Category: Walk Audit

Walk Audit In Worcester’s Green Hill Neighborhood – Report

Walk Audit In Worcester’s Green Hill Neighborhood – Report

On November 2, 2019, WalkBoston conducted a walk audit in the Green Hill Neighborhood of Worcester, MA. The Green Hill Neighborhood association was awarded a Transportation Justice grant from Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) to “reimagine” Lincoln Street from Brittan Square to the Nativity School. As a part of this grant project, Green Hill residents hope to improve the safety and comfort of the walking environment in their neighborhood. The neighborhood association has been working with students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to develop a re-design of Lincoln Street that makes this street a better place for all road users with enhancements that support people walking, biking, and using transit.

The goal of the walk audit was to provide recommendations to
make the Lincoln Street corridor of the Green Hill neighborhood a
safe, comfortable place to walk. The Green Hill Neighborhood
walk audit was conducted along Lincoln Street from Harlow Street
to Catharine Street. This route was selected by the group for the
focus of this walk audit due to recent pedestrian-involved crashes
on this section of the corridor. Future plans of the Green Hill
Neighborhood Association may include additional walk audits
north on Lincoln Street to Brittan Square and around the Nativity
School.

To learn more about this walk audit you can read the report here:

WalkBoston – Worcester Green Hill walk audit report FINAL

Walk Audit in Worcester’s Green Hill Neighborhood

Walk Audit in Worcester’s Green Hill Neighborhood

On Saturday November 2nd, WalkBoston conducted a walk audit along Lincoln Street in Worcester with the Green Hill Neighborhood Association and WalkBike Worcester. The Green Hill Neighborhood Association was awarded a Transportation Justice grant from Transportation for Massachusetts to “reimagine” Lincoln Street from Brittan Square to the Nativity School. Walk audit participants included residents of the Green Hill neighborhood, members of WalkBike Worcester, Worcester Division of Public Health – Mass in Motion staff, Central Mass Regional Planning Commission, and students from WPI. Following three recent pedestrian fatalities in the neighborhood, Green Hill residents have been organizing to make Lincoln Street a safe place to walk. The Green Hill neighborhood is a diverse, vibrant community with a 480 acre public park and many local businesses along Lincoln Street. WalkBoston was excited to conduct this walk audit to support the residents’ efforts to improve the walkability of their neighborhood.

For more information follow the links below:
T4MA Transportation Justice
WalkBike Worcester
Telegram & Gazette news article about the walk audit 

Walking around the Woburn Common

Walking around the Woburn Common

WalkBoston participated in a MassDOT Road Safety Audit yesterday around the Woburn Common. Few pedestrians venture to the beautiful common due to the long crossing distances, complicated vehicular turning movements, and unpredictable driver behavior. Drivers, focused on maneuvering through multiple lanes of traffic, often neglect to check the crosswalks for people walking before accelerating into their lane. The group talked about short-, mid-, and long-term improvements to make the area safer for all road users. Plans are in the works to totally rethink the way people move around the common.

Route 114 in Salem – Painted roundabouts at work!

Route 114 in Salem – Painted roundabouts at work!

We visited Salem to scout out WalkBoston’s next walk audit route and were thrilled to see big changes along a previous walk audit route. Drivers used to use a “barge and block” strategy to enter the Route 114 (Summer Street/Norman Street) and Chestnut Street intersection. Now, a painted traffic circle regularizes drivers’ movements and provides crosswalks, flex posts and signage for people walking between the historic district and downtown.  WalkBoston would love to hear how the new design is making all road users safer! Check out our 2014 walk audit report for the recommendations proposed for this intersection.

Egremont Walk Audit – Age-Friendly Walking

Egremont Walk Audit – Age-Friendly Walking

On Friday, August 23, 2019, WalkBoston conducted a walk audit in Egremont, MA along State Route 23/41, which serves as the Main Street of the South Egremont Village Center. MassDOT and members of the town are currently in the planning phase for a redesign of SR 23/41 to make the village center safer for all modes of transportation, including walking and biking. This walk audit was completed as part of WalkBoston’s Age-Friendly Walking initiative, which is a three year, statewide initiative to improve walking conditions in Massachusetts for people of all ages through policy implementation and built environment change.