We visited Salem to scout out WalkBoston’s next walk audit route and were thrilled to see big changes along a previous walk audit route. Drivers used to use a “barge and block” strategy to enter the Route 114 (Summer Street/Norman Street) and Chestnut Street intersection. Now, a painted traffic circle regularizes drivers’ movements and provides crosswalks, flex posts and signage for people walking between the historic district and downtown. WalkBoston would love to hear how the new design is making all road users safer! Check out our 2014 walk audit report for the recommendations proposed for this intersection.
On June 6, 2018, WalkBoston conducted a walk assessment in the Point neighborhood of Salem, with support from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion program to promote active transportation and healthy eating. The goal of the walk assessment was to recommend improvements to the local built environment that improve walkability and pedestrian safety. Participants included representatives from WalkBoston, Salem Mass in Motion, Salem Mayor’s Office, Salem Traffic and Parking Department, Salem Commission on Disabilities/Age-Friendly Salem, Salem Family Health Center, North Shore YMCA, and North Shore Community Development Corporation.
On May 6, 2015, WalkBoston participated in a walk audit on the Salem State University (SSU) campus around the O’Keefe Center and the edges of North Campus. John Pelletier, Mass in Motion Coordinator for the City of Salem, led the audit and the participants included SSU staff, neighborhood advocates, city staff and city council members. The goal of the audit was to discuss the safety and quality of the pedestrian environment along the walk route and recommend improvements that would enhance the pedestrian experience.
The walk assessment focused on Salem’s downtown district just west of the pedestrian mall and Peabody Essex Museum. The route began at the City Hall Annex; traveled north to Bridge Street and the Salem MBTA commuter rail station; turned west on Bridge Street; cut through a worn pathway along the North Street (Rt 114) ramps up to the Federal/North Street intersection; followed North Street to the Summer/Chestnut/Norman Street intersection; and returned to Washington Street at the intersection with New Derby Street.
Founded in 1626, Salem, MA has a rich history based on rivers giving access to the sea, which led to maritime activities, business and manufacturing, and the settlement of immigrants. Salem’s waterfront was the focus of the City dating back to the early 1600s. For nearly 200 years, the waterfront was occupied by ships importing and exporting material and goods throughout the world – particularly Asia.
Salem’s maritime activities became focused on the South River shortly after settlement. At the time, the river stretched east and south from the present day Post Office and connected to Mill Pond, which covered present day Canal Street. The South River became the focus of commercial development and housing. Downtown Salem grew and prospered on the north riverfront and dock workers lived on the south riverfront.
Following the War of 1812, Salem was no longer able to compete with ports that could accommodate larger ships. Manufacturing became the key industry in Salem by the mid 1800s. In order to have space for new buildings for industry, such as the huge Naumkeag Steam Cotton Mill, portions of the South River were filled in. In the Great Salem Fire of 1914, the river formed a barrier between the center of the city and the vast residential and industrial area, now called the Point Neighborhood, which was destroyed by the fire.
The Point Neighborhood was rebuilt after the fire and still contains housing. Across the South River, Salem’s waterfront became the first National Historic Site in 1938 because of its history as one of the most important ports in the nation – the base for Atlantic triangular trade in the colonial period, privateers in the Revolutionary War, and merchants who brought the riches of the Far East to America after the Revolution. Its wharves and buildings are among the rarest remaining intact from America’s age of sails almost 200 years ago.
