Chelsea – Page 3 – WalkMassachusetts

Downtown Chelsea and Surroundings Walking Map

By WalkMassachusetts | January 1, 2018

An unexpected delight, Chelsea offers a glorious setting, restored downtown, civic center, and hilly views of the harbor and downtown skyline. Looming over the city is the Tobin Bridge–a dramatic landmark that is stunning seen from below. The bridge and harbor setting highlight Chelsea’s traditional role as a gateway into Boston.

Chelsea fronts on Boston Harbor, at the merging of two rivers–the Mystic and Chelsea Creek. This location has made it a natural way for products and people traveling into Boston. As the metro area has grown, Chelsea has been a welcome haven for immigrants, providing inexpensive housing, ample job opportunities, and supportive social services.

This walk covers Chelsea end to end, ranging from Admiral Hill to Powderhorn Hill, both capped by old military hospitals. Along the way you will see a dynamic city, always open to diversity. Look for the influence of ethnic traditions on the street life, restaurants, and shops in this small gateway to Boston.

Click for WalkBoston’s Downtown Chelsea and Surroundings Walking Map on Google Maps

Chelsea Complete Streets Support Letter

By WalkMassachusetts | December 4, 2017

December 4, 2017

Chelsea City Council
500 Broadway
Chelsea, MA 02150

RE: WalkBoston support for Chelsea Complete Streets Resolution and Policy

Dear Councilors:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Chelsea’s Complete Streets Resolution and Policy. As a statewide pedestrian advocacy organization working to make Massachusetts more walkable, WalkBoston enthusiastically supports this policy and encourages the Subcommittee and then the full City Council to pass it.

WalkBoston is deeply committed to safer streets in Chelsea, where we have had the privilege of working for several years now. In the past year we have conducted walk assessments in the Sector 4 and Park Square neighborhoods, working collaboratively with city departments, local residents, community organizations, and state agencies to recommend pedestrian safety improvements. (Copies of these walk assessment reports are included with this letter.) Such Complete Streets concepts are already informing the City’s Re-imagining Broadway initiative, and formalizing the policy order will ensure that this great progress continues.

The needs and opportunities around Complete Streets in Chelsea are great. The City was ranked as the top pedestrian crash cluster in the entire state for 2005-2014, highlighting the urgent need for safety improvements. The Re-imagining Broadway initiative, the forthcoming Silver Line Gateway, and ongoing urban revitalization efforts all present opportunities to create safe walking, biking and transit connections. More Complete Streets that accommodate all road users will bring substantial health, safety and economic benefits to Chelsea residents. The City Council has already taken a great step towards increased safety by reducing the default speed limit in Chelsea to 25 miles per hour, and adopting a Complete Streets framework will ensure that roadway designs help accomplish this objective.

To date 142 cities and towns all over Massachusetts have adopted Complete Streets policies, including dense urban municipalities near Chelsea like Cambridge, Somerville and Everett. These communities are pursuing innovative measures like protected bike lanes, painted curb extensions, and dedicated bus lanes to enhance mobility and connectivity for their residents.
WalkBoston encourages the City of Chelsea to follow suit, and we look forward to our continued work here to help advance Complete Streets that work for everyone.

Sincerely,

Adi Nochur
Project Manager

Chelsea Park Square Walk Audit

By WalkMassachusetts | September 7, 2017

On September 7, 2017, WalkBoston conducted a walk assessment in the Park Square area of downtown Chelsea, with support from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS). The goal of the walk assessment was to recommend improvements to the local built environment that improve pedestrian safety.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-WalkAudit-ChelseaParkSquare-Chelsea

Chelsea Sector 4 Walk Audit

By WalkMassachusetts | May 31, 2017

On May 31, 2017, WalkBoston conducted a walk assessment in the Sector 4 area of downtown Chelsea, with support from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion program. Chelsea is undergoing a wave of urban revitalization, yet long-standing community concerns about crime and public safety persist, and many poorly designed intersections create dangerous conditions for people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving. The goals of the walk assessment were to examine these issues related to public and traffic safety and to recommend improvements to the local built environment that create safer walking conditions for everyone. Participants included staff from WalkBoston and The Neighborhood Developers, Chelsea Police officers, and members of the Sector 4 Community Action Team and the Youth Opportunity Task Force.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston – Chelsea Sector 4 Walk Audit Report

Front Page of the Globe – “How Dangerous, No One Knows” highlights gaps in Boston crash data

By WalkMassachusetts | August 19, 2014

This article was featured on the front page of the Boston Globe, Tuesday, 8/19/2014 – click here for the full story

By not reporting crashes to the state, [Boston] may have missed out on grants and programs such as an innovative MassDOT effort to improve enforcement, awareness, and infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Announced in April, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Awareness and Enforcement Program will share about a half-million dollars to help 12 communities around the state pay for stepped-up enforcement and awareness campaigns such as training for the public and police.

Landman and WalkBoston have been participating in walking audits in high-crash areas like Fall River and Chelsea. That information, along with feedback from the program’s enforcement component, will help to identify hazards, with the state helping to make infrastructure improvements in the future.

“Understanding what’s going on is important before you come up with solutions,” Landman said.

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