Category: In The News

Streetsblog Mass: Safe Streets Advocacy Groups Join Growing Movement to Cut Police Spending

Streetsblog Mass: Safe Streets Advocacy Groups Join Growing Movement to Cut Police Spending

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Streetsblog Mass: “Safe Streets Advocacy Groups Join Growing Movement to Cut Police Spending”

“In a letter sent yesterday to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, three large advocacy groups for safer streets – the LivableStreets Alliance, Boston Cyclists Union, and WalkBoston – called on the City of Boston to remove the Boston Police Department (BPD) from the city’s Vision Zero Task Force, reduce the BPD’s annual budget, and ‘reallocate resources for social programs designed to strengthen communities​.'”

Streetsblog Mass: MassDOT Begins Reexamining Deadly Speed Limit Policies

Streetsblog Mass: MassDOT Begins Reexamining Deadly Speed Limit Policies

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Streetsblog Mass: “MassDOT Begins Reexamining Deadly Speed Limit Policies”

“We often hear from residents and advocates that want to lower speed limits, and they ask us, ‘what’s the process?’ And we tell them, ‘honestly, if you do a speed study, they may actually raise the speed limit,'” said Beuttell. “Speed studies rule the day, and they shouldn’t. It should be context-specific. If there’s a school, or heavy foot traffic, or seniors living nearby, all that should be taken into consideration.”

MassDOT Blog – MassDOT on April Roadway Fatal Crashes: Drivers Urged to Slow Down

MassDOT Blog – MassDOT on April Roadway Fatal Crashes: Drivers Urged to Slow Down

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MassDOT Blog: “MassDOT on April Roadway Fatal Crashes: Drivers Urged to Slow Down”

Stacey Beuttell, Executive Director of WalkBoston, added, “With the stay-at-home advisory still in place, everyone should expect to see more neighbors walking, rolling, or running in the street as they try to maintain six feet of physical distance on narrow sidewalks. If you are driving, be prepared to yield to people walking and drive slowly. Empty streets are not a license to drive faster. Please consider every street a shared street and stay safe.”

MassDOT’s public education program, “Scan the Street for Wheels and Feet,” underscores the need for greater awareness on the road…MassDOT has been pleased to work collaboratively on this public safety initiative with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston Vision Zero, WalkBoston, MassBike, and the Safe Roads Alliance.

This important story has been covered in a number of news outlets:

Boston Magazine: Now, and After the Pandemic, Boston’s Streets Need a Fresh Look

Boston Magazine: Now, and After the Pandemic, Boston’s Streets Need a Fresh Look

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Boston Magazine: “Now, and After the Pandemic, Boston’s Streets Need a Fresh Look”

“This crisis has really given everyone a new sense of what public space means and how it should be used,” says Stacey Buettell, executive director of the advocacy group WalkBoston. “I’m guessing people probably didn’t think about the fact that sidewalks are typically only 5 feet wide” before all of this.

Streetsblog Mass: “Plans For Somerville’s Deadliest Intersection Make Little Effort To Tame Violent Driving”

Streetsblog Mass: “Plans For Somerville’s Deadliest Intersection Make Little Effort To Tame Violent Driving”

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Streetsblog Mass: “Plans For Somerville’s Deadliest Intersection Make Little Effort To Tame Violent Driving”

Brendan Kearney of WalkBoston, who participated in the 2017 safety audit, said that “speed is a huge issue. I love the idea of putting in raised crosswalks.”