Category: Announcement

Announcing our honorary committee for Oct 2nd!

Announcing our honorary committee for Oct 2nd!

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Next month’s event, “Walk with Us: A Celebration of Leadership” would not be possible without the support of our honorary committee. Thank you for your commitment to WalkBoston’s mission.

What: “Walk with Us: A Celebration of Leadership”
When: October 2, 2019 6-8PM
Where: Society of Arts and Crafts, 100 Pier Four Boulevard #200, Boston, MA 02210
Cost: $150 – Beer, wine + food included with ticket

HONORARY COMMITTEE

Monica Bharel, MD, MPH
Commissioner/Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health
Timothy Brennan
Executive Director/Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Nora Moreno Cargie
President/Tufts Health Plan Foundation
Robin Chase
Transportation Entrepreneur
Michael Dukakis
Former Governor/Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Paul Grogan/Golden Shoe Winner, 2008
President and CEO/The Boston Foundation
Joyce King
Activist, Educator
Mel King
Politician, Community Organizer
Kate Kraft
Executive Director/America Walks
Gail Latimore
Executive Director/Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
Eric P. Lesser
Senator/First Hampden & Hampshire District, Massachusetts
Liz Levin/Golden Shoe Winner, 2009
President (retired)/Liz Levin & Company
Jesse Mermell
President/The Alliance for Business Leadership
Tony Pangaro
Principal (retired)/Millennium Partners-Boston
Stephanie Pollack/Golden Shoe Winner, 2018
Secretary and CEO/MassDOT
Fred Salvucci
Former Secretary of Transportation/Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Rosemarie E. Sansone
President & CEO/The Downtown Boston BID
Jeff Speck/Golden Shoe Winner, 2018
Principal/Speck & Associates
Martin J. Walsh
Mayor/City of Boston
Michelle Wu/Golden Shoe Winner, 2017
Boston City Councilor, At-large

What a difference a walk can make!

What a difference a walk can make!

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WalkBoston was joined by Interim Boston Transportation Commissioner, Greg Rooney; Chief of Streets Chris Osgood; and BTD Director of Planning Vineet Gupta for a “traffic signals walk” on August 1. The first impacts of the walk are now visible!

The misleading and incorrectly timed traffic signal at the intersection of Milk and Washington Streets has been replaced with a much more appropriate flashing Red Light. This means that all the traffic (of which there is not very much) will stop and yield to the (many) pedestrians crossing the street. We want to thank BTD for this fix, and look forward to many more fixes in the coming months. WalkBoston will continue working to improve traffic signals for pedestrians across the City and beyond.

Belmont: Peer Review of Complete Streets Prioritization Plan Project List

Belmont: Peer Review of Complete Streets Prioritization Plan Project List

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In August 2019, WalkBoston conducted a peer review of the Town of Belmont’s Complete Streets Prioritization Plan (CSPP) Project List at the request of the Town Administrator’s Office. We reviewed the proposed recommendations, observed pedestrian and vehicular traffic patterns, and noted any possible additional fixes that could be made to further improve the walking environment. The memorandum linked below summarizes our understanding of the goals of the project list, describes our project review methodology, and summarizes our findings and recommendations from our site walks. It also includes a map showing the routes we walked to reach each proposed project location. Finally, the table below includes detailed comments about each proposed project location.

Downtown Boston “signals walk” with Boston Transportation Department

Downtown Boston “signals walk” with Boston Transportation Department

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WalkBoston took a downtown Boston “signals walk” with Boston Chief of Streets Chris Osgood, Acting Transportation Commissioner Greg Rooney and Boston Transportation Department Chief Planner Vineet Gupta on August 1st. We looked at several pedestrian-filled downtown Boston intersections and discussed the many ways in which Boston’s traffic signals are not yet fulfilling the policies outlined in GoBoston 2030 such as: making “walk-signals intuitive and giving people walking a head start,” or “shortening wait times at crossings and make signals adapt in real time to pedestrian behavior and flows.” (Check out page 140 for Pedestrian-First Traffic Signals.)

At 9 AM, during heavy commuting hours for walkers and T riders, the crosswalk across Cambridge Street in front of the Government Center T Station required pedestrians to wait 90 seconds to get a WALK signal. We also looked at several intersections where STOP signs would provide better service for both walkers and drivers – such as at Milk Street/Washington Street in front of the Old South Meeting House.

As we have for many years, WalkBoston will continue urging the Boston Transportation Department to fulfill the City’s motto of being “America’s Walking City” by making traffic signals in Boston work better for walkers.

We’re hiring an intern for the fall semester!

We’re hiring an intern for the fall semester!

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WalkBoston interns gain experience in transportation-related planning and design, community engagement, advocacy, and neighborhood revitalization efforts. If you have an interest in learning firsthand how walkability affects community health, civic participation and overall quality of life, then an internship at WalkBoston could be a career-enhancing experience for you.

Tasks include:

  • Assisting with walkability assessments and advocacy training
  • Researching and preparing white papers on transportation-related topics that affect the
    communities WalkBoston serves
  • Representing WalkBoston at community events and public meetings

Interns provide valuable substantive contributions to our work, and have the opportunity to
choose among a variety of projects. This is a paid internship; work study preferred.

Expectations

Interns are expected to work during their scheduled hours – we are flexible and will find a time that works around class schedules. If an intern cannot come to work, then they should notify the office as soon as possible.

Please submit your resume and a cover letter to jobs@walkboston.org