2023 – Page 2 – WalkMassachusetts

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2023

By WalkMassachusetts | October 30, 2023

Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in August; six were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in September 2023. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” Any Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

Of the 31 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in September in the MassDOT Crash portal, 4 were identified as people walking.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in September was 40.25.

Date	9/1/2023, 7:59 PM
Location	Worthington St. + Bowdoin St.
Town	Springfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	25
Sex	M

WWLP reports an unidentified 25-year old man was struck and killed by a driver on Worthington Street in Springfield.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Worthington Street and Bowdoin Street are both under local jurisdiction. Each is a two-way street with one lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides. Bowdoin Street has stop signs at the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph. Google Streetview images are from 2019, but shows curb ramps and faded crosswalks to walk across Bowdoin Street; there are no crosswalks or curb ramps across Worthington Street at this intersection. (A police spokesperson said the person was not in a crosswalk without sharing this important detail.)

Date	9/17/2023, 7:53 PM
Location	391 Hancock St.
Town	Springfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	42
Sex	F

WWLP reports that an unidentified 42-year old woman was killed after two drivers struck her on Hancock Street in Springfield. One of the drivers remained at the crash, but the driver of the other car left the scene.

Western Mass News spoke to John Vivenzio, who lives nearby:

Vivenzio lives steps away from the area where the woman was struck by the cars on Sunday. He told us he is now worried about possible safety issues for other pedestrians and even those driving down Hancock Street.

“That light wasn’t on. I don’t remember the last time that light was ever on, so it was dark that way and with these lights that do come on, it’s not that bright as it is,” Vivenzio added. “People speed around here all the time. I mean, I’m out here, even during the day, and I’ll start whistling ‘Slow down!’ We’ve had dogs killed out here and stuff. You know, it’s crazy for speeding. People just don’t do it and I don’t know what we can do to stop it ‘cause it just keeps happening.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Hancock Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with one lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; the corner of Hancock and Florence St (302 Hancock Street) has a “School Speed Limit 20mph, 7am to 3pm” sign posted.

Date	9/27/2023, 9:51 PM
Location	SR-132 (1800 Iyannough Rd.)
Town	Barnstable / Hyannis
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	54
Sex	F

CapeCod.com reports an unidentified 54-year old Hyannis resident was struck and killed by the driver of a blue Saturn Vue SUV on Route 132 near the intersection with Shootflying Hill Rd.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, SR-132 (Iyannough Rd) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with two lanes in each direction and no sidewalks on either side. The speed limit is 45mph. There are no crosswalks to cross Iyannough Rd at the intersection of Shootflying Hill Rd.

Date	9/29/2023, 5:10 AM
Location	US-3 SOUTH, EXIT 38B
Town	Weymouth
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	40
Sex	M

The Boston Globe reports a 40-year old man was struck and killed in a three-car crash on Route 3 South. (A person driving is classified as a pedestrian when they exit their vehicle. Since this is listed in the data as a pedestrian crash, a driver may have gotten out of their vehicle if it was broken down on the roadway.)

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, US-3 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with three travel lanes and shoulders in each direction. The speed limit is 60mph.

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our 2023 list. WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers: | ||||| 2022 | 2023

Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).

D.W. Field Park Walk Audit Report with Wildlands Trust’s Green Team – Brockton, MA

By WalkMassachusetts | October 18, 2023

A walk audit was conducted in Brockton on August 16th in collaboration with the Wildlands Trust Green Team, a youth service-learning program that employs 15 teens from the Brockton area to work on projects at D.W. Field Park. WalkMassachusetts facilitators worked with the Green Team to conduct a walk audit of D.W. Field Park, gathering insights and identifying challenges that impact walkability and pedestrian safety. The audit began on Oak Street in Brockton and continued into the park on shared-use roadways and short pedestrian trails. This report aims to provide recommendations and insights to municipal decision-makers and stakeholders connected to D.W. Field Park to make necessary built environment changes that will improve mobility for all park users, particularly pedestrians.

Read the full report.

East Boston Demonstration Day with Caminatas Seguras

By WalkBoston | October 13, 2023

On October 3rd, the staff of WalkMassachusetts organized a demonstration day in East Boston with members of Caminatas Seguras, a walking group for residents that is convened and facilitated by GreenRoots, an environmental justice organization operating in Chelsea and East Boston. This demonstration day was a civic engagement opportunity for residents to make temporary improvements to the transportation infrastructure in their community.

The goal of demonstration days was to offer residents and other stakeholders an opportunity to understand what type of transportation changes would best impact the experience for pedestrians and other road users. During the demonstration day, participants were able to convene at Our Garden (293 Border St.), a community garden managed by Eastie Farm and adjacent to the Mario Umana Academy, which hosts the East Boston Harborside Community Center. The meeting location abutted key corridors that run through East Boston that are heavily trafficked by pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

Members of Caminatas Seguras connected with WalkMassachusetts staff to identify and plan interventions at key intersections along Meridian Street. The participants identified the intersections of Lexington and Meridian Streets along with Eutaw Street and Meridian Street on Eagle Hill due to their frequent use by young people and families to access the schools in the area, such as the Umana Academy and O’Donnell Elementary School.

Caminatas participants gather at Our Garden near the Mario Umana Academy in East Boston.

The interventions were conducted along the two intersections, and members of Caminatas Seguras made observations and collected data at both locations. In their data collection, they counted the number of road users, which included pedestrians, vehicles, and bikers traveling through the area. Participants also collected the speed of vehicles moving through their intersections using a handheld radar speed detector. Additionally, participants engaged passerby and held conversations with individuals moving through the area to collect feedback on the road user experience.

These conversations were particularly illuminating as this demonstration day came in the wake of a community meeting of the proposed vision for East Boston, which is articulated in PLAN: East Boston. The PLAN presents recommendations for rezoning in the neighborhood, which could impact the design of the public realm. The demonstration day provided participants with the opportunity to engage their neighbors and bring awareness to the release of the initial draft, which was generated by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA). Participants used this demonstration day to solicit feedback and encourage residents to share their opinions during the feedback period, which is open until October 27th, 2023.

Camintas Seguras participants encourage passing neighbors to share thoughts on how to make Meridian Street safer for all.

One of the implemented interventions included a simulated curb extension to the existing intersection of Eutaw Street and Meridian Street. The participants used traffic cones and high-visibility vests while conducting their demonstrations and making observations. The objective of this intervention was to decrease the length needed for pedestrians to cross the intersection.

Demonstration day participants simulate a curb extension through the use of high visibility cones.

The demonstration day proved to be successful as participants identified some of the key challenges that are found along the short section of Meridian Street where interventions were implemented and data was collected. Using pedestrian experiences as qualitative data within the public realm proves to be an effective tool to shape neighborhoods as they undergo change. Camintas Seguras participants hope to use this experience to continue to bring awareness to the pedestrian hazards that are in the built environment. This experience for participants and neighbors demonstrates that with collective organizing and data collection, feedback can be generated to transform streets like Meridian Street and make them safer for all. Caminatas Seguras will continue to work with WalkMassachusetts to advocate for key transportation changes and to share their insights with local decision-makers.

Camintas Seguras participants share a photo at the end of the demonstration day in East Boston.

This demonstration day is part of a larger program called Connecting Kids and Families to Parks and Open Spaces which is funded by Boston Children’s Hospital and in partnership with GreenRoots. Thank you for your support!

2023 MassDOT Moving Together Conference

By WalkBoston | October 13, 2023

Last week WalkMassachusetts had the opportunity to attend and table at MassDOT’s Moving Together Conference. It was wonderful to once again join colleagues who are as passionate about the possibilities of active and public transportation as our staff is. Walking, alongside bicycling and public transport, encourages better health, a cleaner environment, and more vibrant communities in Massachusetts.

Brendan, Althea, Iolando, and Jonny attended workshops and panels, networked with fellow transportation advocates, and shared about WalkMassachusetts’ work while tabling.

WalkMassachusetts team at Moving Together. Left to right: Brendan, Jonny, Althea, and Iolando.

Althea and Brendan presented on the WalkMassachusetts rebrand and our continued statewide growth at the Pedestrian Safety and Equity in the Commonwealth and Across State Lines panel. They were joined by panelists from the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and VHB to discuss pedestrian issues and opportunities in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Speakers for the conference included Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll as well as new Acting Secretary and CEO of MassDOT Monica Tibbits-Nutt.

Slideshow presentations from our Pedestrian Safety panel as well as many others will soon be uploaded to the Moving Together Conference website, so if you weren’t able to join us keep an eye out. Additional panel topics included talks on climate resiliency, multimodal infrastructure, equity initiatives in the Gateway Cities, and much more.

Thanks to MassDOT and the UMass Transportation Center for once again bringing us all together and hosting a wonderful conference!