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Massachusetts Avenue Reconstruction Regional Advocate Comment Letter

By WalkMassachusetts | March 28, 2013

As a group of neighborhood and regional advocacy organizations that promote Complete Streets, safer walking and bicycling, and sustainable transportation planning policies, we are unanimous in our support of the Town of Arlington’s current plan for the reconstruction of Massachusetts Avenue from the Cambridge line to Arlington Center. The Town’s current plan includes the reconfiguration of the de facto four-lane street into a three-lane roadway with striped bike lanes, wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks with refuge islands and an assortment of streetscape enhancements. We are collectively writing to express our concern that MassDOT may give too much weight to a non-binding ballot question on the local ballot in Arlington that contradicts state policies and guidelines.

Read the letter here:
WalkBoston-Comment-RegionalAdvocatesMassAve_130328-Arlington

University of Massachusetts Lowell Strategic Development Plan Comment Letter

By WalkMassachusetts | October 3, 2012

October 3, 2012

Secretary Richard K. Sullivan, Jr.
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston MA 02114
Attn: MEPA Office

RE: Comments on Strategic Development Plan, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA Notice of Project Change

Dear Secretary Sullivan:

WalkBoston has reviewed the Notice of Project Change for the University of Massachusetts – Lowell Strategic Development Plan, and submits our comments on the plan, with a focus on the “Action Steps” outlined in the Campus Transportation Plan (Section 3.6).

Infrastructure Improvements
WalkBoston applauds UMass Lowell’s commitment to improving infrastructure on and between its campuses to improve pedestrian safety and comfort. Because there is considerable distance between UMass Lowell’s campuses and other venues such as the Tsongas Center and the Inn & Conference Center, it is crucial that the University facilitate the movement of pedestrians between them to increase the sense of place for the University, encourage physical activity, reduce vehicle trips and reduce GHG emissions.

In order to more effectively work towards these goals, the proponent should develop a more robust wayfinding system within and between UMass Lowell’s campuses. Because walkers tend to think in terms of times (minutes of walking rather than miles), signs that give the walking time to given destinations such as: “Fox Hall – 11 minutes” or “O’Leary Library – 9 minutes,” should be installed where there are high pedestrian volumes and/or where directional information is needed. Signs with simple and highly relevant information would make the decision to walk between campuses an easier one by giving people the information they need to make an informed choice about walking as a convenient option. Timed wayfinding signs can make a fairly spread out university feel like its campuses are closer together, and increased pedestrian activity along the streets between campuses would make the walk safer and more enjoyable.

Policy Initiatives WalkBoston also applauds the “park once” policy mentioned under Policy Initiatives: Action Steps. If embraced by the UMass Lowell community, this initiative will help decrease congestion and also generate more pedestrian activity on and around the campuses. A robust wayfinding system will contribute to this campaign. The university might consider a marketing effort that highlights the pluses of walking such as:

Choose your Mode for a South Campus to East Campus Trip
1. Walk the 15 minutes to East Campus
• Burn XX calories • Get some fresh air
• Pass a friend and chat briefly on the way
• Relax and arrive on time
2. Drive the XX miles which will take XX minutes
• Walk to parking lot, exit and drive to East Campus, find parking space, walk from car to building
• Get stuck in traffic – grrr!
• Create XX tons of GHG emissions
• Arrive a bit frazzled
Which choice feels better? Help UMass Lowell Get Fit and Go Green – Walk!

We hope that our suggestions will be useful and please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman Robert Sloane
Executive Director Senior Planner

Lincoln Elementary School Walkability Assessment Report

By WalkMassachusetts | June 14, 2012

WalkBoston conducted a walkability assessment in the area of Melrose, Massachusetts near the Lincoln Elementary School. After a brief discussion on pedestrian safety issues near the school and an explanation of how the assessment would be conducted, a group carried out an on-the-street audit of the pedestrian facilities in the area, with an emphasis on the routes students use to walk to and from the school grounds.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-LincolnElementarySchoolWalkabilityAssessment1-Melrose

Environmental Notification Form (ENF) Alewife Brook Greenway MEPA #14431

By WalkMassachusetts | June 29, 2009

June 29, 2009

Secretary Ian Bowles
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

RE: Environmental Notification Form (ENF) Alewife Brook Greenway
MEPA # 14431

Dear Secretary Bowles:

WalkBoston is pleased to review the Alewife Brook Greenway Environmental Notification Form (ENF). We have found the proposal extremely interesting, as it expands the off-road network of trails and walkways that are so important to metro arearesidents for transportation and recreation. The ENF details improvements that will be made for both pedestrians and bicyclists on a corridor between Alewife Brook MBTA Station and the Mystic Valley Parkway that leads through Cambridge, Somerville and Arlington, and has connections to the Minuteman Pathway, the Linear Park/Community Path route into Somerville, the Mystic River parklands and future paths into Belmont and Watertown.

This is an extremely important piece of the regional trail network. We are happy to endorse its construction and even happier to realize that it may be constructed relatively rapidly as part of the national stimulus construction agenda.

In our review, we noted a few concerns of importance to pedestrians:

1. The proposed network does not provide for fully separated bicycle and pedestrian paths.
In two segments of the proposed improvement (1. Between the Mystic Valley Parkway and Broadway; and 2. between Henderson Street and Massachusetts Avenue) there appears to be a partial separation of bicycle and pedestrian paths. By contrast, there is only a single path between Broadway and Henderson Street and between Massachusetts Avenue and the MBTA Alewife Station. This will result in an effective capacity of two 10’-wide paths in the areas of separated paths and only one 10’-wide path in the other parts of the corridor. We are concerned about the safety of pedestrians in portions of the corridor where the capacity is limited. In those areas, consideration should be given to a wider cross-section on the path to accommodate potential demand.

2. The proposal does not indicate whether there will be signage to can foster safe walking. Pedestrian safety in mixed walking and cycling traffic can be an issue of concern, depending on the volume of traffic that uses the paths. While we would prefer separate facilities that are clearly designated as such, it does not appear to be feasible throughout the entire corridor. We therefore suggest that signing and warnings be provided to make the route safe for all users. This might include, for example:

Lane separation lines for the north and south directions.
Signs warning pedestrians to stay to the right of the path.
Signs advising cyclists to ring a warning bell as they approach pedestrians from behind.
Route signs designating a cyclist trail along the paths that abut Alewife Brooke Parkway.

3. The Boardwalk parallel to Alewife Brook Parkway has the potential for becoming a bottleneck, as it accommodates all path traffic in a narrow corridor. The boardwalk overlooks and is cantilevered over the river in the section extending north of Henderson Street and is one of the most accessible portions of the pathways for nearby residents. It is also close to Dilboy Field, which has occasional special sports events. If the boardwalk accommodates both pedestrians and cyclists and is closely fenced on both sides, it has the potential for becoming heavily used and potentially unsafe for people on foot. Would it be possible to widen the boardwalk to at least 12 feet in this location?

4. Seating and observation areas should be maximized.The path promises to be a very pleasant route. Many people will want to sit occasionally along the route, and children, among others, will be interested in closely examining the stream.

5. For the security of people who are using the path lighting may be appropriate. Lighting of the paths would extend their usefulness to walkers and cyclists in evening hours and in fall and winter.

6. Crosswalks may be needed in several locations. Near the Dilboy Park baseball diamonds, a fence opening and curb ramp have been provided that appear designed to help people cross Alewife Brook Parkway. The addition of a crosswalk in this location would be appropriate. Other crosswalks should be examined to cross Alewife Brook Parkway at Massachusetts Avenue, at Matignon Road, at Powder House Boulevard (two curb ramps), and at Broadway. For continuity of the path network, a Mystic Valley Parkway crosswalk should be considered at the north end of this project.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to provide comments on the ENF. Please let us know if you have any questions or need further detail.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Robert Sloane
Senior Planner

Cc Dan Driscoll, DCR Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner

The Commons at Prospect Hill FEIR Comment Letter

By WalkMassachusetts | April 10, 2009

April 10, 2009

Secretary Ian Bowles Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

RE: Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR)
The Commons at Prospect Hill
MEPA # 13952

Dear Secretary Bowles:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the FEIR for The Commons at Prospect Hill in Waltham.

This plan is a roll-over from the SDEIR on which we commented in February, 2009. We note, since this is simply the roll-over of that document, changes have not been incorporated in the plan since that time. Thus, our comments on the SDEIR remain the same as when they were written.

We hope that the final design of the project will incorporate a greater measure of concern about the facilities that pedestrians need throughout the project, and that sufficient safety measures will be put into place to assure that pedestrians crossing streets or parking lots will be protected from the flood of autos that will be attracted by the project.

As you may know, we met with the proponent and had the opportunity of presenting our comments directly to the designers. It is entirely possible that we did not present our case understandably or make our suggestion sufficiently attractive to persuade the development team to place a greater emphasis on pedestrian activities throughout the site. However, we would also point out that 21st century standards of development are rapidly evolving toward greater emphasis on pedestrian-friendly and transit-accessible designs in all parts of the country. We find it disappointing that that is not the case with this project.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this document. Please let us know if you would like further clarification of our comments.

Sincerely,
Wendy Landman Robert Sloane
Executive Director Senior Planner