walkboston

Wicked Local Belmont – A Growth Mindset for the New High School

Wicked Local Belmont: “A Growth Mindset for the New High School”
By Kate Bowen

Transit: Did you know we charge for school buses, while we provide school parking for free? Did you know that Belmont once plowed sidewalk routes to schools? Facing practices that are at odds with our goals of reducing vehicular traffic, we are responding. We are conducting a town-wide traffic study, applying to the Complete Streets program, learning from experts including WalkBoston and Nelson/Nygaard, and re-examining our policies for buses, parking, and commuter programs. We are learning from peers like Melrose, which plows walking routes to schools:
https://tinyurl.com/MelrosePlows
and safely utilizes on-street drop-off areas. We are learning that, despite our small geography, we need to actively support walking, biking, and public transit to achieve our goals.

Posted May 22, 2018

MA Vision Zero Coalition support for the Inman Square project

May 21, 2018

To the Cambridge City Council,

We are writing to you today since we understand you will be conducting a hearing tonight that involves discussion on the removal of 4 or 5 trees from Inman Square, to facilitate the Inman Square road design for transportation safety.

The goals of the Inman Square redesign are to make the square, specifically the large intersection of Hampshire and Cambridge Streets, safer for people biking and walking — the most vulnerable road users. This is in line with the Cambridge Vision Zero policy, and is particularly timely as a response to the dangers highlighted by the fatal crash that took the life of Amanda Phillips in June of 2016, while she was riding her bike away from Inman Square.

The Vision Zero Coalition is working to make Massachusetts safer for all road users and we believe that the proposed changes to Inman Square will make that complicated and busy intersection much safer for people walking and biking. In addition, the plan responds to the requests of local residents and business owners to create a more attractive and connected Vellucci Plaza to better serve businesses. We believe that the plan now makes the most of the opportunity for a large re-construction project, to fix the traffic and safety operations of Inman Square, and provide an opportunity to revitalize struggling businesses in the Square.

We sincerely hope that the objections to the project stemming from the loss of 4-5 trees (which will be transplanted and/or replaced) will not delay these important safety improvements any longer.

Trees are an extremely important part of the urban fabric and contribute to pedestrian comfort and safety, and our organizations advocate for trees as an important element of streetscape design. Trees are also important contributors to environmental benefits. As transportation is the number one contributor to greenhouse gases in Massachusetts, it is imperative that we provide people with transportation options that get them out of single occupancy vehicles. The amount of carbon that a tree can sequester is moot if we can get hundreds, even thousands, more people out of cars and onto their feet, transit and bicycles. While Cambridge boasts one of

the highest percentages of people who travel by walking, transit and biking, that percentage could be much higher if the City is safer and more attractive for people using those modes.

While we regret the loss of four to five trees, making progress on safety, mode shift, and the continued vitality of Inman Square outweighs that loss and we believe the project should move forward as soon as possible. We are pleased that the designers and City staff have found a way to plant even more trees than are being removed.

We look forward to seeing the re-construction of Inman Square get underway, and to the safer, more convenient and more vibrant Square that will result.

Best regards,

Wendy Landman, WalkBoston

Stacy Thompson, LivableStreets Alliance

Becca Wolfson, Boston Cyclists Union

Members and leaders of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Ashley Park Pop-Up Day for New Bedford’s Safe Routes to Parks effort

WalkBoston joined in the celebration at the Ashley Park Pop-Up Day in New Bedford on Thursday, May 17. Ashley Park was the pilot location for New Bedford’s Safe Routes to Parks efforts guided by a technical assistance grant from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Residents, business owners, and school children came to see how a parklet and a brightly colored crosswalk could help to slow traffic at the busy corner of Rivet and Bolton Streets. WalkBoston, funded by the Mass Dept of Public Health’s Mass in Motion (MiM) Program, conducted a walk audit in the Ashley Park neighborhood in Fall 2017 identifying needed safety improvements along walking routes to the park.

MassLive – Lincoln Elementary School event in Springfield highlights benefits of sharing the road

MassLive: “Lincoln Elementary School event in Springfield highlights benefits of sharing the road”
by Elizabeth Roman

A coalition of non-profit and public organizations will host an event to inform the public of the ways in which public roadways can be designed so that everyone can drive, ride, walk, and run equally.
The event will be held at the school on May 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Representatives from Walk Bike Springfield, MLK Family Services, RadSpringfield, Springfield Police Department, PVTA, MassRIDES/Safe Routes to School, the ValleyBike Share program, Mercy Medical Center, Age Friendly Springfield, Public Health Institute of Western Mass, Way Finders, Walk Boston, Springfield Department of Public Health, Springfield Department of Public Works, MassDevelopment, and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, will host a series of activities including a complete streets exhibition, an activity fair, a pedestrian safety course and more.

Posted May 13, 2018

WalkBoston and partners host Chelsea Walk: Eastern Ave to Broadway!

On May 2nd, WalkBoston and community partners hosted a free walk in Chelsea to highlight local walkability, transit and development projects and opportunities, while also emphasizing the need to maintain affordability and prevent displacement. Thanks so much to the 50+ people who attended, especially our speakers and co-hosts: GreenRoots, The Neighborhood Developers, TransitMatters, Transportation for Massachusetts, the City of Chelsea, and LOCUS Massachusetts. See photos on Facebook.

The walk began after a group of WalkBoston staff, partners and supporters rode the new MBTA Silver Line (SL3) from South Station to Chelsea to meet another group of walkers at the new Eastern Ave Station. As we walked along the new multi-use Chelsea Greenway and down Broadway, we heard from a number of speakers who highlighted the need to think holistically about community development and transportation.

Maria Belen Power of GreenRoots spoke powerfully about the imperative for transit justice and equitable fares in low-income communities of color like Chelsea. Marc Ebuña of TransitMatters described the history of the SL3 project and the need for better bus service across metro Boston. Aaron Wasserman of The Neighborhood Developers and Elijah Plymesser of LOCUS Massachusetts highlighted the Box District as an example of affordable housing and transit-oriented development that can advance a broader smart growth agenda. Alex Train from the City of Chelsea described his work to advance Complete Streets that work for all road users. Finally, youth from GreenRoots’ ECO Teens program highlighted the potential to transform the underutilized Chelsea Walk into a community destination (support their crowdfunding campaign here!).

The spirited conversations that began on the walk continued over food and drinks at Tijuana Restaurant on Broadway. Special thanks to LOCUS Massachusetts for sponsoring the appetizers!

Moving forward, WalkBoston will build off our past work in Chelsea and stay engaged in the community. Having conducted walk audits in the Sector 4 and Park Square neighborhoods in 2017, we now look forward to improving pedestrian safety on Marginal Street as Chelsea develops its broader Harbor Plan. We will also continue to support the city’s Re-imagining Broadway project, as well as other forthcoming Complete Streets initiatives. You can stay in the loop about WalkBoston’s work in Chelsea here.