Author: WalkMassachusetts

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

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, December 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, December 2021

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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. With a full year’s worth of posts now complete from 2021, we will be releasing a year in review in the coming weeks to highlight common issues.

Last month, we took a look at the nine fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in November. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in December 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 35 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in November in the MassDOT Crash portal, four were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The name of one of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in December was 45.
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 12/5/2021, 5:35 PM
Location I-291 WEST, south of EXIT 3
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 39
Sex M

WWLP reports that a 39-year old man was struck and killed after a 42-year-old man from Ludlow was traveling on I-291 westbound in a 2009 Toyota Matrix struck him in the left travel lane/center median. The male pedestrian was then struck by a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic driven by a 29-year-old man from Springfield in the left travel lane.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with a median and 3 travel lanes in each direction. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 12/8/2021, 2:48 PM
Location Dwight St. & State St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 16
Sex F

16-year old Springfield Central High School student Alexangeliz Medina died after the driver of a school bus struck and killed her near the MassMutual Center at Dwight & State Street in Springfield.

Western Mass News spoke to Alexangeliz’s parents, Sorangel Ayala and Alex Medina:

“She was the life of the party always making everyone laugh,” said mother Sorangel Ayala.

“That’s why it makes it even harder because she did the right thing, why did it happen, why? She didn’t try to run a light nothing, she crossed the street when she was suppose to,” said Ayala.

Her parents detailed Alexangeliz’s love for art and what it meant to her. “This was just her hobby and her way of expressing herself and being who she is,” said Ayala.

Now, as they learn to navigate life without Alexangeliz, her family has ways they remember her bright energy.

“She wanted to be a teacher, she wanted to change, she wanted to cause change and that we don’t have to hate each other because of our differences, we need to celebrate each other becasue we have differences,” said Medina.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Dwight Street and State Street are both under local jurisdiction. State Street is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction. Dwight Street is one-way, with 3 travel lanes. There is a sidewalk on both sides of each street. The speed limit is listed as 35mph in the Road Inventory.

This was the fourth fatal pedestrian crash on State Street in Springfield in 2021, and followed two fatal pedestrian crashes in November (see last month’s post).

Date 12/15/2021, 6:20 AM
Location 280 Washington St.
Town Brighton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 62
Sex F

Ann O’Flaherty, a nurse at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, was struck and killed by a driver at Washington and Cambridge Street in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood while on her way to work at the hospital.

Irish Central shared that Ann was originally from Ireland and had been a nurse at St. Elizabeth’s since 1988. Boston 25 News spoke to people that lived nearby:

Locals say this stretch of Washington Street is very fast.

“It can be because you have cars coming from both ways and coming off the section right there they are coming from three different ways,” said Everett Mills who lives nearby.

Jim Long also a resident of the area said “A lot of times cars just go through here real quick and don’t slow down. Particularly when they come down the hill.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. It is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. The speed limit is listed as 30mph.

Date 12/20/2021, 5:19 PM
Location 204 Bridge St.
Town Dedham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 63
Sex F

63-year old Marguerite Scanlon was hit and killed by a driver on Bridge St (Route 109) in Dedham near the Doggett Circle senior and elderly housing community. Boston 25 News talked to people near the scene:

“I was almost hit the other day going out. They don’t care how they drive. This is a senior citizen place. They don’t care if they’re going 100 mph,” said Janet, who didn’t want to use her last name.

Neighbors are recalling their own close calls with vehicles on Route 109, also known as Bridge Street.

Police have not said if speed was a factor in Monday night’s deadly accident.

“They drive quickly. I think this is a dangerous area because there’s a curve in the road, and you can’t see the cars coming,” said neighbor Jo-Ann Burnett.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. The speed limit is listed as 35mph.

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 . 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:  |||||

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).