Author: WalkMassachusetts

Cambridge Urban Core Walking Maps

Cambridge Urban Core Walking Maps

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One of the many benefits of walking is that you see and experience things you’d miss using other modes of travel. And the best way to enjoy them is with a WalkBoston map.

Our five maps for Cambridge Urban Core feature places that are wonderful to walk, easy to navigate, and convenient to get around in Cambridge. Each one is created by those know the territory best – people who live there or are an expert in a walk’s particular theme or topic. Each has a self-guided walk with a detailed route, distances and descriptions of sights and scenes.


Click for “Cambridge Urban Core Maps” and more on Google Maps

The Neponset River and Ashmont Hill Walking Map

The Neponset River and Ashmont Hill Walking Map

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A quiet river flows through a widening estuary to Boston Harbor, past riverfront communities and a public beach. This river–the Neponset–is a little-known sister of the larger Charles River. The two rivers could not be more different. Where the Charles is the focus of downtown and the universities, the Neponset flows past old chocolate mills and historic residential areas through one of the last remaining salt marshes and wildlife sanctuaries at the edge of Boston Harbor.

Along the river the Lower Neponset River Trail, a new 2.5-mile pathway built by the Metropolitan District Commission, follows the route of the former Dorchester & Milton Branch Railroad. This trail is reachable by quaint and colorful 1950s-era trolleys that take passengers from Ashmont Station to the beginning of the path as Central Avenue in Milton. From here, the paved footway follows the river past warehouses, mill flats, and a gradually expanding tidal estuary with tall saltwater-washed grasses.

Click for The Neponset River and Ashmont Hill Walking Map


Click for The Neponset River and Ashmont Hill Walking Map on Google Maps

TIP Amendment Comment letter

TIP Amendment Comment letter

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November 2, 2009

Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150,
Boston, MA 02116-3968

RE: TIP Amendment

Dear MPO Members:

WalkBoston writes to express our support for two of the projects included for ARRA funding in the recommended TIP Amendment that is currently under consideration. Of particular importance to WalkBoston’s members – because of their benefits for pedestrian safety and encouragement of active transportation and access to transit are the Alewife Greenway (Minuteman-Mystic River Connector) and the reconstruction of Nonantum Road. Each of these projects will serve large numbers of people – including walkers, bicyclists and drivers – and each addresses pressing safety concerns.

This Alewife Greenway will develop a critical pedestrian and bicycle off-road link between two of the region’s most heavily used pedestrian and bike path corridors (Minuteman and Mystic River Reservation) and will provide a new direct off-road link to the Alewife T station, the most highly accessed T station via bicycle in the Boston area. Safety improvements will be provided at the crossings of Massachusetts Avenue and Broadway, thus helping to provide safe linkage for major residential neighborhoods and Tufts University to the Mystic River, Dilboy Stadium, Dilboy area ballfields and children’s playground, DCR pool and basketball courts, the Minuteman Bike path and the Alewife T station. Presently there are no safe sidewalks, crossings or paths serving many of the aforementioned facilities. The project will include development of two new ADA accessible public paths in a highly urbanized area and will feature ecological restoration of sections of the Alewife Brook, thus serving as a nature trail as well as a bike/pedestrian path.

The Nonantum Road project is intended to improve the safety of all roadway users – pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers – in this dangerous roadway alignment. This badly needed project gives important consideration to all roadway users, and pedestrian access is especially important because residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to Nonantum Road must be able to cross the road to safely access the path and the river’s edge.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to provide comments on the Amendment. Please let us know if you have any questions or need further detail.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Cc  Secretary Jeff Mullan, MassDOT
Dan Driscoll, DCR Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner

Community Safe Routes to School 2008-2009 Summary Report

Community Safe Routes to School 2008-2009 Summary Report

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This report summarizes the accomplishments of the first year of an intensive pilot Community Safe Routes to School Program (CSRTS) in four municipalities over the 2008-2009 school year. The goal of the pilot was to see if a part-time, paid, community-based coordinator (assisted by WalkBoston staff) working with municipal and school system staff and volunteers could achieve an increase in the number of children walking to school and begin to change community culture around walking.

To read the full report please click the link below:
2008-2009 CSRTS Report

Environmental Notification Form (ENF) Alewife Brook Greenway MEPA #14431

Environmental Notification Form (ENF) Alewife Brook Greenway MEPA #14431

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June 29, 2009

Secretary Ian Bowles
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

RE: Environmental Notification Form (ENF) Alewife Brook Greenway
MEPA # 14431

Dear Secretary Bowles:

WalkBoston is pleased to review the Alewife Brook Greenway Environmental Notification Form (ENF). We have found the proposal extremely interesting, as it expands the off-road network of trails and walkways that are so important to metro arearesidents for transportation and recreation. The ENF details improvements that will be made for both pedestrians and bicyclists on a corridor between Alewife Brook MBTA Station and the Mystic Valley Parkway that leads through Cambridge, Somerville and Arlington, and has connections to the Minuteman Pathway, the Linear Park/Community Path route into Somerville, the Mystic River parklands and future paths into Belmont and Watertown.

This is an extremely important piece of the regional trail network. We are happy to endorse its construction and even happier to realize that it may be constructed relatively rapidly as part of the national stimulus construction agenda.

In our review, we noted a few concerns of importance to pedestrians:

1. The proposed network does not provide for fully separated bicycle and pedestrian paths.
In two segments of the proposed improvement (1. Between the Mystic Valley Parkway and Broadway; and 2. between Henderson Street and Massachusetts Avenue) there appears to be a partial separation of bicycle and pedestrian paths. By contrast, there is only a single path between Broadway and Henderson Street and between Massachusetts Avenue and the MBTA Alewife Station. This will result in an effective capacity of two 10’-wide paths in the areas of separated paths and only one 10’-wide path in the other parts of the corridor. We are concerned about the safety of pedestrians in portions of the corridor where the capacity is limited. In those areas, consideration should be given to a wider cross-section on the path to accommodate potential demand.

2. The proposal does not indicate whether there will be signage to can foster safe walking. Pedestrian safety in mixed walking and cycling traffic can be an issue of concern, depending on the volume of traffic that uses the paths. While we would prefer separate facilities that are clearly designated as such, it does not appear to be feasible throughout the entire corridor. We therefore suggest that signing and warnings be provided to make the route safe for all users. This might include, for example:

  • Lane separation lines for the north and south directions.
  • Signs warning pedestrians to stay to the right of the path.
  • Signs advising cyclists to ring a warning bell as they approach pedestrians from behind.
  • Route signs designating a cyclist trail along the paths that abut Alewife Brooke Parkway.

3. The Boardwalk parallel to Alewife Brook Parkway has the potential for becoming a bottleneck, as it accommodates all path traffic in a narrow corridor. The boardwalk overlooks and is cantilevered over the river in the section extending north of Henderson Street and is one of the most accessible portions of the pathways for nearby residents. It is also close to Dilboy Field, which has occasional special sports events. If the boardwalk accommodates both pedestrians and cyclists and is closely fenced on both sides, it has the potential for becoming heavily used and potentially unsafe for people on foot. Would it be possible to widen the boardwalk to at least 12 feet in this location?

4. Seating and observation areas should be maximized.The path promises to be a very pleasant route. Many people will want to sit occasionally along the route, and children, among others, will be interested in closely examining the stream.

5. For the security of people who are using the path lighting may be appropriate. Lighting of the paths would extend their usefulness to walkers and cyclists in evening hours and in fall and winter.

6. Crosswalks may be needed in several locations. Near the Dilboy Park baseball diamonds, a fence opening and curb ramp have been provided that appear designed to help people cross Alewife Brook Parkway. The addition of a crosswalk in this location would be appropriate. Other crosswalks should be examined to cross Alewife Brook Parkway at Massachusetts Avenue, at Matignon Road, at Powder House Boulevard (two curb ramps), and at Broadway. For continuity of the path network, a Mystic Valley Parkway crosswalk should be considered at the north end of this project.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to provide comments on the ENF. Please let us know if you have any questions or need further detail.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Robert Sloane
Senior Planner

Cc Dan Driscoll, DCR Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner