Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Awareness and Enforcement Program Archives

Green Elementary School Walk Assessment

On May 10, 2017, WalkBoston conducted a walk assessment in the vicinity of the William S. Greene Elementary School in Fall River, in partnership with the Fall River Mass in Motion program and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The goals of the walk assessment were to examine pedestrian safety issues that may preclude children from walking to the Greene School and to recommend improvements to the local built environment that enable safer walking. Support for the walk assessment was provided by MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Enforcement and Awareness Program.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-GreeneElementarySchoolWalkAssessmentUPDATED 06-23-17-FallRiver

Acushnet Avenue Walk Assessment

The Acushnet Avenue neighborhood walk assessment supplements the great efforts of the Love the Ave initiative, facilitated by the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, and the recent City of New Bedford’s road safety improvements in the neighborhood. WalkBoston connected with the Love the Ave initiative after a MassDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Enforcement and Awareness Program follow-up meeting. The Community Economic Development Center (CEDC), a community stakeholder and member of the Love the Ave initiative, hosted a meeting to discuss the value of a walk assessment to increase pedestrian safety in the neighborhood, particularly along Belleville Avenue, which separates residential districts from Riverside Park.

Read the full report:
WalkBoston-AcushnetAvenueWalkAssessmentFinal-NewBedford

Letter of Support for Belchertown’s Reconstruction of Maple and State Street: Project Need

Mr. Richard J. Masse, P.E.
Acting District Highway Director
811 North King St. Northampton, MA 01016

October 15, 2015

Dear Mr. Masse,

I am writing to express my support for Belchertown’s Project Need Form for the reconstruction of Maple Street and State Street. I am the Program Director at WalkBoston, a state-wide non-profit working to create more pedestrian-friendly communities across Massachusetts. We provide technical assistance to municipalities in partnership with MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Awareness and Enforcement program, as well as the Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion program to promote physical activity and healthy living. We are proud to work closely with our partner and Mass in Motion grantee Healthy Hampshire to support efforts to make Belchertown more walkable.

On May 1, 2015, in partnership with Healthy Hampshire, WalkBoston conducted a walk audit of the Route 202 corridor along Maple Street and State Street to assess existing pedestrian conditions and identify potential infrastructure improvements. Eighteen Belchertown residents, as well as municipal staff from the Planning Department and Conservation Commission, attended the walk audit. The audit found a number of barriers to walking along the Route 202 corridor, including a lack of continuous sidewalks on both sides of the road, a lack of pedestrian safety facilities such as signage, pedestrian lights, raised crosswalks and detectable warning strips, and overly long crosswalks.

The pending redevelopment of the Belchertown state school on Route 202 presents a powerful opportunity to incorporate more pedestrian-friendly designs and infrastructure into this important corridor. Traffic calming techniques, continuous sidewalks and/or off-road paved paths, beautification of public spaces, and better connectivity to local trail networks will all improve the walking environment in Belchertown. Implementing these measures will enhance Belchertown residents’ access to their homes, businesses, schools and social services, as well as future economic opportunities from the state school redevelopment.

Thank you for your timely consideration of these issues. WalkBoston looks forward to working with you to advance active transportation and safe walking in Belchertown.

Sincerely,

Stacey Beuttell
Program Director, WalkBoston

Newton Walk Assessment

WalkBoston working with Toole Design Group (TDG) led a walk assessment in Newton , Massachusetts on Monday , November 24 , 2014. The assessment is part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT ) Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Awareness and Enforcement Program, funded by the Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), in association with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health . The MassDOT program is a collaboration among Federal, State, regional, and local agencies, along with advocacy groups, MassBike and WalkBoston, to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety in identified high – crash areas.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-WalkAssessment-Newton

Walk Assessment Watertown

WalkBoston worked with the Town of Watertown staff and police to identify the assessment study area where pedestrian deficiencies are present. Irving Street was not among the enforcement locations monitored by the Watertown police as part of MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Awareness and Enforcement Program. However, in thinking through areas of the Town that are in need of improvements which had yet to be studied in detail, Town staff chose Irving Street as their preferred assessment location. The Irving Street corridor functions as a cut-through for drivers accessing North Beacon Street and Charles River Road. There are few streets that connect through the residential neighborhood to the Charles River. In addition, the location of the assessment was in close proximity to the Perkins School for the Blind and allowed for their participation. This was a great partnership and opportunity to share knowledge and raise awareness of their needs to increase walkability. As a result, Irving Street carries significant volumes of traffic for a relatively narrow, residential street. Watertown staff members are interested in implementing traffic calming strategies, as well as addressing the pedestrian infrastructure needs of this corridor.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-WalkAssessmentFinal-Watertown