Tag: Boston

South End Patch – “Pedestrian Killed In Crash On Mass Ave Connector, Prompts Delays

South End Patch: “Pedestrian Killed In Crash On Mass Ave Connector, Prompts Delays”

“There are multiple jurisdictions at this intersection, which complicates Boston being able to do something to fix it,” said Brendan Kearney communication director at WalkBoston.
…
And that’s a problem all across the state. Some of the most dangerous intersections are not actually controlled by the local jurisdiction, he said.
Although MassDOT gives Complete Streets funding for communities to make fixes to problem areas within their communities, and more than 200 communities have come up with plans on how to improve roadways, that money can’t go toward fixing areas under MassDOT or DCR jurisdiction.
“It’s not like MassDOT or DCR doesn’t make changes, they do,” said Kearney. “But the question is how can they do it quicker and not have to wait for a fatal crash to get it done?”

June 24, 2019

WGBH News – “Pressure Mounts For Walsh to Deliver On Safer Streets”

WGBH News: “Pressure Mounts For Walsh to Deliver On Safer Streets”

Brendan Kearney, spokesperson for the pedestrian advocacy group Walk Boston, echoed that point: “We know where the problems are,” said Kearney. “We now need to make changes to the streets.”
Council members, meanwhile, attested to the enormous volume of calls they get from residents concerned about dangerous streets and intersections in their neighborhoods – an issue Councilor Michael Flaherty recently called the “single greatest issue” facing the city’s residents.
“No one likes to receive these complaints over and over again over the course of years and not have an adequate response, it’s really unsettleing,” said Council President Andrea Campbell. “At the top of our list, even higher sometimes than our housing constituent cases … are traffic and speeding concerns.”

May 9, 2019

Boston Herald: “Report: Traffic crashes in Boston resulting in less fatalities, but not injuries”

Advocates took issue with the fact that Boston doesn’t report its crash statistics to the Department of Transportation as most other municipalities do. The current system the police department uses for crash reports isn’t able to submit data to MassDOT, according to the city. The police department is working with a vendor to fix that, a spokeswoman said, though no information was available. Brendan Kearney of WalkBoston, a nonprofit involved with Vision Zero, said fixing that should be a top priority. “If they’re not able to report this data, they are potentially missing out on funding for safety efforts,” Kearney said.

Posted April 17, 2019

One Minute, One Slide: Language defines a story

Below is a “One Minute, One Slide” presentation shared by a member of the WalkBoston staff.
Text provided is as prepared for this year’s annual event on March 18, 2019.

Brendan Kearney

Language matters when talking about crashes: A recent study shared at the TRB (Transportation Research Board) Conference titled “Editorial Patterns in Bicyclist and Pedestrian Crash Reporting” examined ways that media coverage of crashes could influence public perception, looking at word choice and agency.

An example from a crash in Boston: You wouldn’t know someone was driving this truck by the initial news report, since “a city-owned truck struck a pedestrian.”

We (politely) reached out to the reporter and station on Twitter, and asked them to clarify that a person driving was behind the wheel in this crash. The news station was responsive, & made changes to the story.

Just as road design influences behavior, media coverage & local reporting influences public perception.

About 40,000 people in the United States die as a result of car crashes each year. This isn’t just about drivers hitting people walking, it includes people both in and outside cars – roughly 350 people die in crashes each year in Massachusetts alone, while many thousands more are injured. We need to reduce illegal speeding to help prevent and/or reduce the severity of these crashes. So a big THANK YOU to all the reporters and news organizations that are willing to take a look at how they are presenting crashes. Local reporting helps shine a light on common-sense ways we can make our streets safer for people: fixing the way our roads are designed.

WCVB – “Boston mayor’s transportation plan targets rideshare, MBTA, speeding”

WCVB: “Boston mayor’s transportation plan targets rideshare, MBTA, speeding”

“I would say he is working hard, his heart is in the right place.” But the head of WalkBoston says Boston lags behind New York and San Francisco when it comes to more expensive changes, like building safer crosswalks and installing cameras to catch red light runners and speeders. “This is something the City is working on, but we would like them to be working faster to get those things done.”