Category: Comment Letter

Comments on Old Northern Ave Bridge 2/24/16

February 24, 2016

Kevin Kotelly, P.E.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
New England District
696 Virginia Road
Concord, MA 01742-2751

Brona Simon
Massachusetts Historical Commission
220 William T Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125

Re: Old Northern Avenue Bridge

Dear Mr. Kotelly and Ms. Simon:

WalkBoston has been engaged in discussions about the Old Northern Avenue Bridge for more than 15 years – a remarkably long time for action to be taken on one of the City’s iconic and important pieces of infrastructure.

As a participant in the City’s informal review process during spring 2015, WalkBoston was one of the eleven groups1 that voted to support the rehabilitation of the bridge (two groups supported a new bridge). After being asked by the City to participate in an in-depth review and discussion process, we feel that this strong support for rehabilitation should weigh heavily in the City’s final decision about the future of the Bridge.

WalkBoston is a strong supporter of rehabilitating the existing bridge and doing so immediately to restore an important element of the City’s pedestrian network, end the endless debate, and maintain a piece of the city’s character. Specifically, rehabilitating this bridge, rather than replacing it with a new structure is important for the following reasons:

• The ONAB was, and should again be, the route of daily walking for thousands of Bostonians. Maintaining a level crossing for pedestrians between the waterfront and the seaport significantly enhances the walking experience by being easy, allowing walkers to have full views as they walk between the districts, and giving walkers the experience of being close to
the water and the harbor. The arched Moakley Bridge is less comfortable and less attractive for walkers than the Old Northern Avenue Bridge (and used less by walkers when the ONAB was open to pedestrians). This is the opposite of what we should be thinking about for the future of this important connection.

• The industrial character of the Bridge is an enormous part of its charm, and creates an everyday link to Boston’s working and seafaring past – we should not lose this important part of our personality. Perhaps the bridge also presents an opportunity to link our old technology with the arrival of GE and its focus on new technology. New York’s High Line is a wonderful and evocative example of how old industrial infrastructure can be a source of joy and economic development – the ONAB should be thought of in that same creative way. A “Friends of the Old Northern Avenue Bridge” group should be formed to immediately and creatively raise funds and develop a plan for rehabilitating and re-using the Bridge.

• The ONAB is an important element of the Harbor Walk, and in its existing place and configuration is one of its most interesting spots.

• WalkBoston does not oppose allowing emergency and high occupancy vehicles to use the Bridge, but we are skeptical that allowing general vehicle use of the Bridge will do anything to alleviate the transportation problems of the Seaport, and will only result in more cars jammed into a portion of Atlantic Avenue that cannot accommodate them. In fact the opposite may occur. As a very attractive and pleasant way for walkers to get around the City, the ONAB will encourage walking, biking and transit use – exactly what we need to be doing for the future of the Seaport and all of Boston.

• While WalkBoston strongly and emphatically supports the rehabilitation of the ONAB, we believe that this may not necessarily entail a full and meticulous restoration of every element of the structure. We think that it is important to capture the functionality, spirit and identity of the bridge, while also acknowledging that timely and cost-effective implementation is of great importance.

We hope that the ACOE and MHC will support the rehabilitation of the Old Northern Avenue Bridge and we would be pleased to answer any questions you might have about our position.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director
WalkBoston

Want to submit your own comments? Here are some tips from the Boston Preservation Alliance:
http://www.bostonpreservation.org/allianceviews/2016/02/urge-city-hall-key-agencies-to-preserve-the-northern-avenue-bridge/

Comments on PNF 425 Washington Street, Brighton

February 8, 2016

Lance Campbell
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Boston City Hall
1 City Hall Square
Boston, MA 02201

Re: Proposal for 425 Washington Street, Brighton (Parsons Crossing)

Dear Mr. Campbell,

WalkBoston appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Project Notification Form for 425 Washington Street in Brighton. We are commenting because of concern about pedestrian issues associated with this project.

This proposal is generally positive for pedestrians and for the neighborhood. The site is located in the heart of Brighton Center, the center of a walkable community where Washington Street houses local shops and major establishments and services. The retail area is well-served by public transportation and Washington Street’s bus routes draw pedestrians to access the transit service. The proposal is designed to improve the appearance of the street where significant numbers of walkers will pass daily.

Notwithstanding this transit served and walkable setting, the project is quite auto-centric. In a densely built inner neighborhood that is already beset by too much traffic, the project seems With a high ratio of vehicle parking spaces to housing units (1.7), the project seems to be designed with cars, rather than walking and transit in mind. The expectation that every housing unit requires at least one or more parking space is one of the continuing issues with rebuilding Boston’s neighborhoods. This should not be a requirement when a project is well served by both transit and walking facilities, where such a requirement may be outmoded. Moreover, it is an expectation that has been challenged successfully elsewhere in the city and should be challenged here as well, since many of Boston’s residents now forgo the decision to have a car and instead rely on public transit or private vehicle transport services such as Uber or carsharing options such as Zipcar.

We are concerned that the city is exploring guidelines that would affect the changing tastes and needs of its newer residents in regard to use of vehicles, requiring fewer parking spaces. The developers of the project should explore less on-site parking and take advantage of the site to attract walkers within this very vibrant commercial area at the heart of the community. The underground parking portion of the project may become unneeded. Brighton has become a highly desirable inner neighborhood for residents including groups that are likely to be less reliant on cars – workers who choose not to own one, older folks moving back into the city for its advantages, and students who want to live along convenient bus routes that can reliably and efficiently take them to one of our many universities. As we are all well aware, individuals who do not own a vehicle are much more reliant on walking, a great convenience for many and one which definitively awards better health to those moving about on foot in the ordinary activities of everyday living.

Thank you for your consideration of our comments.

Sincerely,

Robert Sloane
Senior Planner

Main Street Comment Letter Worcester

December 18, 2015

Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E.
Chief Highway Engineer
MassDOT
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

Attention: Roadway Project Management Project
File No.606434

Dear Ms. Leavenworth:

WalkBoston is pleased to offer comments on the proposed improvements to Main Street in downtown Worcester. In our work throughout the state, we offer comments on projects to assure that pedestrians will be well served by the proposed changes.

We applaud both the city and the state for the Worcester Main Street project, which, as currently envisioned, supports an improved, sustainable downtown. The traffic calming measures that are included will work toward and help upgrade in the use of downtown to make it a more attractive place for business, for educational opportunities and for cultural activities.

Curb radii and bulb-outs
It is encouraging to see that the street corners are being designed with tight curb radii. This permits greater flexibility in constructing facilities for walkers, such as curb ramps and, in particular, bulb-‐outs. The extension of the sidewalks into the street at bulb-‐outs is a proven method of enhancing pedestrian safety. Especially noteworthy are the bulb-outs shown on both sides of the major street crossing in front of Mechanics Hall. This is an effective method of providing safe crossing for crowds going to or from the hall for cultural events. We encourage the city and the state to look for further opportunities to add more bulb-outs to the project.

Street trees
A relatively small number of street trees are shown on the plans. We recommend that the plan include a sufficiently large number of trees to give Main Street more shade and a friendlier appearance. In some cases, this is impossible because of underground utilities, electric lines or other impediments. However, the city should look for additional installations of trees in an area where the goal is to make the street more attractive to shoppers and people doing business downtown.

Pedestrian crossings at traffic signals
We understand that the city and the state are looking at additional methods of assuring pedestrian crossing safety at intersections. We encourage the use of concurrent signals at intersections where they are feasible because of relatively low turning volumes, along with leading pedestrian indicators (LPIs) as part of the signalization. LPIs have been proven to aid in safe crossings by pedestrians due to the fact that pedestrians are more visible to drivers and because they provide extra time they provide walkers to cross the street.

Bi-level sidewalks
A major project element is the bi-level sidewalks on the west side of Main Street. These sidewalks are designed to solve gradient problems on the existing slope of the sidewalks that arise in applying ADA design standards as part of the street upgrade. We understand that the bi‐level sidewalks are designed to avoid constructing a sidewalk with a high curb that could be dangerous for walkers.

The result is the design of two sidewalks ‐ an upper sidewalk, nearest the buildings, which varies from some 12’ to more constrained widths that are 6’ or narrower. These variations appear to be required because the right-of-way boundary is not straight and many of those variations have long existed along the west side of Main Street.

The lower sidewalks, nearest the street, appear in typical cross‐sections to be a continuous 4’ in width throughout the project. The plans suggest that this 4’ width of the lower sidewalk will always be a hard surface –paved with stamped colored cement. The hard surface, along with proposed parking meters, implies that pedestrians will be encouraged to use the lower sidewalk. The lower sidewalk also includes several bus stops. In order to meet accessibility requirements, a 3’ wide path without obstacles is required to provide handicapped accessibility on sidewalks. However, the lower sidewalk includes street light poles and pits for street trees. Light poles and trees are shown in central locations along the lower sidewalk – i.e., 2’ from both the bollards and the curb. This results in segments of the lower sidewalk that are less than 3’ wide and thus do not meet ADA standards for walkability. The lower sidewalks need to be widened to safely and accessibly accommodate walkers. Widening to a 6’ width is recommended because that width would allow for tree planting and accommodation of street lights, etc. and still be able to provide a 3’ clear width as required by ADA. The extra width of the sidewalk might be obtained by reducing the widths of the two 6’ bicycle lanes to 5’ each. This gains 2’ of width that can be added to the lower sidewalks, making them 6’ wide. Within this space a 3’ clear walkway could be provided to meet ADA standards. A 3’ wide strip would then be available for installation of street trees, parking meters, street lights and signs.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important project. Please feel free to contact us if there are any questions.

Sincerely,

Robert Sloane
Senior Planner

Brendan Kearney
Communications Manager

Community Path Application Letter of Support Somerville

December 3, 2015

City of Somerville,
Community Preservation Committee

Re: Support for Friends of the Community Path application for CPA funding

WalkBoston works across Massachusetts advocating for improved and safe pedestrian facilities. We are very enthusiastic about local efforts that enhance the pedestrian environment, and where possible help residents and municipalities implement new and improved walking facilities.

The Community Path is an important and well-loved component of Somerville’s walking network, and we believe that maintaining and enhancing the Path will provide ongoing benefits to the residents of Somerville.

WalkBoston is pleased to support the application by the Friends of Community Path for CPA funds to improve portions of the heavily used path including the following elements:

Repaving of the two sections of the Community Path from the Cambridge City line to Buena Vista Rd. and in the Davis Square area
Drainage improvements
Side path modifications to improve safety and to enhance use of the Path by runners
Possible small expansion of community garden area
Installation of historic artifacts specifically related to the Path and the former railroad use
Two community meeting to review and discuss the proposed improvements

We look forward to seeing these enhancements to the Community Path. Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Comments on Improvements to the Walter St and Bussey St Intersection

November 13, 2015

Chris Osgood, Chief of Streets
Boston City Hall
Boston, MA 02201

Re: Improvements to the Walter Street and Bussey Street Intersection

Dear Mr. Osgood,

We have just been made aware of plan by the Boston Public Works Department for improvements to the intersection of Walter and Bussey Streets in Roslindale. We have been told that the plans appear to be finalized and ready for bidding.

The intersection has a high crash rate and its improvement is a high priority for many residents of Roslindale and West Roxbury who drive, walk, or bike to the Arnold Arboretum and other local institutions. Neighboring residents have a deep knowledge of problems with the intersection and want to have a design that reflects neighborhood concerns. An open and public process for designing the intersection is essential.

The design shows that turning radii will be altered to help calm turning traffic. However, through traffic and the high speeds of vehicles on Walter Street remains a potential hazard for people on foot. Traffic signals may be needed immediately for adequate protection for pedestrians. For the intersection, concurrent walk signal phasing and leading pedestrian intervals would improve safety for people crossing the street. This signal may also encourage walking to the Arnold Arboretum from residences on this side of the green areas.

Sidewalks should be added on the west side of Walter Street within the project limits. A second crosswalk south of Bussey would improve convenience and safety for people on foot and would increase the visibility of the intersection for people in cars.

Signs that mandate “yield to pedestrians on turns” should be installed at all crosswalks. Right turns on red should be prohibited for further safety for pedestrians.

Thank your for your consideration of these factors that would protect pedestrians at this intersection. We look forward to your reaction to community input and to the preparation of alternative designs.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Cc Stefanie Seskin, Active Transportation Director