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Springfield Built Environment Study – Fall 2019

Between April 2013 to September 2017, WalkBoston conducted twelve walk audits in Springfield, Massachusetts. Seven of these walk audits were conducted around public schools as part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion (MiM) program. The other five were neighborhood walk audits funded through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS). After each walk audit, WalkBoston created and shared a report assessing safety, accessibility and comfort for people walking in these areas, and included short- and long-term suggestions for how the City of Springfield could make improvements along these walking routes. This study tracks the progress of WalkBoston’s recommendations in subsequent years, seeking to understand which factors made the City more likely to implement recommendations. The purpose of this study is to assess how WalkBoston can direct its efforts and project the success of different types of recommendations.

SpringfieldWalkingEnvironmentEvaluationFall2019

Belmont: Peer Review of Complete Streets Prioritization Plan Project List

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.

Sampan News: “Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition Releases Third Boston Vision Zero Progress Report”

“The investments made last year were a significant first step. However, in order for these resources to be used as effectively as possible, we would like to see increased cohesion across and within all departments relevant to Vision Zero,” said WalkBoston Executive Director Wendy Landman. “With the impending departure of the Transportation Commissioner and the Public Works commissioner position still vacant, now is the time to more fully integrate the operations and policies of the Public Works and Transportation Departments.”

Posted April 18, 2019

Wayfinding report

Our experience shows that wayfinding projects can be adapted to meet the needs of diverse communities at different scales. Follow-up evaluation surveys we conducted in Turners Falls and Fall River suggest that wayfinding signs are a highly visible and tangible measure that can catalyze community interest in walking.

Codman Square (Dorchester/Boston)
Downtown Boston
Springfield
Fall River
Montague (Turners Falls)
Northampton
Belchertown

To learn more about these projects and our methodology for implementation, download our summary wayfinding report.

Read the full report:
WalkBoston-WayfindingSummaryReport

Check out our new report – “Walk to school? But how do I find the front door? Strategies for improving pedestrian safety through walkable campus design.” (Click for instructions to download PDF).

Walking rarely enters the conversation when new schools are planned. In fact, the regulatory and approval
processes focus on facilitating bus and automobile access to schools, and ensuring that there is sufficient
parking. Public meetings are usually dominated by those who complain about traffic volumes or inadequate
parking – not by those who seek a safe walking route to school. It happens in wealthy communities and low-
income communities alike. In most cases, it’s not that drivers are given priority over walkers, it’s that nobody
is thinking about walking. And that needs to change.

This report was prepared by WalkBoston for Mass in Motion, an initiative of the MA Department of Public Health.

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