WalkMassachusetts, Author at WalkMassachusetts

Presenting the 2025 Golden Shoe Awards!

By WalkMassachusetts | March 24, 2025

Our Golden Shoes Awards recognize individuals, agencies, municipalities and companies exemplifying the ideals of WalkMassachusetts’ mission. The winners accept their award during our Annual Celebration on April 9th, which will be in-person starting at 5:30pm (and live streamed starting at 6:30pm) from the Venture Cafe @ 1 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142. Register here to join us in celebrating & honoring their work!

This year’s Golden Shoe Awards go to…Direct Vision Study, Samuels & Associates / Lyrik, and our keynote speaker Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj. Congrats to all the winners!

Direct Vision Study

Direct vision refers to a driver’s ability to see outside their vehicle without relying on indirect vision devices like mirrors or camera displays. We’ll be recognizing the project team that published this report and performed measurements of fleet vehicles across the Commonwealth.

We especially appreciate this section of the report website:

“MassDOT has adopted a Safe System approach to roadway safety. This means we are interested in all the various components that contribute to — or detract from — roadway safety. One of those components is Safe Vehicles. As stated in our 2023 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, we intend to take an active role to affect change in vehicle design, features, and use. Safe vehicles are a core component of a Safe System Approach, as vehicle sizes and designs affect the occurrence and severity of collisions.

While vehicle design is usually thought of as a federal responsibility, we believe we have a role to play at the state level to improve the safety of vehicles that travel on state highways and roads in our cities and towns. This study on direct vision will help us better understand which vehicles we should purchase in the future to achieve better safety outcomes.”

Samuels & Associates / Lyrik

Samuels and Associates are the developers behind the Lyrik building project over the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston’s Back Bay, an air-rights project that created new public space in an area that was once a windswept overpass between Newbury and Boylston Streets. The organization’s commitment to placemaking and community engagement in their developments has played a pivotal role in creating more walkable and connected urban spaces. We’ll be recognizing the project team that helped create this site.

Keynote Speaker: Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj

Etel Haxhiaj is a Worcester City Councilor who was was recently selected for the T4MA Transportation Justice Institute, joining other elected officials from across the Commonwealth. She has been a dedicated advocate for Complete Streets, lowering speed limits to 25 mph, establishing safety zones in high-risk pedestrian areas, and championing zero-fare transportation.

We hope to see you on April 9th!

The winners accept their award during our Annual Celebration on April 9th, which will be in-person starting at 5:30pm from the Venture Cafe @ 1 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142. Register here to join us in celebrating & honoring their work! Can’t attend in person? Register for the livestream that will begin when the program itself starts at 6:30pm, or make a donation as part of the event that will help support WalkMassachusetts’ work throughout the year.

To read about previous Golden Shoe winners, click here.

North Shore walk audit training – success!

By WalkMassachusetts | February 7, 2025

Thanks to everyone who took part in our North Shore Walk Audit Academy training seminar on January 25, 2025! We’re so glad you joined us to learn about improving walkability and creating safer, more accessible communities. A special thank-you to Gentile Brewing for hosting us and to our convening partner, the Beverly Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), for their collaboration and support.

For Beverly participants: The committee intends to complete a series of ward based audits informed by incident data, routes to schools and councilor input on residents’ concerns. The goal is to materially complete the audits by early May with a formal City Council review in late May. Beverly residents who attended the walk audit training that Saturday will get an invite to participate as the audits get going. Be on the look out for a note from Carl.

For people who live in other communities: Review Walk Audit Academy materials that our team at WalkMassachusetts has put together to help you lead your own walk audit; we’re happy to find a date in February to help you think through potential walk audit routes in each of your communities. If you’re interested, please let Brendan know (bkearney@walkmass.org).

Links we promised to share:

The slides can be viewed here.
The Boston Region MPO is working on their “Vision Zero Action Plan: A Roadmap to Safer Streets” and would love your input. They also have a survey, safety crash data, and a safety concerns map.
The City of Boston created a Street Planning and Design Guide Glossary. “We use a lot of different terms when we talk about our work to plan and design streets. We define some common terms in this glossary.” They also have example photos where they made changes.
MassDOT’s IMPACT Crash Portal compiles crash reports. There are dashboards and pre-built reports that pull from police crash data. You can also run your own query.

Your participation makes a difference, and with your help, we can continue this important work. Please consider supporting WalkMass with a donation—every contribution helps us move closer to a more walkable Massachusetts. Also save the date for our annual celebration which is taking place on April 9, 5:30pm in Kendall Square. (There is also a livestream).

Thank you for your commitment, and we look forward to seeing you at future events!

North Shore Walk Audit Academy Training Seminar, 1/25/25 – 10am

By WalkMassachusetts | January 17, 2025

This post has been updated on 1/21/25 with the tentative route.
Please RSVP at bottom of page!

Join WalkMassachusetts this winter to learn how to lead a walk audit with a North Shore Walk Audit Academy program! We’ll start things off with a walk audit training at 10am on January 25, 2025 in Beverly, MA, which will include a demonstration walk audit in downtown Beverly starting at Gentile Brewing Company. Thank you to our convening partner, the Beverly Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

What is a walk audit?

Walk audits are a tool for getting community input about walking conditions based on observation and your own lived experience. This firsthand information can add important detail to more technical information, and help improve traffic safety in your area.

What: Walk Audit Training hosted by WalkMassachusetts
When: Saturday 1/25/2025 10am – 1pm
Where: Gentile Brewing Company, 59 Park Street, Beverly, MA 01915
Process: Group session, 1 mile walk audit Rantoul & Cabot Streets, Group Debrief.

This training will familiarize you with existing walk audit materials and protocols which will enable you to conduct audits in your own community. Learning materials and videos are also available on WalkMassachusetts’ website.

WalkMassachusetts’ Walk Audit Academy training uses a ‘flipped classroom’ style; after the kick off meeting, participants review materials/training videos on their own. Any time spent on Zoom together is used to react to the materials, answer questions, and bring up locations on maps for discussion in preparation for leading your own walk audit.

Route for the walk audit

The route is one mile and passes eight locations where there were pedestrian vs motor vehicle incidents, and two bicycle vs motor vehicle incidents. This is a very good area to study because of the concentration of incidents in a relatively small area. It also happens to be an area where pedestrian use has increased and the infrastructure is fairly new. This is a link to the map and the described walking route from the brewery is below.

right out of the front door up to Federal St
right again to the intersection with Rantoul St
right onto Rantoul St
right on Railroad Ave
left on Park St
right on Pleasant St
right on River St
Right on Federal St
Right on Park St
Gentile Brewery on the left

For any questions that are not answered above:

Beverly Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee:
Carl Kooyoomjian – ckk@kooyoomjian.com

WalkMassachusetts: Brendan Kearney – bkearney@walkmass.org

WalkMassachusetts is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to make walking safer and easier in Massachusetts, to encourage better health, a cleaner environment, and more vibrant communities; consider supporting their efforts with a donation. Whether you’re part of a municipal bike/ped committee or just interested in making your community on the North Shore safer for walking, we’d love you to join us on January 25th! Please RSVP below.

A bilingual community walk in East Boston

By WalkMassachusetts | August 9, 2024

WalkMassachusetts and GreenRoots Caminatas Verdes participants gather for a photo prior to embarking on a 1 mile walk along the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway.

WalkMassachusetts and GreenRoots Caminatas Verdes participants gather for a photo prior to embarking on a 1 mile walk along the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway.

On Tuesday, August 6, WalkMassachusetts and GreenRoots co-hosted a one-mile walk through East Boston, joining Caminatas Verdes (“Green Walks”), a group of local residents who gather weekly to be physically active and create community.

This was our first-ever bilingual community walk, with English interpretation provided by GreenRoots. It was an opportunity to highlight a partnership with GreenRoots that has been made possible by a grant from Boston Children’s Hospital.

The event began in the amphitheater of the Bremen Street Community Park, where WalkMass’ bilingual Program Manager Jonny Gomez-Pereira welcomed participants and highlighted some of the topics that would be discussed along the walk. Noemy Rodriguez, a 2024 WalkMassachusetts Golden Shoe Recipient, described how the Caminatas reflect some of East Boston’s rich cultural diversity, with multiple languages and nationalities represented and participants of different ages and abilities.

Attendees of this walk then had the opportunity to hear from Sandra Nijjar, the Founder and Executive of the East Boston Community Soup Kitchen, which operates twice a week in order to provide families in East Boston with nutritious food. Sandra’s current work highlights the need that exists within the community and some of the challenges that families face when trying to access food.

After hearing from opening speakers, participants embarked on the walk along the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway which connects the Jeffries Point neighborhood in East Boston to Orient Heights via a car-free shared use path. During the first stop of our walk along the Gove St. entrance of the Greenway we were able to hear from Caminata participant and East Boston resident Beatrice who bravely shared some of her experience with the Caminatas. She has participated in the walk for over 8 years, and found the community she built in this space empowering as she recovered from COVID-19 complications. Beatrice spoke to the power of moving together and being in community and affirmed her participation going forward.

As the walk made its way further south toward the coast, participants had the opportunity to hear from another Caminata participant and Eastie Resident, Rina, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years. Rina shared some of her memories of what the East Boston coastline used to be and how it has rapidly transformed in recent years. She noted some of the challenges that have come along with the rapid development of the coast including the exponential growth of housing costs in the once affordable neighborhood and the resulting displacement that Caminatas participants organize around. She noted that organizations such as City Life / Vida Urbana work with residents in the area to challenge displacement, which has become common.

Lastly, the group made its way towards Piers Park, walking through the recent expansion of the MassPort property where attendees had the opportunity to hear from John Walkey, GreenRoots’ Director of Climate Justice & Waterfront Initiatives. John was able to provide some context of some of the programmatic work that GreenRoots achieves throughout East Boston. He shared a brief history lesson on how chapter 91 has evolved from providing access to colonial era subjects to the harbor to fish and clam, to its current existing form where new developments along the Boston Harbor provide public amenities to the communities that host them such as public restrooms. John also noted that green spaces such as Piers Park are essential, especially as Boston Logan Airport abuts the community and negatively impacts air quality.

Learn more about:

GreenRoots environmental justice work in East Boston and Chelsea
Amenities provided through Chapter 91 (from Boston Harbor Now, with an interactive map)
City Life/Vida Urbana housing justice and anti-displacement work

Statewide fatal crashes in MA, March 2024

By WalkMassachusetts | July 25, 2024

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

In our previous post, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in February; seven were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in March 2024. 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 22 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in March in the MassDOT Crash portal, 7 were identified as people walking.
At least two of the crashes involved people who knew each other and a vehicle backing up.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in March was 44.7.

Date	3/2/2024, 8:26 PM
Location	149 Pleasant St.
Town	Attleboro
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	74
Sex	M

NBC10 WJAR reports 74-year old Basil Bletsis was struck and killed while trying to cross Pleasant Street (Rt 123).

From WJAR:

Residents of the Pleasant Street Rest Home said the victim of Saturday’s fatal collision, a 74-year-old man, was a friend, neighbor, and roommate, adding the mishap came as less of a shock, and more as a reflection of reality, living along Route 123.
Several rest home residents said they believe the victim was probably trying to make it across the street on his way to the Stop and Shop supermarket about a block away.
Several residents of the rest home said they hope this tragedy sheds light on what they described as the desperate need for increased pedestrian safety measures throughout the neighborhood.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Pleasant Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with two travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date	3/2/2024, 8:53 PM
Location	47 State Rd. West
Town	Westminster
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	36
Sex	M

The Gardner News reports that the driver of a car struck a pedestrian on Route 2A resulting in fatal injuries.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, State Road West (Rt 2A) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is no sidewalk. The speed limit is 45mph.

Date	3/3/2024, 2:56 AM
Location	I-93 NORTH, MM 35
Town	Wilmington
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	47
Sex	M

A 47-year old man was struck and killed on I-93 North near mile marker 35 in Wilmington. The Wilmington Police log from that date states, “One party was ejected. Injuries.” We could not find any additional news coverage of this incident.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, I-93 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way limited access highway with four travel lanes in each direction. The speed limit is 65mph.

Date	3/10/2024, 9:14 PM
Location	169 Squire Rd.
Town	Revere
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	28
Sex	F

The Boston Globe reports 28-year old Sofia Isabel Mejia Zambrano was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle Sunday night while crossing Route 60 on her way to catch a bus after her shift had ended at Market Basket, according to law enforcement and a store manager.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Squire Road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with two travel lanes in one direction and three travel lanes in the other direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date	3/24/2024, 5:06 PM
Location	Congress St. + Sleeper St.
Town	Boston
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	4
Sex	F

4-year old Gracie Gancheva was struck and killed after being struck by a pickup truck driver who turned onto Sleeper Street.

From the Boston Globe:

“This is an almost unimaginable tragedy,” Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Mayor Michelle Wu’s chief of streets, told residents Saturday morning.
He said the changes to Sleeper Street should be underway in the next few weeks. Officials already have removed one parking spot on Congress Street near the intersection and plan to replace it with a box of flex poles, allowing visibility but making drivers unable to cut the corner quickly. The city also will look at the narrow partial sidewalk on one side of the road, with an eye toward potentially expanding it to a full sidewalk.
The broader redesign of the area’s streets is on track to start next year, he said. That will include a raised crosswalk at the intersection where the girl died.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Sleeper Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street, and a narrow curb edge on the other. The speed limit is 25mph.

Date	3/29/2024, 12:28 PM
Location	370 Park Ave.
Town	Worcester
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	88
Sex	M

An 88-year old man was struck and killed by a 69-year old driver as they were returning to their vehicle after getting coffee, according to Boston 25 News:

Investigators say the victim and a 69-year-old man went to get a coffee at a local establishment and upon returning to their vehicle, the 69-year-old got into the car and allegedly accelerated backward and then forwards, striking the 88-year-old victim who was standing outside.

It is unclear from the reporting if the incident happened along the roadway or in an adjacent parking lot.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Park Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with two travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. There are crosswalks for all legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date	3/29/2024, 7:13 PM
Location	240 Second St.
Town	Chelsea
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	36
Sex	F

The Boston Globe reports 36-year old Jean Baptiste was struck in the head and killed by a sign while standing on a sidewalk after the driver of a 2010 Subaru Outback crashed into the sign post.

From the Boston Globe:

Baptiste got out of the Subaru about 7:10 p.m. and stood on the sidewalk as the driver pulled forward and toward the left, then put the SUV in reverse, indicating that he was making a three-point turn, State Police said in a statement.
The SUV then accelerated in reverse and jumped the curb, striking a metal post that held a “no parking” sign next to where the woman was standing, according to the statement.
“The force of the car striking the signpost caused the sign to come down violently and strike the woman in the head,” State Police said. “The vehicle itself does not appear to have made contact with the woman.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Second Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

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 2024 list. WalkMassachusetts 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.
Monthly crash review
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2023)

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 most current information on IMPACT regarding motor vehicle fatalities can be found at (https://apps.impact.dot.state.ma.us/cdp/dashboard-view/2047/). Other places on IMPACT may not be as current and the motor vehicle fatality information may not match. 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 2021 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 407).