Category: Announcement

MassDOT 2022 Moving Together Conference

MassDOT 2022 Moving Together Conference

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Last week WalkBoston had the opportunity to attend and table at MassDOT’s Moving Together Conference. It was wonderful to be surrounded by colleagues who are as passionate about the possibilities of active transportation and public transportation as the WalkBoston staff is. Walking, alongside bicycling and public transport, encourages better health, a cleaner environment, and more vibrant communities in Massachusetts.

Iolando, Brendan, Althea and Wendy attended workshops and panels, networked with fellow transportation advocates, and shared about WalkBoston’s work while tabling. It was especially great to talk to so many people on November 1st, day one of this year’s Beat the Bay State Challenge, and encourage them to sign up and create teams! 

One panel that stood out to Brendan was “MassTrails – Investments in Trails Across the Commonwealth,” which featured Dan Driscoll and Stella Lensing from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Megan Mello of Kittelson, and Pete Sutton and Kayla Sousa of MassDOT. Officially launched in 2018, the MassTrails Team has recently completed its fourth round of grant awards funding $11.8 million in MassTrails Grants to 81 projects throughout the Commonwealth. The team is seeking to create a cohesive network of trails across Massachusetts; excitingly, Dan Driscoll announced that $40 million was recently appropriated by the Governor for funding the Mystic River bridge crossing and they will be restarting the design process soon! 

Check Out Medford’s New Wayfinding Signs!

Check Out Medford’s New Wayfinding Signs!

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Last month WalkBoston went on a “field trip” to visit the wayfinding signs we helped the City of Medford design and install this past August. Implemented with funding from a MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces grant, the signs represent an easy, low-cost measure that makes Medford more accessible and navigable to pedestrians. As Aateka Shashank writes, 

“As part of the many ways in which cities can encourage travel by foot or bike, wayfinding signage allows pedestrians to make mental maps and visualize their city by connecting sidewalks and footpaths that lead them to their destinations, rather than by the automobile-oriented street signs.”

Following a team lunch, all members of the WalkBoston staff plus Board Member Nina Garfinkle, who designed the signs, followed a route that began in Medford Square.
    
We then walked to the Footbridge over the Mystic River, crossing it and taking the River Path. This part of the walk was beautifully scenic and peaceful.
    

We passed the Condon Shell Bandstand with its beautiful mural depicting the Mystic River. (The Mystic River is a modified form of the Algonquin name “MissiTuk,” meaning “great tidal river” in reference to the Mystic’s tidal waters.)

We also encountered this rain garden and sidewalk bump out at the corner of Winthrop and South Street. Rain gardens help mitigate flooding and pollution from stormwater runoff by providing a permeable surface for precipitation to be absorbed and filtered. This one has the additional benefit as a piece of traffic calming infrastructure, as it shortens the crossing distance for pedestrians and forces drivers to slow down while turning the corner. This is the type of improvement you’ll soon see in the City of Boston with the new Environmental Standards for Green Infrastructure!


WalkBoston eventually reached a Medford landmark on South Street: “Grandfather’s House,” the one depicted in the famous poem “Over the River and Through the Woods” by Lydia Maria Child.

We saw lovely gardens and wildflowers along the way.
    
WalkBoston also took some time to visit and reflect on the Royall House and Slave Quarters Museum which preserves a 17th century mansion, slave quarters, and the remnants of a 500-acre estate that had been home to the Royall family, “the largest slaveholding family in Massachusetts, and to the more than 60 Africans they’d enslaved. It’s thought to be the only surviving freestanding slave quarters in the northern United States.” Read more about the site here.
    
WalkBoston ended our field trip at Medford City Hall, where we greeted the Office of Planning, Development, & Sustainability that had approached us in making the wayfinding signs a reality. If you come across the signs in Medford, be sure to scan the QR codes to learn more and submit feedback. WalkBoston was grateful for the opportunity to explore Medford on foot and experience its natural beauty, charming streets and rich history.

 

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2022

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

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in July; twelve were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in September 2022. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” Any Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 36 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in September in the MassDOT Crash portal, ten were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in September was 68.8.
  • Three people in their 90s (91, 98, 99) were hit & killed in September.
  • 29 year old Matthew Barker was struck and killed in a parking lot in Cambridge on September 1st at 1:22pm by a man in his 20s operating a box truck registered to a local restaurant. This crash is not included in the federal FARS dataset since it does not meet the NHTSA guideline for FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System). “To be included in FARS, a crash must involve a motor vehicle traveling on a traffic way customarily open to the public, and must result in the death of a vehicle occupant or a nonoccupant within 30 days of the crash.”
Date 9/1/2022, 4:46 AM
Location Centre St. + Columbus Ave.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 39
Sex M

WCVB reports that 39-year old Thomas Ruffen died after Maximo Manzanett ran him over with a Ford Explorer SUV near the Jackson Square MBTA station. Police have charged the driver with murder. From the WCVB story:

Witnesses, including an Orange Line shuttle bus driver, told police Ruffen was on the ground outside the MBTA stop when Mazanett drove up in a brown Ford Explorer SUV. The shuttle bus driver said she got out of her bus and yelled to Mazanett to stop because someone was in the street.

“The driver said, ‘(Expletive) you, I work for the city.’ The driver then drove over the person, dragging the person under the SUV across Columbus Avenue,” according to a Boston police report.

Another witness said she also heard Mazanett yell an expletive before driving over the man.

MACDC shared a post in Thomas Ruffen’s memory, noting his work as an incredibly gifted organizer and community leader in the Mildred C. Hailey community.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this intersection is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction on Ritchie Street leading into the signalized intersection with Columbus Ave and Centre Street. The speed limit is unclear, with one side of Columbus listed as 35mph and the other side listed as 30mph in the database.

Date 9/2/2022, 9:01 PM
Location 1269 Main St.
Town Worcester
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 79
Sex F

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

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction and a painted median divider. There is a sidewalk on each side of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 35mph and 30mph in the database. There is also a School Speed Limit 20mph sign for certain hours.

Date 9/4/2022, 7:50 PM
Location GAR Hwy. + I-195 WEST
Town Swansea
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 32
Sex M

The Boston Globe reports that a 32-year old man was seriously injured after being struck by the driver of a vehicle in Swansea. We could not find any additional news coverage of this incident; the person passed away from the crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction and a painted median divider before the roadway adds another travel lane. There is a sidewalk on each side of the roadway. There are also on/off-ramps for RT-195 at this location with a crosswalk for people continuing along RT-6 / Grand Army of the Republic Highway. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 50mph and 40mph in the database.

Date 9/8/2022, 9:35 AM
Location Morton St. + Selden St.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 91
Sex M

WHDH reports that a 91-year old man was struck and killed by the 62-year old driver of a 2007 BMW SUV. The man had been in the crosswalk attempting to walk across Morton Street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Morton Street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction with one additional turn lane at the intersection. There is a crosswalk at each leg of the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 9/12/2022, 12:12 PM
Location 26 Shawsheen Rd.
Town Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 99
Sex F

The Bedford Citizen reports that 99-year-old Josephine (Iovino) Caporizzo was struck and killed by the driver of a motor vehicle while walking near her home.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on one side of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 30mph and 35mph in the database.

Date 9/16/2022, 1:59 PM
Location 414 Granby Rd.
Town Chicopee
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 48
Sex M

MassLive reports that a 48-year old man was struck and killed by the driver of a dump truck in Chicopee on Friday afternoon, September 16th.

Streetsblog MASS reported in late September that the “Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities” was sent from the Governor back to the legislature with recommendations for changes before it would be signed. This bill as written includes additional regulations for some trucks to include convex and crossover mirrors, backup cameras, and lateral protective devices. 

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a shoulder on each side. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 9/16/2022, 2:58 PM
Location 12 Railroad Ave.
Town Rockport
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 98
Sex F

The Gloucester Times reported that Virginia “Ginny” Hale, age 98 1/2, was struck and killed by the driver of a box truck as she was crossing the street by Cumberland Farms on Railroad Avenue in Rockport. From the article:

Virginia “Ginny” Hale, 98 1/2 — she insisted on the half, said her daughter-in-law — was a daily walker, going out in the mornings and late afternoon and covering miles.

“She would greet people along way and visit the local shops,” said Betsy Hale, her daughter-in-law, adding she never meet a stranger. “She was a positive, loving fashionista. She always dressed up, did her makeup and did her hair to go out.”

A life resident of Rockport, Ginny and her sister, daughters of Swedish immigrants, were brought up by family after her mother died. Her daughter-in-law said her love of beautiful clothes probably started with the outfits her aunts saw that the girls wore. Photos from the 1930s show Ginny wearing suits and gloves when she hopped the train to Boston — she never drove — where she was an office worker.

“She always dressed to the nines,” Betsy Hale said. Many mentioned “Ginny sightings,” describing her outfits, and Betsy Hale said she thrived on the compliments. and she devoured fashion magazines.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is 1 travel lane in each direction, a sidewalk on both sides of the street, and a crosswalk. The speed limit is 25mph.

Date 9/26/2022, 7:52 AM
Location 94 Berkeley St.
Town Lawrence
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 67
Sex F

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

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of each street at the four way stop intersection. There are no painted crosswalks. The speed limit is 20mph.

Date 9/26/2022, 8:47 PM
Location 172 Winter St.
Town Haverhill
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 79
Sex F

Wavelengths/97.9WHAV reports that a 79-year old woman was struck and killed by the driver of a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta on Winter Street near the intersection of Locust Street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of the street. There are crosswalks present at each corner. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 9/28/2022, 7:20 PM
Location 115 SR-28
Town Yarmouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 56
Sex F

The Boston Globe reports that 56-year old Dawn Squires was struck and killed on Route 28 in West Yarmouth by a driver of a truck from New York.

In 2016, Callie Crossley penned a commentary for WGBH titled, “Brought to Light: The Case for Street Lights on Cape Cod. It’s Life and Death“:

I know there are residents who are reluctant to mar the horizon with a string of street lights. Easier to see the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay that Patti Page croons about so sweetly. But, if my unobscured view must be sacrificed to save someone’s life, then so be it.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on each side of the street. (However, the most recent Google Street View image is from 2019, and shows a rolled curb sidewalk on one side of the street; the crash photo from CapeCod.com also does not show a sidewalk on one side of the street.) The speed limit is 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 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).

Worcester Neighborhood Mobility Stroll

Worcester Neighborhood Mobility Stroll

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On Saturday September 24, 2022 WalkBoston participated in a neighborhood mobility stroll organized by the Worcester Accessibility Advisory Commission in the Worcester-Polytechnic Institute neighborhood. Commissioners and resident disability advocates led participants in a taste of navigating city sidewalks blindfolded, or while using a manual wheelchair. Participants included city staff from the Departments of Transportation and Mobility,  Emergency Management and Communication. Other participants included leaders from WalkBike Worcester and students from WPI and Holy Cross working with the Commission on a fall project to increase access and awareness of public spaces for all residents. The Commission partnered with NuMotion and ReEquipment for the loan of the wheelchairs for Saturday’s event.

The Accessibility Advisory Commission educates and advocates for greater accessibility and universal design. Universal design refers to the process of creating environments and products that are accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics. As it pertains to sidewalks and street crossings, increasing access means usability for everyone regardless of age or ability, including children, older adults, parents with strollers. The Commission uses mobility walks to educate local leaders and residents about some of the challenges faced by persons with different abilities navigating city streets in Worcester.

Wendy Landman, WalkBoston Senior Policy Advisor, participated in the stroll and found the experience enlightening as well as challenging both physically and emotionally. She said that, “our streets and sidewalks are truly barrier-full when traveling in a wheelchair or navigating with a white-cane (even when assisted by a trained guide!). A walk that is usually easy and quick for me became hard work, slow and disorienting. The walk gave me a deeper, more visceral understanding of the importance of fully accessible streets and sidewalks.”

WalkBoston’s participation in the Mobility Stroll was supported by an Age-Friendly Walking grant funded by Point32Health.

Leadership Update at WalkBoston

Leadership Update at WalkBoston

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Dear Friends,

After nearly a decade of dedication to WalkBoston, and three transformative years leading us through the COVID-19 pandemic, our transition to a hybrid workplace, and the development of a new strategic plan, our Executive Director Stacey Beuttell will depart later this fall to become the Senior Director of the Nature in the City Program for Mass Audubon. Although this is a bittersweet goodbye, we are delighted for her next chapter and look forward to watching her continue to make Massachusetts more livable, vibrant, and green for everyone. Stacey’s last day will be October 14th.

Stacey Beuttell speaks to attendees at the Bob Sloane Walk in Brookline in June 2022.
Stacey Beuttell speaks to attendees at the Bob Sloane Walk in Brookline in June 2022.

The organization will be co-led on an interim basis by Deputy Director of Operations Althea Wong-Achorn and Deputy Director of Advocacy Brendan Kearney. Together, Althea and Brendan bring the necessary skills, expertise, and clarity of vision to move us forward. Over the last year, both took part in shaping the new strategic plan alongside the board. They will ably guide WalkBoston’s efforts in the months ahead.

As WalkBoston launches our new strategic plan, we’re looking forward to what comes next as a statewide organization. We believe in the way walkable places foster community spirit, vibrancy, and health. Our advocacy is locally driven and resident-empowering, and we embrace an inclusive definition of walkability that accounts for the lived experiences of all people no matter their race, identity, age, or ability. We prioritize working in places that have experienced historic disinvestment. Above all else, WalkBoston never works alone: we partner with community members, local non-profits, municipal and state agency staff, and elected officials to achieve common goals.

Our next Executive Director will be someone who is looking for an opportunity to lead a trusted organization that is poised for growth. They will embrace our mission of making walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment, and more vibrant communities. The WalkBoston board is in the process of hiring an outside consultant who will lead a nationwide search for the role. We will be sharing more information about that process in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your continued support.

Regards,

Betsy Johnson
WalkBoston Board President