Tag: Somerville

Comment letter on Waterways Application #W18-5358: Proposed bike/ped path from 80 Alford St/Route 99 to Draw Seven Park Ch 91 license

January 24, 2019

Jerome Grafe
MassDEP Waterways Program
1 Winter Street, 5th floor
Boston, MA 02108

RE: Waterways Application # W18-5358: Proposed bike/ped path from 80 Alford St/Route 99 to Draw Seven Park Ch 91 license

Dear Jerome,

WalkBoston is excited to hear of the proposal for a new bike/ped path connecting Draw Seven Park in Somerville to Route 99 in Boston/Charlestown. This path, atop the new MBTA sea wall at 80 Alford Street, will be a terrific boon to the Mystic River path network.

We support the Friends of the Community Path (FCP) and the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP) in asking for the following revisions to the proposed path design:

Widen the path from 10’ to 12’-14’ wherever possible.
Ensure that the path design will be harmonious with the ongoing Mystic River bike/ped bridge design, so that there will be an appropriate path connection to the future Mystic River bike/ped bridge at the Draw Seven Park edge of the MBTA busway property.
Ensure that the path design does not preclude a signalized crosswalk over Route 99 for safe bike/ped access to Ryan Playground, the Schraffts building, and the Boston Harborwalk. Plans for a safe bike/ped crossing at this location will also need to take future roadway projects on Rutherford Avenue into account.
Connect the path to one of the public roads (Beacham Street or Moosal Place/Sherman Street) that connect to Broadway, so that pedestrians and cyclists need not go all the way to Assembly Square and then turn back in order to reach Broadway.

We also support FCP and STEP’s call for a public meeting about this proposal. Given that this path will be an important link in the Mystic River path network, many stakeholders and members of the public have a compelling interest in these issues. WalkBoston looks forward to continued engagement to ensure that this critical path connection moves forward.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

SomervilleParks Map (2018 edition)

Updated in 2018 with Shape Up Somerville. From street hockey to swimming pools, this map shows that there’s something for everyone at each of Somerville’s Parks and Playgrounds.

Comment Letter Re: Union Square Redevelopment 15889

August 21, 2018

Matthew Beaton, Secretary
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Attn: MEPA Office, Analyst Alex Strysky
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

Re: Union Square Redevelopment 15889

Dear Secretary Beaton,

WalkBoston appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposal for Phase I of the Union Square Redevelopment in Somerville. We offer our comments on the pedestrian issues associated with this project.

Our comments focus on the general approach, open space in the initial development and the pedestrian connections between the new station and the older portions of Union Square.

The project in general
WalkBoston is excited about the generous inclusion of elements in this project that will enhance and encourage pedestrian movement throughout the area. In addition, the process leading to this proposal seems to have been handled well by the city, its residents and the proponent. We enthusiastically support the request for a Phase I waiver.

This proposal is exciting, as it marks the beginning of a larger project that will transform Union Square. The 3.5 acre site with the proposed initial buildings will be the beginning of a concentration of development around the upcoming Union Square Green Line station which it directly abuts. The buildings are intended to be the first link between the new transit station and the existing intensive uses in what is traditionally known as Union Square, which begins at the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Prospect Street and extends toward Bow Street.

Open Space
Although the initial pedestrian connections are located on only one side of Prospect Street, they will bring about extensive change to this appearance of this old industrial street. The open space lining the east side of Prospect Street is an elongated triangle, the base of which is a wide entrance to the new transit station. The triangle extends north, narrowing to become a traditional sidewalk as it nears Somerville Avenue. The promise of this space lies in the proponent’s encouraging intentions to add extensive plantings and large trees in 15,000 square feet of open, publicly accessible civic space with 500 linear feet of seating options. The design of the space could result in pedestrians being enveloped in the space and not noticing that the other side of the street is not quite as handsome – an effective way to energize the space until development occurs around it.

The space is to be available to be programmed for a variety of activities. Transit connections from the Green Line Extension as well as a dedicated bus lane on Prospect Street will lead to substantial pedestrian density and transit interactions to support the beginning of prosperity for this new development district.

Pedestrian connections
The proposal calls for two tall buildings at each end of the site: a 25-story building marking the portion of the site closest to the transit station and a 10-story building marking the end of the site at Somerville Avenue. A six-story link between the two taller buildings will include a parking garage plus residences. A total of 450 residences will be included.

The northernmost building at the corner of Somerville Avenue and Prospect Street will be primarily commercial office or lab units located above first-floor retail spaces. Retail spaces continue along Prospect Street, lining the pedestrian way between the transit station and Somerville Avenue. A unique feature is the intention of the proponent to provide 13,000 square feet of space for Arts and Creative Enterprise (ACE) space, defined as live/work units, fabrication or maker space, co-working or other arts programming. The proponent’s intention is based on encouraging a creative economy to thrive in the midst of an embryonic urban employment center. ACE space can be especially attractive to pedestrians, and enliven the ground-floor uses of the proposed new buildings.

Of particular interest to pedestrian advocates, and not fully explained in the documentation on Phase I of the project, is the intention of the developer for the space that separates the 10-story building at the north end of the site and the remainder of the structures to the south. This looks on the plan like a street, but is quite narrow. No intersection for vehicular traffic is indicated by the plan to allow a physical roadway between this street and Prospect Street; such a connection would cross the wide pedestrian spaces lining Prospect Street and would seem to be potentially annoying and disruptive to pedestrian flows along Prospect Street. This street contrasts with others intended to serve vehicles, which are clearly aligned to the rear of the proposed buildings and do not interfere with the proposed pedestrian way along Prospect Street. The proponent should clarify the purpose and potential uses of this thoroughfare.

Thank you for your consideration of our comments.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

MA Vision Zero Coalition Statement on Commonwealth Ave Fatal Crash

Statement from the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition:

The Commonwealth Avenue crash that claimed the life of Theodore J. Schwalb, age 80, an arts teacher at Stoneham High School for more than 40 years, is disturbing on many levels. The driver, Phocian Fitts, acknowledges that he drove the car that struck and killed Mr. Schwalb in the middle of the day and then fled the scene. He stated this in an interview with Boston 25 News after he was released from police custody:

“People hit and run people all the time, it just happened to be an unfortunate situation where I was driving.”

Mr. Fitts’ comments, although brazen, reflect the low bar we’ve set when it comes to holding people accountable for reckless driving behavior.

A culture that accepts fatal crashes as a fact of life means law enforcement isn’t holding drivers accountable. We are deeply disturbed that the alleged suspect was initially questioned and released without charges despite fleeing the scene of a fatal crash. An arrest was only made after the Boston 25 News interview, in which he admitted to “driving too quick to the point where I couldn’t really stop” before running over and killing a fellow Boston resident.
A culture that accepts fatal crashes as a fact of life means lawmakers don’t realize the urgency of safety legislation. A hands free driving bill, which has passed the Senate and is backed by broad public support and Governor Baker, has languished in the House for years and now is awaiting action in the House Ways and Means Committee.
A culture that accepts fatal crashes as a fact of life means that thousands of people are seriously injured on Massachusetts streets every year. In 2017, there were 4,537 injury crashes on Boston’s streets, which is up ten percent since 2015. Across Massachusetts, at least 133 people have been killed on our roads in the first 5 months of 2018.

While we are brokenhearted that another life has been lost on our streets, we are hopeful that the culture is beginning to shift around designing and building safer streets. In 2015 Mayor Walsh committed Boston to Vision Zero, an effort to eliminate serious and fatal crashes. Cambridge and Somerville soon followed suit.

Each of these cities have worked to make good on their Vision Zero commitments by redesigning dangerous corridors and intersections, and Boston recently announced a major investment in its Transportation Department’s safety efforts.

To ensure our streets are safe and accessible for everyone, design is important. We also need law enforcement and elected leaders to step up and make it clear that reckless driving deserves severe consequences.

Wendy Landman, Executive Director, WalkBoston
Emily Stein, President, Safe Roads Alliance
Stacy Thompson, Executive Director, LivableStreets Alliance
Becca Wolfson, Executive Director, Boston Cyclist Union

Additional Sources

A 2018 AAA study found that “Hit-and-run crashes in the United States are trending in the wrong direction,” according to Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The report found that most victims of fatal hit-and-run crashes are pedestrians or bicyclists. Over the past 10 years, nearly 20 percent of all pedestrian deaths were caused by hit-and-run crashes, meanwhile just one percent of all driver fatalities in that same time period were hit-and-run crashes.
The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition maintains a map of fatal crashes involving people biking or walking across Massachusetts.
WalkBoston tracks fatal pedestrian crashes across Massachusetts. This is compiled manually via news & social media alerts in order to give communities more information to help push for safer streets.

Sullivan Square/Rutherford Avenue Design Project Comment Letter

April 11, 2018

Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
c/o Alexandra Kleyman AICP
TIP Manager
Transportation Building
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116

Re: Sullivan Square/Rutherford Avenue Design Project (SS/RA Design Project)

Dear MPO Council and Staff,

WalkBoston has been engaged in and following the planning and design of Sullivan Square/ Rutherford Ave. for many years. The redesign of the streets and roadways for this part of Boston should reflect what the people of Charlestown, Somerville and Everett deserve as a hub for walking and transit, and should create opportunities for the redevelopment of what has long been a neglected, dysfunctional and unsafe auto-centric wasteland.

We believe that the decisions about designs for both Sullivan Square and Rutherford Avenue should be made based on a thorough review of all of the options available for the roadways. Special attention should be given to providing a primarily at-grade street system with opportunities for at-grade redevelopment of parcels (that do not require air rights or decks) as this will provide the greatest opportunity to create a sense of place, answer the long-term transportation needs of this dense urban location, provide for safe mobility for all street users and allow for climate resilient designs.

We write to the MPO to request that funding for the project be deferred in the TIP so that there can be sufficient time for review of the alternatives that have been developed by Northeastern Professor Peter Furth at the request of Charlestown residents. The designs that he has developed provide opportunities to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, add landscape improvements and enhance development opportunities.

Thank you for your attention to this significant project.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director