Tag: heat

Help MassBike & WalkMass evaluate heat stress in Chelsea, Everett, Framingham, and Revere

Help MassBike & WalkMass evaluate heat stress in Chelsea, Everett, Framingham, and Revere

MassBike and WalkMass are working with the Boston MPO to analyze corridors in Chelsea, Everett, Revere, and Framingham that have been identified as places that have both high heat and are places where lots of people walk and bike. A series of walk and bike audits took place in August 2025 to help understand how heat impacts people walking and biking along streets in our neighborhoods. To add to our data collection we’re asking people to take self-audits through the forms available for each community so you can walk or bike a route and send in your experiences. 

Are you interested in adding to our data? Please follow these links to access the walking and biking feedback forms:

Chelsea | Everett | Framingham | Revere

(click footnote for other language options)1

What’s a walk/bike audit? 

An audit is a process where a person or group walks or bikes through a designated route (a neighborhood or commercial district) to assess pedestrian/bike accessibility and safety. Various factors are observed and evaluated, including the condition of sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals, as well as the presence of amenities like benches, lighting, and landscaping. The goal of a walk/bike audit is to identify barriers or deficiencies that may hinder walking or biking as a mode of transport. Learn more about the walk and bike audit routes in each community below!

Why are we doing this?

Neutralizing Onerous Heat Effects on Active Transportation (NO-HEAT) is a project focusing on reducing the heat that people experience while walking, biking, or rolling. It’s a collaboration between the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the cities of Chelsea, Revere, Everett, and Framingham, and several community partners, including WalkMass, MassBike, Bike to the Sea, and Mystic River Watershed Association.

Why should I do this? 

We appreciate your time and feedback, and we are offering gift cards to local establishments for anyone that takes part.

Audit Routes

Chelsea

Go to the form

Everett Ave (Broadway to Everett Border)  – The route is just under a mile, and crosses from the dense urban area of downtown Chelsea to the Silver Line and Commuter Rail MBTA stop, and newer residential developments along the Everett border.

Broadway (City Hall to Revere Border) – This stretch connects the businesses nearby Chelsea City Hall to the neighborhoods and parks out to Revere and the Mill Creek park. This route also crosses the Chelsea Greenway Community Path, and is a major corridor for trucking and MBTA buses.

Spruce Street (2nd Street to Route 1) – This route travels along the commercial section of Spruce St, connecting to Mystic Mall and passing by government and healthcare buildings.


Everett

Go to the form

2nd Street (From Revere Beach Pkwy to rail road tracks) – This route travels 2nd St through an industrial and commercial area that features a large apartment building.

Northern Strand Community Trail (Wyllis Avenue intersection to Waters Avenue intersection) – The Northern Strand Community Trail is the key corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians that connects Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn. This section focuses on a particularly open segment with little shade that is susceptible to higher temperatures.

Main Street (Oakes Street to Malden Border) – Beginning at Meadows Park / Kearins Playground, this route travels through a residential neighborhood, passing through a few small commercial areas. You can also RSVP here to join a walk on September 25, 5pm.


Framingham

Go to the form

Beaver/Waverly to Beaver/Leland (Seabra Foods to Harmony Grove Elementary) – This travels Beaver & W Harmony Grove Elementary School, connecting Dennison Playground to the area near Sunshine Farm.

Irving/Loring Street (corner of Waverly Street to corner of Herring Ave) – From the major thoroughfare of Waverly Street, this route heads through the residential and business district and heads towards the South Middlesex Correctional Center, to highlight a recent ‘complete streets’ project.

Waverly Street (2nd Street to Cedar Street) – This travels major commercial corridor Waverly St, beginning near the Framingham MBTA station.

Cochituate Rail Trail – Cochituate Rail Trail is a multi-use trail that runs between Framingham and Natick, in the western suburbs of Boston. There may be a site visit to the Framingham end of the trail in late September. Email Brendan Kearney bkearney@walkmass.org to be kept in the loop.


Revere

Go to the form

Revere Street (Route 60 to Revere Beach) – This route focuses on the major destination to/from Revere Beach, and is a heavily used corridor for bicyclists to reach Wonderland MBTA station.

Washington Ave (Beach Street to Fuller Street) – This route connects the Washington Ave corridor to the Northern Strand Community Trail, passing through residential neighborhoods, religious centers, and municipal ball fields.

Malden Street (Route 1 to Vinny’s Food Market) – This route follows Malden St down a residential neighborhood between Disalvo Park at Susan B Anthony Middle School and Route 1. You can also RSVP here for a walk audit on September 17, 3:30pm. 


Please send any feedback or questions to bkearney@walkmass.org or bikeinfo@massbike.org.

  1. Other Language Options
    اَلْفُصْحَىٰ Chelsea | Everett | Framingham | Revere
    Español Chelsea | Everett | Framingham | Revere
    आधुनिक मानक हिन्दी Chelsea | Everett | Framingham | Revere
    Kreyòl Chelsea | Everett | Framingham | Revere
    简化字 Chelsea | Everett | Framingham | Revere
    Português Chelsea | Everett | Framingham | Revere ↩︎
WalkBoston and Consult LeLa team up for Blue Hill Ave youth workshop

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

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!