Category: Announcement

Springfield Walk Audit in Upper Hill neighborhood with Way Finders

Springfield Walk Audit in Upper Hill neighborhood with Way Finders

On June 11, 2021 WalkBoston joined Way Finders and 15 local community members to complete an in-person walk audit of the Upper Hill neighborhood in Springfield, MA. Special emphasis was placed on accessibility and ADA compliance, as Springfield does not currently have an ADA transition plan. Residents are concerned about making Upper Hill a safer and more welcoming neighborhood for all people, especially the elderly, children, and people with mobility issues. 

The walk audit began at Celestial Praise Church of God and residents walked east on Wilbraham Road towards the intersection at Roosevelt Ave. Participants stopped along the way to identify areas for infrastructure improvements such as safer crosswalks, addition of benches for respite, and dangerous and uneven sidewalks. Participants are interested in improving the access to Adams Park, which currently is inaccessible from the southern side of Wilbraham street as there is no crosswalk.

The next steps include a walk audit debrief on July 1, with WalkBoston and Way Finders, to collect participants’ opinions and recommendations. WalkBoston will generate a summary report of the findings for Way Finders.

WalkBoston is a technical service provider to communities through the Mass in Motion program. Mass in Motion is a statewide movement that promotes opportunities for healthy eating and active living in cities and towns across the state of Massachusetts.

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!

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!

In Memoriam: Bob Sloane

In Memoriam: Bob Sloane

Please join us for a virtual celebration of the life of Bob Sloane on Thursday, September 9th from 5:30-6:30pm.

It is with great sadness that we announce that Bob Sloane passed away on May 12, 2021, after being hospitalized for several weeks. Bob was a true pioneer in walking advocacy and a pillar of our organization. He was a mentor, a friend and a creative genius when it came to getting the message out that walking is a fundamental part of the transportation conversation. Whether it was translating walking distances into time (for which he won a White House Champions of Change Award) or devising his latest plan to get separated walking paths, Bob knew how to persuade, engage and charm. We knew that if he was sitting in the conference room with trace paper and xerox copies of aerial photographs taped together, he was hatching yet another scheme to make it safer and more enjoyable for people to walk.

He is already missed for his incredible wisdom and wit. Please read his obituary, and make sure to read some of our favorite memories of Bob below – and share your own in this Google Doc. You can also use it to pass along a message to any of our staff or board members. 

There will be lots of ways to celebrate Bob and his legacy in the upcoming days, weeks, and months. For now, we hold him and his family in our hearts.