Author: WalkMassachusetts

City of Boston aims to create an Age-Friendly Cummins Highway

City of Boston aims to create an Age-Friendly Cummins Highway

By |

The City of Boston is currently designing the complete reconstruction of Cummins Highway in Mattapan and they are calling out the project as Age-Friendly Cummins Highway! This is exactly the outcome WalkBoston hoped to see when we began our age-friendly walking work with the City in 2016. Many of the design elements are a direct reflection of what WalkBoston and the City learned during meetings and walk audits with Mattapan residents. 

The project will include a total rebuild of the street, including sidewalks, curbs, street lights, traffic signals, road pavement, and replacement or updating of utilities with a project budget of approximately $24 million.

Mattapan residents and WalkBoston staff walk down a sidewalk in Mattapan Square during the 2016 WalkBoston Mattapan Square walk audit; photos included in the 4/26/22 Cummins Highway BTD/PWD Presentation.

The proposed Cummins Highway design includes narrower street crossings with curb extensions, fully accessible sidewalks, longer WALK times and audible signals, high visibility crosswalks, raised crosswalks to slow drivers turning onto or from side streets, new trees and plants to reduce the heat effect, new street lights, bus shelters and benches.

Age-friendly intersection design shown in the 4/26/22 Cummins Highway BTD/PWD Presentation, showing plans to narrow crossing distances, add accessible ramps, raise crosswalks and increase crosswalk visibility.

As city staff said during a recent public meeting, the goal is to:

“Transform Cummins Highway into a tree-lined neighborhood street that is safer for families to walk, wait for the bus, ride bikes, or travel by vehicle. It will connect residents to the City’s network of open spaces and make it easier for elders to cross the street.”

WalkBoston is thrilled to see the City of Boston’s adoption of some many age-friendly walking elements in the project and to see age-friendly street design come of age in the city. 

Want to learn more?

Event – 2022 WalkBoston Bob Sloane Walk: Muddy River

Event – 2022 WalkBoston Bob Sloane Walk: Muddy River

By |

Please join us on Tuesday, June 7th at 5:30pm for our first organized walk in almost three years. Sign up today!

The walk is part of Olmsted Now: Greater Boston’s Olmsted Bicentennial  and is the first annual walk in honor of Bob Sloane. Bob was a co-founder of WalkBoston and passed away in May 2021. He was a true pioneer in walking advocacy and a pillar of our organization, and we look forward to honoring his legacy by hosting a walk each year in his name. 

Since this is a point-to-point walk, we encourage you to use public transportation, walk, or bike to the start so that it is easy for you to head out afterwards.

HOW TO GET TO THE START

The walk will start on the Muddy River walk at the rear of the Hilton Garden Inn at Boylston Street and Brookline Avenue in Brookline (700 Brookline Ave, Brookline, MA 02446), very close to the Brookline Village stop (D Line). If you are coming from downtown on the D line, once you get off the train, cross the tracks and follow Pearl Street out to Washington St (Rt 9). You should see the hotel to your left on the corner of Brookline Ave and Washington St; we are meeting out back. Transportation close to the start location:

  • Brookline Village MBTA Station (D Line)
  • Riverway MBTA Station (E Line)
  • 66 Bus – Huntington Ave / Riverway stop
  • 60/65 Buses – Brookline Ave / Pearl St stop 
  • BlueBikes – Brookline Village Station

ROUTE

The route will wind its way from Brookline along the Emerald Necklace’s Muddy River toward Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. (View the route on Google Maps here).

The walk route is fully accessible. We are diverting off the pathway along the Muddy River onto sidewalks on Aspinwall Ave to Netherlands Road for the section of the path between Brookline Ave & Netherlands Road to avoid a bridge with stairs. Not only does this make our walking route accessible, it will also allow us to add an additional speaker stop on Netherlands Road at the Dutch House.

We’ll be ending the walk at the Trillium Fenway Beer Garden & Time Out Market so attendees have the option to have a drink or eat outside and continue the conversation. Transportation close to the finish location:

  • Brookline Ave / Park Dr stop
  • 8, 19, 60, 65 Buses – Fenway MBTA Station (D Line)
  • 47, 57, CT2 Buses – Park Drive / Fenway Station stop
  • BlueBikes – Landmark Center / Brookline Ave at Park Dr Station

SPEAKERS

Representatives from Fairsted (the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site) will share about Olmsted’s vision & describe the history and design of the Emerald Necklace. Additional speakers from Town of Brookline, City of Boston, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy will join us along the way to share more about the Emerald Necklace and update us on the restoration & transportation projects located on this section.

Since we’ve had a strong RSVP response, we’ll likely be splitting attendees into two groups. We will get the first group started right after 5:30pm, and then send the next group a few minutes behind them.

We hope to see you on June 7th. Sign up today!

This walk is the first in a series of walks that WalkBoston is organizing for Olmsted Now:

Parks and public places are for everyone. Frederick Law Olmsted — reformer, writer, Boston transplant and America’s first landscape architect — is about to turn 200. Olmsted Now, Greater Boston’s Olmsted Bicentennial, is an invitation to actively shape a more equitable, verdant and vibrant city. Show up. Be seen. Share your story.

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, March 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, March 2022

By |

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. Earlier this year, we released a year in review for 2021 to highlight common issues.

Last month, we took a look at the seven fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in February. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in March 2022. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 23 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in March in the MassDOT Crash portal, seven were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in March was 63.
  • We could not find any news coverage from two of the crashes. If you have any information, please let us know.
Date 3/1/2022, 7:14 PM
Location SR-18 NORTH (1540 Bedford St.)
Town Abington
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 35
Sex F

Marissa Voller, age 35, was struck and killed by the driver of a pickup truck on Bedford Street in Abington. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s office indicated that visibility was low and the weather was misty.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, SR-18 (Bedford Street) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. Bedford Street is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 45 mph in the Road Inventory. While the road inventory displays it as a 2 lane road with no sidewalks, Google Streetview from August 2021 shows a newly paved roadway with 2 lanes in each direction and sidewalks on both sides as part of the MassDOT Route 18 Weymouth-Abington Improvement project; it appears that images were captured before final striping.

Abington News reported that officials had concerns about drivers speeding on a newly widened and paved roadway prior to the March 1st crash:

The night before the accident, town officials commented on the increased speeds vehicles travel along the recently widened road.

“They are flying up 18,” Fire Chief John Nuttal told the Board of Selectmen the night before the accident, adding he was surprised one of the town’s emergency response vehicles hadn’t been hit yet.

“They’re definitely going faster,” Selectman Alex Bezanson said in agreement.

Date 3/11/2022, 4:12 AM
Location Newport Ave. + Holbrook Rd.
Town Quincy
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 58
Sex M

Donny Bowes, age 58, was struck and killed while in a crosswalk by the driver of a BMW SUV on Newport Avenue early on Friday morning, March 11th. NBC Boston reports that Donny was on his way to work when he was hit while crossing the street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Newport Avenue is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 30mph. There are two travel lanes in each direction with an additional turn lane for each direction to turn onto Holbrook Rd, a sidewalk on each side of the street, and crosswalks for all legs of the intersection. There is a pedestrian overpass on one side of this intersection so that people can walk over the MBTA tracks.

Donny worked at Fenway Park for more than a decade, the Boston Globe reported:

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Donny Bowes this morning,” the Red Sox said in a statement to the Globe on Friday. “He was beloved by countless co-workers and Red Sox fans during his 15 years with the security department. Donny’s endless energy and infectious positive attitude made a significant impact on the Fenway Park experience. He will be greatly missed.”

This crash is a little over a mile away from the Newport Ave + Willow Ave intersection where Robert Jansen, age 62, was struck and killed in May 2021 by a 21 year old driver of a Jeep. At the time, the Boston Globe reported that “an initial observation of the crash determined that there was approximately 278 feet of visible skid marks leading up to the motor vehicle and victim.”

Date 3/11/2022, 9:30 PM
Location 101 Waterford St.
Town Gardner
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 33
Sex M

We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Waterford Street is under local jurisdiction. Waterford Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The sidewalk ends before the intersection with Baker Street. The speed limit is listed as 99 (not entered) in the Road Inventory, but there are school zone markings on the pavement for the nearby Waterford Street School. School zone speeds, which have been established in accordance with the Massachusetts Amendments to the MUTCD, are set at 20 mph for school zones in Massachusetts.

There is no Google Streetview available for this section of Waterford Street; this image is the nearby intersection of Baker Street & Waterford Street zoomed in showing angled parking on one side of the street and the school and playing fields.

Date 3/15/2022, 10:24 PM
Location West Franklin St. SOUTH + Beech St.
Town Holyoke
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 67
Sex F

Nancy “Maria” McDaniel was struck and killed at the intersection of Beech and West Franklin Streets while out walking her beloved dog, Henry, by a male driver traveling eastbound according to Western Mass News.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette talked to her sister, Ann Marie Carvalho:

Asked what more she wanted to say, Carvalho urged people to slow down when driving and give the right-of-way to pedestrians.

“Stop texting, stop playing with the radio. Whatever you’re doing, pay attention,” she said. “It impacts the whole family, burying somebody who has no right being buried yet.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, West Franklin Street and Beech Street are each under local jurisdiction. It is a signalized intersection with crosswalks on each leg. West Franklin Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is an additional right turning lane at the intersection with Beech Street. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is listed as both 30mph and 25mph in the Road Inventory. Beech Street is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction with a median at the intersection. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit for Beech Street is listed as 25 mph southwest of Franklin Street, and 35mph northeast of Franklin Street in the Road Inventory.

Date 3/18/2022, 5:33 PM
Location 290 Boston Rd.
Town Sutton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 72
Sex M

David V. Karacius, age 72, was hit and killed on Boston Road in Sutton. The only news coverage of this crash we could find was from Boston 25 News, that Sutton Police were investigating after a person was struck by a vehicle and the included Facebook post from the Sutton Police Department. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Boston Road is under local jurisdiction. Boston Road is two-way, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is no sidewalk or shoulder on either side of the street. The speed limit is 25 mph in the Road Inventory.

Date 3/21/2022, 5:28 PM
Location 9 Bemis St.
Town Spencer
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 103
Sex F

103-year old Norma Cormier died “after injuries sustained from a tragic accident.” We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Bemis Street is under local jurisdiction. Bemis Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is no sidewalk or shoulder on either side of the street (Google Streetview image is from 2007 shows a path on one side, but may not reflect current conditions). The speed limit is not listed in the Road Inventory.

Date 3/23/2022, 11:20 AM
Location Prospect Hill Ave. + Prospect Hill Rd.
Town Waltham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 73
Sex M

Waltham News Tribune/Wicked Local reported that a middle-aged man was struck by the driver of a work van on Prospect Hill Road near the intersection of Columbus Avenue. The 73-year old man was medflighted to a hospital, where he later died.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Prospect Hill Road is under local jurisdiction. Boston Road is two-way, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is an additional left turn lane at the intersection of Prospect Hill Avenue. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30 mph in the Road Inventory. There is a crosswalk to cross Prospect Hill Avenue, but not Prospect Hill Road at this intersection.

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 2022 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

Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)

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).

Event: WalkBoston’s Talk The Walk Session: “Jane Jacobs,” 5/5 12pm On Zoom

Event: WalkBoston’s Talk The Walk Session: “Jane Jacobs,” 5/5 12pm On Zoom

By |

WalkBoston’s Talk the Walk Session
“Jane Jacobs”
May 5, 12-1pm
Register for this event

Lunch hour discussion session on Zoom. Open to all. Eating is encouraged. Video is optional. 

This is our second topic-driven discussion session (not just books!). These discussion sessions may include articles, podcasts, videos, and yes, maybe even a book or two. This session will cover Jane Jacobs (brief bio on Wikipedia). The event coincides with the Jane’s Walk Festival Weekend (May 6-7-8), which features citizen-led free walks around the globe.

This Talk the Walk Session will feature a presentation by author Anthony Flint, who wrote “Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City.”

Sixty years after the publication of “The Death and Life of American Cities,” the legacy of Jane Jacobs endures. She would be cheered by the pandemic-driven transformation of urban environments to accommodate outdoor dining, biking, scooting, and walking; the support of local businesses and grassroots local climate action; and the resilience of transit systems enabling the “15-minute city,” a 21st-century version of how she lived her life in Greenwich Village. But what wouldn’t she be happy with? Quite probably the scourge of “Not in My Backyard” responses to multifamily housing, amid dizzying increases in housing costs.

We’ve included a few relevant links about Jane Jacobs below. If you have read something related that others might find interesting or a question you’d like to include, send it our way—we can include it in our event reminder email and add to this post.

Discussion questions to consider:

  • For whom does Jane Jacobs’ concepts work? For whom don’t they work?
  • What makes Jane Jacobs’ arguments exciting to planners?
  • How do Jane Jacobs’ theories/ideas hold up today, particularly with the latest challenges cities are facing in 2022 (ongoing pandemic, remote/hybrid work, online shopping, rising housing costs, gentrification, etc?)
  • What are some of the critiques of Jane Jacobs’ concepts?

Register for this meeting:

https://www.givesignup.org/TicketEvent/TalkTheWalk
You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Articles to get you started:

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021) Report News Coverage

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021) Report News Coverage

By |

We list all media clips on our website, but on this post we consolidated some of the media coverage for the Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021) Report. Please let us know if we missed any others that you’ve seen and we can try and keep this current.

Report Overview

Every life lost on Massachusetts’ roads is tragic. At WalkBoston, we advocate for the most vulnerable road users – people walking. In 2021, at least 75 pedestrians lost their lives in traffic crashes in Massachusetts, accounting for 18 percent of all lives lost in traffic crashes.

Findings:

  • Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 47 had a fatal pedestrian crash in 2021. Over half (40 of 75) of the deaths happened in 12 municipalities.
  • Older adults were hit and killed at a higher rate than those in other age groups: 36% of fatal crash victims were over the age of 65. In Massachusetts, only 17% of the population is over 65.  1  
  • Over half of Massachusetts’ fatal pedestrian crashes (50.67%) occurred on streets with speed limits of 30 to 35 MPH. These are neighborhood streets and main streets where more people are walking.
  • Roughly 65% of the people killed while walking were on roads owned by a city or town, while approximately 35% were walking on roads owned by a state agency (MassDOT or MassDCR).

Read the press release | Read the full report

Coverage