Tag: walk audit

Yarmouth Route 28 Walk Audit

On Thursday, June 28, 2018, WalkBoston conducted a walk audit along Route 28 as part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Pedestrian Safety Planning Initiative for High-Fatality Communities. The EOPSS Pedestrian Safety Planning Initiative builds municipal staff understanding and awareness of the components of a safe walking environment. WalkBoston is working in partnership with EOPSS to address walking safety concerns in Massachusetts communities with high pedestrian crash rates, with the goal of reducing pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in the Commonwealth.1 In Yarmouth, WalkBoston met with representatives from the Department of Public Works, Community Development, and the Police Department prior to the walk audit to identify an area in need of pedestrian infrastructure improvements.

Read the full report here:

WalkBoston-WalkAudit-Route28-Yarmouth

Rain couldn’t stop walk audit in Yarmouth on Cape Cod

Rain couldn’t stop our recent EOPSS-funded walk audit in Yarmouth along Rt 28 on Cape Cod. Thanks to members of the Yarmouth Dept. of Public Works, Dept. of Planning, Age-Friendly Community Team, the Library, and the Cape Cod Commission for contributing their time to make the area safer for people walking.

Streets for People in Lowell

In Lowell, WalkBoston, a Coalition for a Better Acre, and Acre neighborhood residents measured crosswalks, chalked out potential bump outs, and clocked traffic speeds as part of the Streets for People training program funded by the Cummings Foundation. These data will inform our recommendations to improve pedestrian safety and the quality of the walking environment in the Acre neighborhood.

Chalk delineates a potential curb bump-out

Check out WalkBoston funder Bill Cummings’ new book “Starting Small and Making It Big”

Last summer, WalkBoston was fortunate enough to receive a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to fund our work to train and empower residents to be change agents for safe streets. Earlier this month, we kicked things off with a Ped101 Training Session and neighborhood walk audit in Lowell with the Coalition for A Better Acre. We’re excited to engage with people that want to make their communities more walkable!

The Cummings Foundation’s $100K for 100 program supports nonprofits that are not only based in but also primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties – the area where the Foundation owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate Cummings Properties. Want to know more about the people behind the Foundation? We’d encourage you to check out Bill Cummings’ newly published autobiography, “Starting Small and Making It Big,” in which he shares his story and the dedication to giving back to the communities and institutions so vital to his success.

West Springfield Memorial Elementary School Walk Audit

On November 21, 2017, WalkBoston conducted a walk audit at Memorial Elementary School and in the surrounding neighborhood to assess the safety and quality of the walking environment for children walking to school. Westfield State University and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) also completed a walk audit and a Safe Routes to School analysis in the Spring of 2017. The purpose of the WalkBoston audit was to bring town staff together with the school administration to experience the walking conditions in the neighborhood and discuss opportunities to work together to improve pedestrian safety. After a short presentation by WalkBoston staff that described elements of a safe, enjoyable walking environment, participants walked around the Memorial Elementary School neighborhood to observe traffic patterns, evaluate sidewalk and road crossing conditions, and discuss any other environmental factors that might detract from the walking experience.

Read the full report here.