Author: WalkMassachusetts

Boston Globe: “The Argument: Should Massachusetts toughen penalties for jaywalking?”

Boston Globe: “The Argument: Should Massachusetts toughen penalties for jaywalking?”

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Boston Globe: “The Argument: Should Massachusetts toughen penalties for jaywalking?”

NO | Brendan Kearney, Deputy Director, WalkBoston; Framingham resident

The term “jaywalking” was created by the auto industry in the 1920s to divert blame from drivers who were hitting and killing people. A century later it has proven to be a highly successful marketing effort. The proposed bill to crack down on jaywalking would just place an unnecessary burden on pedestrians without making anyone safer.

Making it illegal to cross anywhere outside a crosswalk — which the bill effectively does — is unrealistic. Existing law allows you to cross outside a marked crosswalk provided you are more than 300 feet from a crosswalk or signalized intersection and yield to motorists. The law reflects how we all use our streets and how our communities are designed.

I live on Central Street in Framingham. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street, opposite my house. I cross to that sidewalk when there are no drivers coming, or when someone yields. No crosswalk exists. It is unsafe to walk on the narrow 30-mile-per-hour street with traffic at my back to the crosswalk a quarter-of-a-mile away — and illegal. When there is a sidewalk, I’m supposed to walk on it; if there isn’t one, the law says to walk against traffic. The proposed bill would make it illegal for me to cross or walk along my street.

There are also significant equity concerns around jaywalking enforcement. Jaywalking laws contribute to racial profiling. A report by ProPublica and Florida-Times Union found Black people in Jacksonville, Fla. were three times as likely to be stopped and cited as white people. Similar patterns have been seen elsewhere; Streetsblog NYC reported that nearly 90 percent of people issued jaywalk citations in New York in 2019 were Black and Brown. In response, efforts to decriminalize jaywalking have been mounted in a number of places, including Virginia and California.

Moreover, increasing fines is not a proven strategy to change behavior. The National Institute of Justice has found increasing the severity of punishment does little to deter crime. If the goal is to keep people walking safer, let’s build streets that provide them with the same level of ease and comfort as those people who are behind the wheel. As it stands, this punitive bill does nothing to improve pedestrian safety.

Posted February 20, 2022

We’re hiring a WalkBoston Intern

We’re hiring a WalkBoston Intern

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April 2022 update: this role has already been filled; thank you for your interest!

WalkBoston Internship Job Description

WalkBoston makes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and more vibrant communities. WalkBoston is committed to centering racial equity and justice in our work as well as evaluating the ways in which our work overlaps with efforts related to affordable housing, food access, harm reduction, transit access, and more. 

WalkBoston is looking to fill an internship opening with our organization. Interns with WalkBoston gain experience in transportation-related design and planning, community engagement, advocacy, and community revitalization efforts. Interns contribute directly to the project and advocacy work of WalkBoston. Interns provide valuable substantive contributions to our work, and have the opportunity to help select the projects that best fit their skills and interests.  Examples of WalkBoston’s current projects and programs include: Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion program, Connecting Children and Families to Parks in East Boston, Walkability @ Boston Public Housing Developments, Gateway Cities: Transit Oriented Development, Age-Friendly Walking, alongside other advocacy and coalition efforts. 

Responsibilities:

  • Assisting with walkability assessments and advocacy training
  • Researching and preparing white papers on transportation-related topics that affect the communities WalkBoston serves or are related to current programming efforts. 
  • Collecting and analyzing crash data as it pertains to various projects
  • Representing WalkBoston at community events and public meetings
  • Other duties as assigned

Desired Qualifications:

  • Graduate student pursuing a degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Transportation Planning, Public Policy, or other related field
  • Experience leading community conversations with a variety of stakeholders
  • Ability to work independently, collaboratively and productively in a team environment
  • Commitment to and understanding of racial equity and strong analysis of the root causes of inequities, and how racism intersects with walkable communities.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
  • Proficiency in virtual work software (e.g., Zoom, Google Suite, Slack).
  • Spanish fluency a plus

Commitment, Compensation, Location: 

  • 10-15 hours per week, preference for students who can commit to the entire school year
  • Interns would be working remotely, we do not currently have an office space, however some in person events (walk audits, other programming) may be required.
  • Pay range is $18-20/hour, depending on experience, with a preference for students who have federal work study. 

To Apply:

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by sending a resume and cover letter to jobs@walkboston.org. 

Boston University video storytelling partnership: tell your story!

Boston University video storytelling partnership: tell your story!

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WalkBoston is excited to partner with Boston University’s Cross-College Challenge (XCC), BU Hub’s interdisciplinary project-based elective course open to upperclassmen. The XCC engages students in team projects that address a real-world problem or an enduring human question — students in the course will utilize video storytelling to explore walkability and mobility through diverse perspectives. 

WalkBoston began the project by giving students a Ped 101 presentation to establish a walkability knowledge base. We’re now looking for participants who live, work, or walk around the City of Boston (or within a 10-15 minute transit ride of the City) to be interviewed by the students. 

These interviews and documentaries are looking to capture what walking and mobility looks like in an effort to reframe how these terms are understood and defined in the mainstream and by those with power — to encourage a more intersectional and justice-focused approach to mobility. In particular the project aims to capture perspectives from those who have been historically excluded from the transportation discussion (e.g. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, low income, undocumented, disabled, non English speakers, and more). If you or someone you know would like to share your experiences navigating the public realm through walking (or not walking), please reach out to us at info@walkboston.org by February 25th. 

As part of this project, participants will need access to Zoom to engage in a preliminary interview and, if comfortable, be filmed while walking (or attempting to walk) in and around Boston during the month of March. Participants who speak languages other than English are encouraged to participate, as interpretation and translation will be available for all involved. 

Participants will be compensated with a $25 gift card for their time and will have final approval over what is published from their interviews. Participants under 18 are welcome, though a guardian’s release will be required. 

Save the Date: Annual Celebration 3/30, 5pm

Save the Date: Annual Celebration 3/30, 5pm

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Join us on March 30th (on Zoom) to celebrate & honor this year’s Golden Shoe winners!

Each March, we hold our Annual Celebration to celebrate achievements in walkability and to highlight the contributions of our wonderful volunteers, board members, and the many individuals and corporations who support us every year.

The presentation of our Golden Shoe Awards is an integral part of the Annual Celebration. The Golden Shoes recognize individuals, agencies, municipalities and companies exemplifying the ideals of WalkBoston’s mission. 

More info on this year’s honorees and speakers coming soon, but registration is now open!

Comments on Memorial Drive Phase III

Comments on Memorial Drive Phase III

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January 27, 2022

Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs

100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114
Attn: MEPA Office, Christina Lyons

RE: Memorial Drive Phase III – Environmental Notification Form 16495

Dear Secretary Theoharides:

WalkBoston is Massachusetts’ primary pedestrian advocacy organization, working across the Commonwealth to make it safer and easier for people to walk for all activities of daily living such as access to transit, school and jobs. We are writing to you to show support for the MassDCR road diet of the 0.8-mile section of Memorial Drive from Eliot Bridge east to the intersection of Memorial Drive and John F. Kennedy Street near Harvard Square. We are happy to see this project move forward since it was last discussed publicly in the Summer of 2019.

We appreciate that there is continued attention to separating users by mode whenever possible on MassDCR facilities and within the Charles River Basin, following the recommendations from the 2002 Charles River Basin Plan. Converting the existing 6.5-foot-wide path to a 10-foot shared use path paired with a 5-foot wide stabilized gravel path for people walking and running will help reduce conflicts. 

We also applaud you for the addition of mid-block crossings into the project area, an opportunity unlocked by the road diet’s narrower cross-section. There is a new mid-block pedestrian crossing proposed on Memorial Drive near Sparks Street and Mt. Auburn, which provides a direct link to the MBTA Bus Stop for Bus 71 and 73 to further enhance accessibility to this important park and transportation corridor for transit riders. An additional mid-block crossing is also proposed at Memorial Drive near University Road, closer to JFK. Both pedestrian crossings will include rapid flashing beacon lights (RRFBs) to alert drivers to crossing pedestrians. 

With a projected increase in biking and e-bike usage in the coming years, we encourage you to highlight any possible conflict zones between people walking and biking with paint or signage to help minimize these conflicts, particularly at the new mid-block crossings. 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. 

Stacey Beuttell, AICP

Executive Director, WalkBoston