffic Division, the City Engineer, the City Electrician, and herself.
“Instead of prioritizing efficient throughput of vehicles, we need to create safer roads for everyone: pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. The goal for every road should be zero crashes,” she said.
“We will look at the effectiveness of the street lights, road markings, crosswalk visibility, and geometry of the road, to determine what needs to be done to make the area safer,” Morsillo added. “Salem has been working on intersection design upgrades in the area, and I am hoping to accelerate that work. The issue of road safety requires a team approach, which is how this work will move forward.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction; Google Street View shows that drivers create a second lane on Jefferson through the intersection where parking is prohibited, but not restricted. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street and a crosswalks for 2 of the 3 legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 25mph.

Date	4/23/2023, 9:35 PM
Location	Gallivan Blvd. + Dorchester Ave.
Town	Boston
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	53
Sex	M

53-year old Torrance Hodges was struck and killed by the 52-year old driver of a 2006 Chevrolet Express van who was driving southbound with the green light on Gallivan Boulevard at Dorchester Avenue.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Gallivan Boulevard is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is also a slip lane to Dorchester Avenue in each direction. There is a sidewalk and street parking on both sides of the street; street parking is restricted closer to the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph.

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 2023 list. 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: | ||||| 2022 | 2023
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal
MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).