WalkMassachusetts – Page 123 – WalkMassachusetts

Chelsea Walk Audit

By WalkMassachusetts | June 24, 2013

WalkBoston conducted a Walk Audit training and field walk on June 24, 2013 with the Walking Group organized through the Chelsea Community Health Center. The group usually walks twice a week, varying the route to sustain interest.

The participants included adult walk group members, several of them with baby strollers, the six-year old son of one of the group members, staff from the Health Center, the City’s Planning Director and two WalkBoston staff members.

Read the full report: WalkBoston-WalkAudit-Chelsea

Massachusetts Avenue Reconstruction Regional Advocate Comment Letter

By WalkMassachusetts | March 28, 2013

As a group of neighborhood and regional advocacy organizations that promote Complete Streets, safer walking and bicycling, and sustainable transportation planning policies, we are unanimous in our support of the Town of Arlington’s current plan for the reconstruction of Massachusetts Avenue from the Cambridge line to Arlington Center. The Town’s current plan includes the reconfiguration of the de facto four-lane street into a three-lane roadway with striped bike lanes, wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks with refuge islands and an assortment of streetscape enhancements. We are collectively writing to express our concern that MassDOT may give too much weight to a non-binding ballot question on the local ballot in Arlington that contradicts state policies and guidelines.

Read the letter here:
WalkBoston-Comment-RegionalAdvocatesMassAve_130328-Arlington

Boston: Charles River/North Station Map

By WalkMassachusetts | March 1, 2013

The pedestrian/bicycle bridge linking the Charles River Basin and Boston Harbor is the centerpiece of the new riverside park system near North Station. WalkBoston played a critical role in galvanizing support to assure its construction. When hope for construction by the Central Artery Project was failing in 2005, WalkBoston led a walk with community and agency leaders highlighting that the riverside trails to the new parks would dead-end without a bridge over the rail tracks. The walk led to Globe and Herald editorials that revitalized widespread interest and encouraged the state to seek funding. The bridge was completed in 2012.

The banks of the Charles River between the Museum of Science and Boston Harbor were once heavily industrialized with a landscape of railyards, polluted drainage ditches, wharf warehouses, and no walking access to the river. Dubbed the “Lost Half Mile” by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the construction of the Central Artery’s Zakim Bridge and its ramps high above the river brought an opportunity for a new riverfront, with 40 acres of new parks, a skate park, two housing towers, and the U.S. headquarters for the Education First company.

The reclaimed Half Mile is the site of a beautiful new walking facility: the North Bank Bridge, a 690-foot pathway that curves under the Zakim Bridge and over the MBTA commuter rails that used to be an impassable barrier. The bridge is one of three that are planned. The second will be a walkway attached to the MBTA rail bridge over the river into North Station. The third, a South Bank Bridge, will connect Charles River walkways along the Boston side of the river to the HarborWalk in a richly historic and highly visited area.

Click for “Charles River/North Station Walking Map” PDF

Click for “Charles River/North Station Walking Map” on Google Maps

University of Massachusetts Lowell Strategic Development Plan Comment Letter

By WalkMassachusetts | October 3, 2012

October 3, 2012

Secretary Richard K. Sullivan, Jr.
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston MA 02114
Attn: MEPA Office

RE: Comments on Strategic Development Plan, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA Notice of Project Change

Dear Secretary Sullivan:

WalkBoston has reviewed the Notice of Project Change for the University of Massachusetts – Lowell Strategic Development Plan, and submits our comments on the plan, with a focus on the “Action Steps” outlined in the Campus Transportation Plan (Section 3.6).

Infrastructure Improvements
WalkBoston applauds UMass Lowell’s commitment to improving infrastructure on and between its campuses to improve pedestrian safety and comfort. Because there is considerable distance between UMass Lowell’s campuses and other venues such as the Tsongas Center and the Inn & Conference Center, it is crucial that the University facilitate the movement of pedestrians between them to increase the sense of place for the University, encourage physical activity, reduce vehicle trips and reduce GHG emissions.

In order to more effectively work towards these goals, the proponent should develop a more robust wayfinding system within and between UMass Lowell’s campuses. Because walkers tend to think in terms of times (minutes of walking rather than miles), signs that give the walking time to given destinations such as: “Fox Hall – 11 minutes” or “O’Leary Library – 9 minutes,” should be installed where there are high pedestrian volumes and/or where directional information is needed. Signs with simple and highly relevant information would make the decision to walk between campuses an easier one by giving people the information they need to make an informed choice about walking as a convenient option. Timed wayfinding signs can make a fairly spread out university feel like its campuses are closer together, and increased pedestrian activity along the streets between campuses would make the walk safer and more enjoyable.

Policy Initiatives WalkBoston also applauds the “park once” policy mentioned under Policy Initiatives: Action Steps. If embraced by the UMass Lowell community, this initiative will help decrease congestion and also generate more pedestrian activity on and around the campuses. A robust wayfinding system will contribute to this campaign. The university might consider a marketing effort that highlights the pluses of walking such as:

Choose your Mode for a South Campus to East Campus Trip
1. Walk the 15 minutes to East Campus
• Burn XX calories • Get some fresh air
• Pass a friend and chat briefly on the way
• Relax and arrive on time
2. Drive the XX miles which will take XX minutes
• Walk to parking lot, exit and drive to East Campus, find parking space, walk from car to building
• Get stuck in traffic – grrr!
• Create XX tons of GHG emissions
• Arrive a bit frazzled
Which choice feels better? Help UMass Lowell Get Fit and Go Green – Walk!

We hope that our suggestions will be useful and please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman Robert Sloane
Executive Director Senior Planner

Franklin Walking Map

By WalkMassachusetts | August 1, 2012

You can go anywhere on foot. Many destinations in Franklin are no more than a 10-minute walk apart – and many are even closer than that. You’ll be surprised how short the walks are – from homes, schools, downtown businesses and shopping centers to all parts of town.

It’s an easy and fun exercise. A walk can be a social activity – bring your spouse, your dog, a friend or a coworker along. A walk can help you clear your head and reduce stress. It can be long or short, spontaneous or planned in advance.

Walking is a part of virtually every trip – alone or combined with driving or cycling. It can also build stronger communities. Pedestrian activity makes residential areas more neighborly and commercial areas more vibrant.

With minute-increment markers, this map makes it easy to time your walks. Find two destinations that are 10 minutes apart. Vary the route to keep it interesting. Then try walking out 10 minutes and back 10 minutes for a 20-minute walk..