Tag: Adi Nochur

WalkBoston testimony on traffic calming in Somerville

WalkBoston testimony on traffic calming in Somerville

Below is a written version of WalkBoston’s comments on traffic calming in Somerville, which Adi Nochur delivered verbally at the Council hearing on Wednesday, April 3.

April 3, 2019
Somerville City Council
City Hall
93 Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02143

RE: WalkBoston comments on traffic calming in Somerville

To the Somerville City Council,

My name is Adi Nochur and I am testifying before you as an East Somerville resident and a member of Somerville’s Vision Zero Task Force. I am also commenting as a Project Manager at WalkBoston, a statewide pedestrian advocacy organization. WalkBoston is a signatory to the traffic calming petition that spurred today’s Council hearing.

I want to briefly comment on three issues, as follows:

  1. Speed Limits: WalkBoston supports efforts to reduce speed limits on residential streets in Somerville to 20 miles per hour. Achieving this goal is a fundamental issue of roadway design. WalkBoston also supports state legislative efforts to align speed limits on MassDOT and DCR roadways with local speed limits (H.3092/S.2042). As an illustrative example, we know high traffic speeds are an ongoing concern on Route 16/Alewife Brook Parkway.
  2. Equitable Enforcement: Data gathering is critical to ensure equity in traffic enforcement. Concerns over racial profiling are front and center in the current state legislative debate over hands-free/distracted driving legislation and local enforcement efforts also need to demonstrate sensitivity to these issues. State legislation that would enable automated enforcement (S.1376) can be part of a potential solution here.
  3. Concurrent Signalization: WalkBoston supports concurrent pedestrian signalization with a leading pedestrian interval at most signalized intersections. Our stance on this issue is further detailed in a letter we submitted to Mayor Curtatone on March 29, which is included as an attachment to these comments.

Thank you for your consideration of these issues. WalkBoston looks forward to continuing to work with the City Council to help Somerville achieve its Vision Zero goals.

Sincerely,
Adi Nochur
Project Manager

Cc: Mayor Joe Curtatone
Brad Rawson, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure

One minute, one slide: March 2019 Presentations

One minute, one slide: March 2019 Presentations

Below are the “One Minute, One Slide” presentations shared by members of the WalkBoston staff at the March 18, 2019 Annual Celebration.

Joey Santana – Introduction

Adi Nochur – Age-Friendly Walking in Boston and beyond

Dorothea Hass – Safe Walking for Healthy and Connected Lives

Brendan Kearney – Language defines a story

Stacey Beuttell – Walkable school campuses

Bob Sloane – I-90: #UnchokeTheThroat was just the beginning

One Minute, One Slide: Age-Friendly Walking in Boston

One Minute, One Slide: Age-Friendly Walking in Boston

Below is a “One Minute, One Slide” presentation shared by a member of the WalkBoston staff.
Text provided is as prepared for this year’s annual event on March 18, 2019.

Adi Nochur

With support from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation (THPF) and the Massachusetts Councils on Aging (MCOA), WalkBoston has been working on Age-Friendly Walking in the City of Boston to promote safe and comfortable walking for seniors — and by extension everyone. Thanks so much to our partners from the Age-Strong Commission (formerly the Elderly Commission), Boston Transportation Department, Public Works Department and other agencies!

Here we have a fantastic group of “Older and Bolder” seniors rallying for crosswalk safety in Grove Hall. We have now seen pedestrian safety improvements installed at this location, as well as other neighborhoods throughout the city.

We’ve also changed policy at a city level. Thanks to our efforts the City of Boston has committed $90,000 in capital funding for 45 benches, and we look forward to seeing them installed citywide this year.

With a new grant from THPF and MCOA, we’re now taking our work on Age-Friendly Walking statewide. We plan to work in five communities, with a focus on high-need Gateway Cities and rural areas. Stay tuned for more on Age-Friendly Walking: coming soon to a community near you!

Boston.com – “Should the Boston speed limit be 20 mph? Some say things need to change to make the city’s streets safer.”

Boston.com – “Should the Boston speed limit be 20 mph? Some say things need to change to make the city’s streets safer.”

Boston dot com: “Should the Boston speed limit be 20 mph? Some say things need to change to make the city’s streets safer.”

Among several residents and associations who spoke before councilors, Adi Nochur, project manager for WalkBoston, which works to make walking easier and safer in the state, said the proposed speed limit change is essentially about street design.

“It is about traffic calming, and it’s a fundamental matter of equity as well — how do we make sure all neighborhoods get traffic calming and how are we prioritizing areas that have been historically underinvested?” he said.

Posted November 13, 2018