Author: WalkMassachusetts

Beat the Bay State registration now open for Fall 2021!

Beat the Bay State registration now open for Fall 2021!

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Starting November 1st, we’re challenging you to compete in the 2nd Annual Beat the Bay State Challenge throughout November (Nov1st-30th). In 2020, 31 teams and 450 people took part in the inaugural virtual team challenge to walk/run 900 miles, the distance of the perimeter of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (Read our post with the full 2020 results & recap.)

For 2021, we’ve also added an in person 5k Run/Walk on Saturday, November 6th along the Charles River in Watertown to kick off the month together! 5K entry includes a race shirt; buffs and hats available for purchase for either event.

For more info or to sign up: https://runsignup.com/baystate

BTBS2021
Sponsorship opportunities (PDF) are available! Please contact Development Director Althea Wong-Achorn for more info.

Interested in volunteering? Please contact Deputy Director Brendan Kearney for more info.

Channelside DEIR/DPIR comments

Channelside DEIR/DPIR comments

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August 20, 2021

Secretary Kathleen A. Theoharides
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Attn via email: Alex Strysky (alexander.strysky@state.ma.us )

Director Brian Golden
Boston Planning and Development Agency
Attn via email: Aisling Kerr (Aisling.Kerr@boston.gov)

Re:  Channelside DEIR/DPIR comments

Dear Secretary Theoharides and Director Golden:

WalkBoston, LivableStreets Alliance, Boston Cyclists Union, FPNA and MassBike are submitting our joint comments on the Channelside Project regarding transportation within and to the development site. 

We have focused our comments on the broad and underlying transportation conditions that will impact the existing and future neighborhood as well as the residents and workers who will occupy the proposed 1.4 million SF development that is undergoing review. While we have detailed comments on several aspects of the proponent’s site design and proposed mitigation, these are issues that later project phases could address.

We are pleased that the proponent has fully embraced the idea of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Complete Streets designs, and has provided travel projections for the project that predict a net total of 4,633 trips generated by the site of which 4,089 are walking, biking and transit trips – an impressive 88% of all trips! We also applaud the plan to redevelop what currently is non-permeable parking lot pavement into a park and pathway system which will help control the impacts of tidal flooding along the channel.

However, we are disappointed and concerned that the DEIR/DPIR devotes so little analysis of future conditions and, more specifically, how these thousands of trips will be served. Section 4.4 Transportation Build (2028) Condition of the document devotes (excluding maps and tables) ½ page to bike accommodation, 2 pages to transit, and 0 pages to walking (this notwithstanding that both walking and transit mode shares will depend on pedestrian facilities – including especially walking access from South Station and Broadway Station). And we are disappointed the project team is seeking to “not overburden” a transit system which currently does not serve this area sufficiently, instead of actively increasing capacity and service in advance of the rapid growth expected at Channelside. This development cannot be “Transit Oriented” without providing for increased transit usage.

Unfortunately, the DEIR/DPIR is following the precedent of several prior development projects in the Seaport, South Boston and Fort Point Channel neighborhoods, by focusing on this project in isolation of the rapid transformation that is occurring around it. Given the growth of these neighborhoods over the course of the last two decades, continuing to review all development projects in the area as single projects and not more holistically as a large agglomeration of projects that together require significantly better transit, walking and biking conditions to work well for its residents, workers, visitors and businesses, risks the future success of this, and many other projects in the area. 

Continuing down this piecemeal development planning path is unsustainable for the neighborhood and the City, and places undue burden on individual developments to solve problems that may include their project yet go beyond their boundaries. This parcel at 244-284 A Street is a crucial connection to a network of safe bicycling and walking routes that flow throughout the city, and needs to be incorporated into a vision of a connected, sustainable, and safe waterfront trail and harborwalk that includes all of the City’s waterfront neighborhoods.  

We ask that MEPA require the City of Boston (along with MassDOT, the MBTA and Massport) to complete, fund and begin the implementation of the South Boston Transit Study prior to advancing the permitting of new projects. We believe that without such action the proponent’s project (along with existing and other new development projects) will choke the neighborhood with traffic, provide insufficient transit service, not include an accessible sidewalk system (both within the development zone and connecting to South and Broadway Stations), and lack safe bicycle facilities connected to a larger network for those most vulnerable on our roads.

We have included below excerpts from the MEPA and BPDA Scopes for the project that we believe call for an analysis of how all trips (auto and non-auto) trips will be managed and provided for. We do not think that the DEIR/DPIR answers these scope items.

MEPA Scope

Trip Generation

The DEIR should fully describe and document existing and proposed pedestrian and bicycle facilities, transit operations and roadway and intersection conditions within the study Area. (page 9)

The TIA should describe the project’s anticipated transportation impacts and identify appropriate mitigation measures. The Proponent should indicate a clear commitment to implement proposed mitigation measures and describe the timing of their implementation, including whether measures are implemented based on phases of the project or occupancy levels. (Page 10)

Multimodal Facilities

It should describe all existing and proposed pedestrian facilities, including sidewalks, crosswalks, bicycle paths and bicycle parking spaces, located within the study area. The DEIR should review the regional pedestrian and bicycle network, evaluate the safety and capacity of the network and describe potential measures to enhance connections between the site and other locations and routes. (page 9)

BPDA Scope

“Melcher Street will be another important pedestrian connection for the site and its high volume of transit users connecting to South Station. Pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements are needed and a priority for the City and community. The Proponent should commit to working with the city to design and construct improvements to Melcher Street from A Street to Summer Street.”  (Page 26)

“Additional transit service and connectivity was identified as needed on A Street in the South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan [and the South Boston Dorchester Avenue Transportation Plan]. “The Proponent should provide shuttle service on A Street that connects to Broadway Station and South Station. Ideally, this would be in partnership with other corridor stakeholders such as State Street Bank that currently provides shuttle service on A Street that connects to South Station. New and efficient shuttle stop locations will need to be determined through consultation with the City.” (Page 26) 

A private shuttle service should not be the primary solution for the lack of transit access in the area. In addition to completing the long awaited South Boston Transit Study, the City should study the potential implementation of BRT on Congress Street, connecting to North Station. Additionally the MBTA is currently in the process of a system-wide bus network project. Now is an opportune time to work with the MBTA to determine the current and future transit needs for the neighborhood and to build the necessary street infrastructure to accommodate that bus service (i.e. bus lanes, new bus stops, ADA accessible sidewalks). 

Sincerely,

Stacey Beuttell, WalkBoston Executive Director
Stacy Thompson, LivableStreets Alliance Executive Director
Becca Thompson, Boston Cyclists Union Executive Director
Tom Ready, FPNA
Galen Mook, MassBike Executive Director

Cc Senator Nick Collins
Representative David Biele
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn
Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty
Greg Rooney, Commissioner, Boston Transportation Department
Jamey Tesler, Secretary, MassDOT
Steve Poftak, General Manager, MBTA
Joel A. Barrera, Massport, Director of Strategic and Business Planning
Patrick Sullivan, Seaport TMA, Executive Director
David Gibbons, Executive Director, MCCA
Rick Dimino, President and CEO, ABC

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, June 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, June 2021

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Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 8 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in May. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in June 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 38 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in June in the MassDOT Crash portal, 4 were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 2 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in June was 63.5.
  • At least 2 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in 3 of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 6/8/2021, 6:34 AM
Location SR-2 EAST, MM 38.4
Town Shelburne
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 45
Sex F

45 year old Rhonda Thompson was out on a morning walk along the breakdown lane of Mohawk Trail / Rt 2 in Shelburne Falls when she was struck and killed by Peter Toomey. The Hampshire Franklin Daily Voice reports that he has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death; negligent motor vehicle homicide; and failure to stay in marked lanes. The district attorney said the defendant told police his truck had struck a deer the previous evening; once placed under arrest, he said he did not stop since the woman he with was with someone whom he assumed would summon help.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction with shoulders on each side. The speed limit is 50 mph and there are no sidewalks.

Date 6/17/2021, 3:31 PM
Location 46 Daggett Dr.
Town West Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 34
Sex F

An unidentified 34 year old woman was hit and killed in West Springfield on Daggett Drive. The West Springfield Police Department were asking witnesses to come forward to help their investigation.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 30 mph, and there is a sidewalk on one side of the street. Streetview on Google Maps shows two lanes in each direction, and that the sidewalks, curb ramps, and street were repaved in October 2019. There is one crosswalk to cross over Daggett Drive at the major intersection of Rt 5 / Riverdale Street. There are no crosswalks to cross over Daggett Drive throughout the rest of the shopping plaza.

Date 6/20/2021, 8:00 PM
Location Columbia Rd. + Kosciuszko Cir.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 84
Sex M

An unidentified 84 year old man was hit and killed at Columbia Rd + Kosciuszko Circle in Boston. We have not been able to find any news articles related to this crash.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this section of the street and circle adjacent to Moakley Park is under MassDCR jurisdiction. According to a Road Safety Audit conducted in March 2019, this area includes Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) high crash clusters for people walking, driving, and biking. A HSIP-eligible location is a crash cluster that ranks within the top 5% of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) based on crash incidence and severity. In March 2021, City and state agencies announced a Kosciuszko Circle /Morrissey Boulevard planning study to improve mobility and climate resiliency.

Date 6/23/2021, 6:59 PM
Location Normandy Rd. WEST + Rose Kennedy Ln.
Town Framingham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 91
Sex M

91 year old Huiman Ping was struck and killed by an unidentified 62 year old driver of a Honda Civic on Normandy Road in Framingham. The MetroWest Daily News reported that the Framingham Police said the driver from Holliston remained at the scene after the crash. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. Framingham has a default speed limit of 25 mph.

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).

Cambridge Street signals walk

Cambridge Street signals walk

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Recently, Brendan Kearney and Wendy Landman joined the Boston Transportation Department’s Stefanie Seskin and Vineet Gupta for a walk down Cambridge Street from City Hall Plaza to Charles Circle (but not including the Circle) to talk everything signals. It was a great chance for WalkBoston to give Stefanie and Vineet some detailed input about the way a number of intersections work (or don’t work) for people on foot. There are a wide variety of intersection types, some that are very complicated with many turning movements and lots of vehicles, people walking and people on bikes, and others that are very simple T-intersections where the signals could be simplified and much more WALK time added. We’re looking forward to BTD’s next steps in thinking about how to make Cambridge Street work more safely for people walking, biking and driving. We will post again as the project progresses over the next 6 months.

making connections to make Stoneham safer for people walking

making connections to make Stoneham safer for people walking

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Earlier this week, WalkBoston staff facilitated a conversation between Stoneham’s Director of Planning & Community Development and a town resident who had read a recent Boston Globe story (“Together, neighbors can thwart speed demons. Here’s how“). She had reached out to WalkBoston with concerns regarding the lack of pedestrian crossings on the stretch of Main Street between North Border Road and Marble/Summer Streets, which is under MassDOT jurisdiction and signed as part of Massachusetts Route 28. South Elementary School is located on the east side of Main Street near the intersection with Summer Street, and she was concerned about her daughter and her friends being able to safely walk to and from school along this high-speed road. The town’s only public bus route, MBTA Route 132, also serves this section of Main Street and requires passengers to cross the wide stretch of road in order to access their origins and destinations.

The director of planning affirmed the resident’s concerns about pedestrian safety on Main Street, and shared a wish list for safe travel to and from school that had been compiled by parents and staff of the South School. She also discussed the potential for a road diet to be implemented on Main Street, which could tie into current planning efforts for a complete streets strategy in downtown Stoneham. She also informed us that approximately $4.2 million in Federal and State transportation funding has been allocated in the Boston MPO’s FY21-25 Transportation Improvement Plan to upgrade the intersection of Main Street, North Border Road, and Pond Street. For next steps, Stoneham will be reaching out to MassDOT District Four to discuss potential methods to improve pedestrian safety on Main Street in the short term.