Category: Walk Audit

WalkBoston and Consult LeLa team up for Blue Hill Ave youth workshop

WalkBoston and Consult LeLa team up for Blue Hill Ave youth workshop

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Consult LeLa, a consulting group dedicated to encouraging youth involvement in municipal planning processes, partnered with WalkBoston to lead a workshop series on walkability and equitable transit infrastructure, and conduct a walk audit on Blue Hill Ave in Mattapan Square. The goal was to encourage community involvement in the redesign of Blue Hill Ave that will expand transit, walking, and biking access. The workshops also focused on planning community events and presenting community findings and feedback to City of Boston staff.

On Wednesday, August 3, WalkBoston and Consult LeLa members led a walk audit for participants in the Blue Hill Ave Youth Workshop. Staff and participants walked a half mile from Mattapan Square towards the library, noting any key concerns about pedestrian and transit infrastructure. Key points of discussion included: extreme heat, lack of shade, high speed traffic, need for trash receptacles, and desire for bike lanes or biking infrastructure. 

Ish, one of the students involved in the Youth Engagement Committee with Consult LeLa, presented the data collected from this walk audit to City of Boston staff on Friday, August 26, 2022. On a day in Mattapan when the air temperature was 80 degrees, the surface temperature of a bus stop bench was 105 degrees & a sidewalk with no shade was 116 degrees. The surface temperature of a shady sidewalk under a tree was significantly lower: 92 degrees.

They also plan to share their concerns with other youth in the area by creating educational content to be shared on social media. We truly enjoyed working with Consult LeLa and the youth advocates and hope our partnership continues!

Plainfield Walk Audit

Plainfield Walk Audit

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The Hilltowns CDC, together with Healthy Hampshire and WalkBoston, are leading a 5-year grant project to promote Age-Friendly Walkability in the Hilltowns Town Centers. Together with community residents and leaders, the team will be conducting a series of walk audits in partnering Hilltowns. The goal of these walk audits is to identify infrastructure improvements and policy changes to make town-center walking safer and more enjoyable for people of all ages in the Hilltowns. The Town of Plainfield is one of the partnering communities in this grant project.

Read the full report here.

Westhampton Walk Audit

Westhampton Walk Audit

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The Hilltowns CDC, together with Healthy Hampshire and WalkBoston, are leading a 5-year grant project to promote Age-Friendly Walkability in the Hilltowns Town Centers. Together with community residents and leaders, the team will be conducting a series of walk audits in partnering Hilltowns. The goal of these walk audits is to identify infrastructure improvements and policy changes to make town-center walking safer and more enjoyable for people of all ages in the Hilltowns. The Town of Westhampton is one of the partnering communities in this grant project.

Read the full report here.

Training the Trainers

Training the Trainers

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Walk Audit Participants walk along Woodbury Street
Walk Audit Participants walk along Woodbury Street
On July 20th, WalkBoston led a walk audit in Worcester for a group of travel trainers from Worcester, New Bedford, Lawrence and Boston, along with staff from the EOHHS Human Service Transportation Center and the Easterseals National Center for Mobility Management. Travel trainers assist people with a variety of disabilities with navigating transit systems and identifying safe routes to employment, education, shopping and civic activities. WalkBoston first met with the travel trainers several months ago for a virtual Ped 101 training session that introduced them to the key elements of a safe and comfortable walking environment. The Worcester walk audit was specifically designed to help the travel trainers learn how to work with their transportation and human services agencies to improve the built environment in the communities they serve to make it safer and easier for their clients to walk to and from transit.
Among the points of lively discussion were:
  • Inexpensive and “easy” fixes such as minor sidewalk repair and trimming of vegetation that blocks sidewalks;
  • Operational changes such as finding safer locations for bus stops and improving snow shoveling of sidewalks, transit stops, and parking lots;
  • Moderate cost capital projects like installation of new crosswalks with ADA compliant curb ramps and detectable warning panels;
  • More complex projects – like road diets – to slow traffic and create safe crossings on busy roads.
The travel trainers lent their expertise in transit operations, discussed the safety (and lack thereof) of walking in parking lots, and shared challenges of finding walking routes that are safe for their wide variety of clients with different accessibility needs, such as routes that are safe for people with vision loss, using wheelchairs, and with cognitive disabilities. WalkBoston is looking forward to continuing our work with the travel training community, and bringing their deep compassion for the lived experience of their clients into our advocacy. Our work with the travel trainers is supported by an Age-Friendly Walking grant funded by Point32Health.
Creating Connections in Plainfield

Creating Connections in Plainfield

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Walk Audit Participants walk towards the intersection of Main Street and Central Street

On Tuesday, July 5th, WalkBoston led a walk audit in the town of Plainfield, MA and were joined by 11 community members, including members of the local walking group, the planning board, the highway department, the police department, and other town organizations. The walk audit took place along the stretch of Route 116 between Plainfield’s Union St and Central St, including the bounding intersections. Prior to the walk audit, WalkBoston led a virtual Ped101 session that offered introductory knowledge on rural walkability, its importance, and various examples of interventions used to improve the pedestrian experience in rural communities.

Plainfield residents hope to improve pedestrian safety in the town center. As is the case with many rural towns, Plainfield’s Main St happens to be a highway used by large freight trucks. Additionally, limited sight lines due to the geography of the area make it difficult for pedestrians to look out for oncoming traffic. To mitigate these concerns, residents are interested in traffic calming measures, a sidewalk, and some crosswalks. These interventions will complement an upcoming village green project–transforming a redundant section of road next to Town Hall and the Congregational Church into a new open space for community gatherings. WalkBoston will soon publish a summary report of the walk audit, offering recommendations to the town for infrastructure improvements and funding opportunities. Plainfield can use these recommendations to make adjustments that support and encourage walking for those of all ages and abilities. 

The Hilltown CDC, together with Healthy Hampshire and WalkBoston, are leading a 5-year grant project to promote Age-Friendly Walkability in the Hilltowns Village Centers, funded by the Dept. of Public Health’s Healthy Aging Fund. In partnership with community residents and leaders, the team will be conducting a series of walk audits in partnering Hilltowns villages. The goal of these walk audits is to identify infrastructure improvements and policy changes to make village center walking safe and enjoyable for people of all ages in the Hilltowns. The Town of Plainfield is one of the partnering communities in this grant project.