Executive Director’s Letter by Stacey Beuttell
Welcome to the Fall 2021 edition of our newsletter. Times are better than they were this time last year. WalkBoston remains strong and is now taking stock of what worked best to make walking safer, more accessible, and instrumental in helping people cope with the pandemic. Walking was one of the few retreats that was readily available and safe. This edition focuses on one such highlight: Shared Streets programs. These programs, which have been implemented across the country and the world, provide a mechanism to create more space for people to walk, bike, run, play, sit, and dine during the public health emergency. With many people driving less while working from home, fewer cars on the road meant lots of unused parking spaces—spaces that could be transformed into peoplecentered places. Here in Massachusetts, MassDOT led the way in reimagining street space with the launch of its Shared Streets and Spaces Program, which provides funds to municipalities that allow them to quickly respond to the many challenges highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these challenges include finding more sidewalk space, expanding outdoor dining into unused parking lanes, and reimagining streets as low-speed, safe spaces for people walking and biking. The popularity of this program demonstrated the desire, need, and capabilities of municipalities to implement quickbuild projects to make streets safer and more enjoyable for all. WalkBoston played a leading role in promoting the MassDOT program by advising municipalities on potential Shared Streets projects, and by raising awareness of different advocacy issues. We are thrilled that MassDOT has committed to funding the Shared Streets and Spaces Program for another year. What began as a COVID-19 response strategy is now what many of us have been advocating for for years—street space transformed for people walking. Thanks for supporting us. We can’t do it without you.
This article was featured in WalkBoston’s Fall 2021 newsletter.
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