Newton Archives - WalkMassachusetts

First snow storm of the season: January 2022

Today, January 7th, marks one of the first significant snow storms of this season with some areas seeing close to a foot of snow.

WalkBoston has been advocating for sidewalk snow removal for many years as part of our work to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility when it snows. Snow and ice present significant challenges to pedestrians. Cleared sidewalks are critical for people to access everyday goods and services, and are particularly vital to people with disabilities and to seniors.

Though snow clearance is a challenging task for municipalities, regional transit authorities, and property owners due to the mix of responsible parties, and the unpredictable and episodic nature of the need – we know and have seen that it is not an impossible feat to clear snow for cars and there is an urgent need to be prioritizing the removal of snow from sidewalks all the same.

We are excited and encouraged by the renewed energy to include sidewalks in snow removal plans by many more communities this winter. We’d love to hear what your community is doing, and highlight it in a future post. Get in touch with us.

Community Spotlight: Somerville

The City of Somerville announced their sidewalk snow removal pilot program for the 2021-2022 winter season (fiscal year 2022). Somerville’s pilot includes the entirety of Broadway Ave. and School St. which represents about 8.5 miles of sidewalk, 200 crosswalks, 350 sidewalk ramps, and 70 bus stops, and the hope is that the pilot will shed light on the costs and the logistics of expanding this service in the future. The pilot will start with the next snow storm so that the City and its new administration can work through logistics of the first snow emergency of the year.

City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, who was involved in legislative advocacy efforts to ensure the City’s budget would include funding for a small sidewalk snow removal pilot, highlights that “the hope with this pilot would be to answer the empirical question of what works the best.” Somerville faces problems with the enforcement of sidewalk snow removal where absentee landlords or developers on vacant lots have likely decided that the cost of a ticket for non-compliance is not a big deal. Coupled with the fact that some property owners (or renters) may be physically unable to remove snow, a walk through Somerville during or after a snow storm can be treacherous for some or keep others confined to their home because it is unsafe. Ewen-Campen is hopeful and encouraged by the renewed focus on sidewalk snow removal by many communities across the state, citing that COVID-19 likely brought the issue to the forefront for many people who were staying home: “Cities learn from each other, this is not impossible and we can decide to do it.”

Funding for Snow Removal Equipment Now Available Through MassDOT’s Shared Streets and Spaces Program

While the creation of a sidewalk snow removal plan is only one small step in actually removing snow from sidewalks in the winter, another obstacle many communities (especially smaller ones) face is that of purchasing equipment. Commercial grade equipment to remove snow from sidewalks can run anywhere between $5,000 to $25,000 or more and amidst a surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, many communities are already stretched thin. However, with the opening of the next grant round of the MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program, there is hope for communities for whom a capital purchase of equipment has been holding them back from creating a sidewalk snow removal program.

MassDOT will be adding an ‘equipment’ category to the program — which will operate separately from the other categories and will not exclude a municipality from receiving another award — for up to $50,000 to allow for the purchase of equipment (such as sidewalk snow plows) that will assist municipalities in aligning their mobility efforts with the goals of the program. The next round of applications for the program opens on January 10th.

Of course, Somerville is just one of 351 municipalities in the state and a handful of others have had sidewalks included in their snow removal plans for some time. In Newton, City Councilor Andreae Downs wrote about the steps it took to establish a snow clearing ordinance. In Framingham, the City is responsible for plowing approximately 84.5 miles of sidewalk in and around key areas such as schools, city-owned buildings, the commuter rail, and business districts. As WalkBoston continues our advocacy work around sidewalk snow removal and hopes to put together sidewalk snow clearance guidance and resources for communities, we’d love to hear more from communities across the Commonwealth that have seen success in their sidewalk snow removal plans and highlight it in a future post. Get in touch with us.

Hammond Pond Parkway Comment Letter

February 28, 2021

Jeffrey R. Parenti, Program Manager
Department of Conservation and Recreation
251 Causeway St.
Boston, MA 02114

Re: Hammond Pond Parkway

Dear Mr. Parenti:

WalkBoston reviews public and private projects for their potential impacts on pedestrian activity throughout the region and much of Massachusetts.

Hammond Pond Parkway is an approximately two-mile long corridor that connects Beacon Street at its northern end to Horace James Circle near Route 9 at its southern end. It is presently a multi-lane roadway serving the commercial area around the Chestnut Hill Mall at Route 9 and bisects conservation areas for much of its route. Existing pedestrian access is limited to the Route 9 area and there are no bicycle accommodations.

The proposal is to reduce travel lanes from four to two lanes above the shopping mall and to create a shared use path for bicycles and pedestrians constructed to provide ADA compliant access, built on the west side of the roadway. We applaud the reduction of pavement, the use of narrower lanes for traffic and the construction of a facility that will enhance pedestrian access.

We are concerned that the proposed 12’ path is too narrow for shared use by pedestrians and cyclists, and may be somewhat hazardous – especially for pedestrians. If the path is too narrow, cyclists on the downhill slope may reach speeds that would conflict with the safety of pedestrians on the path. To correct this difficulty, it would be appropriate to consider separate paths for bikes and pedestrians, with a narrower pedestrian path designed to be unattractive to cyclists, perhaps by using a stone dust surface.

Our opinion is that separate lanes for bikes and pedestrians are appropriate to accommodate anticipated high volumes and to assure the safety of people walking and people biking. If such separate lanes are infeasible, the proposed path should be as wide as possible, with pavement paint and signs alerting bicyclists that there are slower moving pedestrians on the single shared use path. At a minimum, a shared use path would need to be at least 14 feet wide.

In addition, there should be careful consideration of any unsignalized crossings for pedestrians in this new plan for the area.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the project. If you have questions do not hesitate to call us.

Sincerely,

Stacey Beuttell Bob Sloane
Executive Director Senior Planner

January/February 2020 Newsletter

articles

“Snow clearance: my view (and queries) from my wheelchair”
By Amy Hunt/South End resident
“Newton’s snow evolution”
By Andreae Downs/Newton city councilor
“Digging in on snow”
By Wendy Landman/WalkBoston senior policy advisor

snow quotes

Well, I know now. I know a little more how much a simple thing like a snowfall can mean to a person.
—Sylvia Plath (born in Jamaica Plain)
Snowflakes are one of nature’smost fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.
—Vista M. Kelly
A lot of people like snow.
I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.
—Carl Reiner
When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels.
—Unknown

calendar

Registration or info for other events and public meetings can be found at walkboston.org/events

February 12, 2020 1-5PM
WalkMassachusetts Network 2020
South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc., 7 Bishop St, Framingham, MA 01702, USA (within a short walk of Framingham/ Worcester line.)

Our second in-person gathering of the WalkMassachusetts Network, at South Middlesex Opportunity Council in Framingham, MA (we will meet in their Cafe). This event is open to any local organizations working on walking! Free with RSVP. Please register by Wednesday, February 5th so we can plan for food.

March 25, 2020, 5-8PM
WalkBoston’s 30th Annual Party & Golden Shoe Awards
Boston Society of Architects
Fort Point Room / Atlantic Wharf 290 Congress Street, Boston
5:00 Eat, drink, schmooze
6:00 Program and Golden Shoes
Keynote Speaker: Mark Fenton
Tickets: $30 includes beer, wine and food.

Download the January/February 2020 Newsletter PDF

Newton’s snow evolution

By Andreae Downs/Newton city councilor

In the winter of 2007, it looked like Newton could never get its sidewalks clear, much less find a way forward. We were faced with dozens of snowed-in corners and complaints of impassable walks; hundreds of letters to local lawmakers and the papers; and of course, thousands of snowflakes, thawing, freezing, and making safe passage impossible.

Newton briefly had a snow clearance ordinance in the early 1990s, but it was quickly rescinded after a bad winter, fears of shoveling- related heart attacks, and a flurry of voter rage at having to shovel.

To get momentum behind sidewalk clearing and the passage of a new effective snow clearance ordinance, Newton needed a broad-based coalition of allies. These allies included parent and walker Alicia Bowman (now Councilor), Councilor Vicki Danberg, a committee made up of the Council on Aging, local synagogue leaders, and parent-teacher organizations, and help from WalkBoston.

Our efforts were multi-pronged. We did hours of research, including 11 community surveys conducted by the local League of Women Voters. Liability issues were cleared up (Papadopoulos v. Target Corp). A matrix showing what surrounding communities do gave the then-Board of Aldermen (now a Councilor) an idea of the possibilities. Speakers addressed lawmakers’ fears. And sidewalk snow became a mayoral election issue.

The first ordinance passed in 2011 was a trial, which was extended because it didn’t snow that winter. The mayor then hired a star team in the Department of Public Works (DPW) to train the 90+ City contractors who plowed snow often onto the sidewalks in better snow management practices.

To support the success of the trial ordinance, our coalition compiled lists of volunteers to help those who couldn’t shovel (with an option for disabled and low-income neighbors). We also put together a list of contractors who included sidewalk clearing with driveway clearing. Meanwhile, we tightened up the ordinances for sidewalk snow removal in business districts, and beefed up police enforcement. Quickly, our village centers became more walkable!

The DPW team tracked compliance and reported to the City Council. After a few years, the trial ordinance became permanent. We then shortened the compliance time for shoveling after a storm and refined the warning system. But there was still no non-compliance fine. A fine was finally passed in 2019. The mayor’s office will mail violation warning letters to each non-compliant neighbor to give property owners a chance to find a contractor, if needed, to cover sidewalk clearing.

This winter, if it snows, we will evaluate how Newton’s new ordinance—now with teeth—works.

Research and policies are available at walkboston.org/snow

This article was featured in WalkBoston’s January/February 2020 newsletter.
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Newton: The Fields of Newton Walking Map

Imagining fields in today’s Newton takes a giant leap of faith. Yet it is possible for a sensitive walker to trace the underlying structure of the community by exploring its topography, its oldest roads, and the residential buildings that blanket the area. You can find vestiges of the old fields and in the spacious settings of institutions built on large parcels.

Newton’s flat or gently rolling topography and relatively fertile soil kept farming attractive here for more than two hundred years. Rocky of hilly areas that could not be made into fields became woodlots for timber growing and harvesting.

When the railroad arrived and commuting began in about 1850, however, rows of housing took the place of many of the fields. Today the development of Newton’s fields can often be dated by examining variants of architectural styles. Indeed, this walk is a virtual primer on residential architecture: you’ll pass styles ranging from Stick to Colonial to Queen Anne to Shingle.

Click for “WalkBoston Newton Walking Map” on Google Maps