Somerville – Page 5 – WalkMassachusetts

Endorsing Somerville as a Runner Friendly Community

By WalkMassachusetts | August 31, 2016

August 31, 2016

Road Runners Club of America

1501 Lee Hwy, Ste 140

Arlington, VA 22209

To whom it may concern:

WalkBoston is a non-profit pedestrian advocacy organization that has worked for over 26 years in communities across Massachusetts to make walking and running safer and easier to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and vibrant communities. We are writing to endorse Somerville MA to be designated a “Runner Friendly Community” by the Road Runners Club of America.

Somerville is the most densely populated municipality in New England and is constantly looking for more ways to create safe spaces and travel options for residents. In 2014, Somerville was the first community in Massachusetts to pass a Complete Streets ordinance. (More than 50 communities have followed.) A “Complete Street” is one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes – walking, running, biking, taking transit, or driving – for people of all ages and abilities.

Somerville has a wonderful asset for people walking and running: the Community Path, a multi-use paved trail through the middle of Davis Square (one of the main commercial centers). The crosswalks for the path at the crossing of Cameron Avenue, Holland Avenue, Willow Avenue and Cedar Street are all raised to sidewalk level, showing that people walking and running on the path have priority at these crossings. The Community Path continues beyond Davis Square through Cambridge and Arlington where it becomes the Minuteman Bikeway, which stretches on to Lexington and Bedford, allowing for 10+ miles of running along the trail. Additionally, there are plans to extend the path an additional 1.9 miles to Boston, which would connect the network of pathways that line the Charles River.

This past March, WalkBoston collaborated with the Somerville Road Runners, the Somerville Police Department and Alderman Jack Connolly to present a free Runner Safety Panel for community members. The panelists shared experience and tips on personal and traffic safety, and gathered feedback from the crowd about ways Somerville could be made even better for people running and walking.

At the WalkBoston 25^th anniversary celebration in 2015, we recognized the City of Somerville, Mayor Curtatone and many community partners for the work that has been happening to make Somerville a more livable place. The Mayor said it best: “the greatest benefit of walkability is perhaps the hardest to measure, but easiest to identify: it creates community.” We hope that RRCA will recognize Somerville for the welcoming community it is continuing to create with this award, and that it will encourage Somerville and other Massachusetts communities to keep making streets and intersections safer for all users.

Best regards,

Brendan Kearney

Communications Manager

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Mtg Tonight – Re-read WalkBoston Comments on the GLX and the Community Path – March 15, 2016

By WalkMassachusetts | April 13, 2016

walkboston:

March 15, 2016
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Room 4150
Boston, MA 02116

Attention: MassDOT Board of Directors
MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board
GLX Interim Project Manager Jack Wright
Assistant Secretary for Policy Coordination Katherine Fichter

RE: GLX and the Community Path

WalkBoston has worked for over 25 years to promote improvements to pedestrian facilities throughout the state and region. We strongly believe that the proposed Community Path adjacent to the Green Line Extension in Somerville and Medford is an essential element to the successful operation of the extension. The path through this corridor is an integral part of the project that will help it to prosper and serve its riders well, especially when the need is reinforced by the lack of parking at the stations.

The Community Path is essential for the GLX to fully meet its potential in serving the residents of this corridor. It will function as the principal access route to and from the stations for walkers and cyclists, as it will be a safe and protected means of access between residences and the doors of the light rail vehicles. The same levels of access cannot be provided solely by relying on existing streets, which are frequently less direct for users. The safety of walkers is also improved by using routes that are not shared with vehicles.

We urge consideration all possible ways to fund the path and include it an integral part of the construction of this extension. Joint construction is the most cost-effective approach to construction, as the transit project and the Community Path share a common right-of-way and many elements of infrastructure, Cutbacks in the GLX project should not include reducing the number or safety of available routes of access for transit patrons going to or from the stations.

Thank you again for this opportunity to comment on this project.

Sincerely.

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

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Tonight, #Somerville High School is the place to be. re-read our recent letter on #GLX / Community Path in advance!

WalkBoston Comments on the GLX and the Community Path – March 15, 2016

By WalkMassachusetts | March 15, 2016

March 15, 2016
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Room 4150
Boston, MA 02116

Attention: MassDOT Board of Directors
MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board
GLX Interim Project Manager Jack Wright
Assistant Secretary for Policy Coordination Katherine Fichter

RE: GLX and the Community Path

WalkBoston has worked for over 25 years to promote improvements to pedestrian facilities throughout the state and region. We strongly believe that the proposed Community Path adjacent to the Green Line Extension in Somerville and Medford is an essential element to the successful operation of the extension. The path through this corridor is an integral part of the project that will help it to prosper and serve its riders well, especially when the need is reinforced by the lack of parking at the stations.

The Community Path is essential for the GLX to fully meet its potential in serving the residents of this corridor. It will function as the principal access route to and from the stations for walkers and cyclists, as it will be a safe and protected means of access between residences and the doors of the light rail vehicles. The same levels of access cannot be provided solely by relying on existing streets, which are frequently less direct for users. The safety of walkers is also improved by using routes that are not shared with vehicles.

We urge consideration all possible ways to fund the path and include it an integral part of the construction of this extension. Joint construction is the most cost-effective approach to construction, as the transit project and the Community Path share a common right-of-way and many elements of infrastructure, Cutbacks in the GLX project should not include reducing the number or safety of available routes of access for transit patrons going to or from the stations.

Thank you again for this opportunity to comment on this project.

Sincerely.

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

————————————————————————————————
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Community Path Application Letter of Support Somerville

By WalkMassachusetts | December 3, 2015

December 3, 2015

City of Somerville,
Community Preservation Committee

Re: Support for Friends of the Community Path application for CPA funding

WalkBoston works across Massachusetts advocating for improved and safe pedestrian facilities. We are very enthusiastic about local efforts that enhance the pedestrian environment, and where possible help residents and municipalities implement new and improved walking facilities.

The Community Path is an important and well-loved component of Somerville’s walking network, and we believe that maintaining and enhancing the Path will provide ongoing benefits to the residents of Somerville.

WalkBoston is pleased to support the application by the Friends of Community Path for CPA funds to improve portions of the heavily used path including the following elements:

Repaving of the two sections of the Community Path from the Cambridge City line to Buena Vista Rd. and in the Davis Square area
Drainage improvements
Side path modifications to improve safety and to enhance use of the Path by runners
Possible small expansion of community garden area
Installation of historic artifacts specifically related to the Path and the former railroad use
Two community meeting to review and discuss the proposed improvements

We look forward to seeing these enhancements to the Community Path. Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Comments on Community Path Extension Fencing

By WalkMassachusetts | June 2, 2015

June 2, 2015

Mary Ainsley
MBTA Design & Construction Department
GLX Project office
100 Summer Street

Cc: Karen Arpino Shaffer, Michael McBride
HDR Gilbane

Dear Ms. Ainsley,

We are writing you to express thanks and concern about the Community Path Extension Project and one of its design elements. First, thank you very much for your hard work keeping the Community Path Extension project moving forward. This project has the opportunity to create a bicycle pedestrian super highway connecting major destinations from Bedford to Boston.

However, we are very concerned about the forbidding fencing that your informative video rendering of the path brought to our attention. To our dismay we find the project includes above head-level fencing on both sides of the path on the entire corridor between Lechmere and Washington Street Station. This important one-mile corridor, with no exits along the way, is the only section with such visual barriers on both sides of the right-of-way.

Our assumption is the fence is in the design for the safety of users of the path. We believe that this forbidding-looking fencing will ironically create an unsafe prison-like feeling for users. It will be particularly onerous for pedestrians whose slow travel speeds will mean a very long unpleasant trundle through this section. Our fear is that the aesthetic will deter use of the path. Fewer users might well create a sense of danger during nighttime and off-peak hours and actually attract undesirable activities that may happen in the absence of safety-in-numbers. In essence a “safety” feature will likely render the facility less safe over time.

On the flip side of the dangerous feeling the fencing provides, it also blocks what in many cases will be a spectacular view. Imagine the North Bank Bridge (just across the park from the planned Lechmere Station) with its dramatic and beautiful architecture if it were enclosed on both sides. It would be dreary rather than the treasure it is.

We’re not asking you to create production values similar to the North Bank Bridge. Rather we ask you to work creatively to find a way to remove the chain link fence and preserve an eye level unobstructed view on at least one side of the path for as much of the Lechmere to Washington Street Station that you can. A rendering of the fence as designed can be seen here. This can be compared with this rendering with fencing removed on one side to see that the look and feel of the experience is greatly improved. For comparison, here is a similar finish at Harpers Ferry in Virginia.

Finally, we have heard that the Green Line Project is undergoing value engineering. We hope that you will consider this reduced fencing along the Community Path Extension a win-win in reducing project costs while improving the finished product.

Sincerely,

Mark Chase
Advocacy Committee, LivableStreets Alliance

Wendy Landman
Executive Director, WalkBoston

Pete Stidman
Executive Director, Boston Cyclists Union