pedestrian safety Archives - WalkMassachusetts

Pedestrian pavement markings in Marblehead

A simple reminder to people walking to “stop, look and wave” to drivers before entering a crosswalk in downtown Marblehead can help keep people safe and remind everyone of their role in reducing traffic injuries and fatalities. Marblehead sees many visitors in the summer months who may be unfamiliar with the local traffic patterns. Eye contact between people walking and driving can reduce confusion and ensure that drivers stop before people enter a crosswalk.

Can we help make crossing Route 2 in Concord safer?

That’s the question the Town of Concord, Emerson Hospital, MassDOT District 4 and WalkBoston were asking on Tuesday at the Route 2/Old Road to 9 Acre Corner intersection. Currently, Emerson Hospital runs a shuttle across Route 2 to get their staff safely back and forth – a distance of less than a 1/4 of a mile. While there are no easy answers, the group discussed adjusting signal phasing, exploring the pros/cons of Right-Turn-On-Red, and educating Emerson staff about how pedestrian signals work. Some improvements are already in process – new sidewalks, curb ramps and countdown signals. We look forward to hearing back from all involved to see what additional safety improvements are made.

Walking in Manchester by the Sea

On one of the few beautiful days this spring, WalkBoston led a walk audit in Manchester by the Sea (MBTS) to evaluate the walking routes students use to reach Manchester Memorial Elementary School and Manchester Essex Regional Middle and High Schools. Walk audit participants included the elementary and middle/high school principals, the Town Administrator, the Cape Ann Mass in Motion Coordinator, and representatives from the police department, town departments of public works and planning, and the MBTS Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. Together, we identified areas where pedestrian safety can be improved using low-cost traffic calming strategies.

It is worth noting that MBTS instituted a 20 mph speed safety zone within 1 mile of the MBTA commuter rail station in September 2017. While we did not record speeds on our audit, it was clear that not all drivers were respecting the 20 mph limit. Setting lower speed limits and redesigning our streets are critical to safer, more walkable communities.

Lowell residents met with Councilor Nuon to talk pedestrian safety

Lowell residents participating in our Streets for People advocacy sessions met with Lowell City Councilor Vesna Nuon on Monday night at Coalition for a Better Acre to voice their concerns and propose intersection improvements in the Acre Neighborhood. The residents focused on the intersection of Salem/Cabot/Market streets where children cross to reach their school bus stop and fast-moving traffic disregards stop signs. Councilor Nuon, impressed with the residents’ presentations, said he would walk the site with the City’s traffic engineer and schedule another meeting with the residents to discuss next steps to making needed changes at this intersection. WalkBoston’s Streets for People advocacy sessions are funded by the Cummings Foundation.

Pedestrian Safety Discussion in Randolph

On September 25, 2018, WalkBoston and municipal staff from the Town of Randolph met to discuss pedestrian safety in Randolph as part of the EOPSS Pedestrian Safety Planning Initiative. The main concerns expressed in our discussion included safety at specific locations/corridors, pedestrian safety at bus stops, and the safety of school children (particularly high school students) walking, biking and riding transit to school.

Read the meeting notes here:

WalkBoston-RandolphMtgReport