Tag: trees

Old Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

Old Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

WalkBoston conducted a walk assessment in the Old Hill neighborhood at the request of Way Finders staff (formerly HAP Housing) and Springfield’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). WalkBoston is assisting HHS in its implementation of walkability principles throughout Springfield under a CDC grant known as 1422. Springfield’s Old Hill neighborhood also received a grant (know as the Healthy Hill Initiative) from the national awards program, BUILD Health Challenge that focuses on improving public health by addressing the 3 Ps of Policy, Physical Infrastructure and Programs. The Healthy Hill Initiative (HHI) is improving public safety by engaging residents of all ages in fitness activities that put eyes on the street and children playing in underutilized parks. Way Finders is one of the HHI partners.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-OldHillNeighborhoodWalkAssessment-Springfield

Moody Street Walk Assessment

Moody Street Walk Assessment

WalkBoston conducted an assessment of pedestrian infrastructure along Moody Street in the City of Waltham on April 6, 2016. The assessment focused on the most vibrant segment of Moody Street, from the Moody Street Bridge over the Charles River to the north, to the intersection with Maple Street/High Street to the south.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-MoodyStreetWalkAudit-Waltham

Main Street Comment Letter Worcester

Main Street Comment Letter Worcester

December 18, 2015

Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E.
Chief Highway Engineer
MassDOT
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

Attention: Roadway Project Management Project
File No.606434

Dear Ms. Leavenworth:

WalkBoston is pleased to offer comments on the proposed improvements to Main Street in downtown Worcester. In our work throughout the state, we offer comments on projects to assure that pedestrians will be well served by the proposed changes.

We applaud both the city and the state for the Worcester Main Street project, which, as currently envisioned, supports an improved, sustainable downtown. The traffic calming measures that are included will work toward and help upgrade in the use of downtown to make it a more attractive place for business, for educational opportunities and for cultural activities.

Curb radii and bulb-­outs
It is encouraging to see that the street corners are being designed with tight curb radii. This permits greater flexibility in constructing facilities for walkers, such as curb ramps and, in particular, bulb-­‐outs. The extension of the sidewalks into the street at bulb-‐outs is a proven method of enhancing pedestrian safety. Especially noteworthy are the bulb-­outs shown on both sides of the major street crossing in front of Mechanics Hall. This is an effective method of providing safe crossing for crowds going to or from the hall for cultural events. We encourage the city and the state to look for further opportunities to add more bulb-­outs to the project.

Street trees
 A relatively small number of street trees are shown on the plans. We recommend that the plan include a sufficiently large number of trees to give Main Street more shade and a friendlier appearance. In some cases, this is impossible because of underground utilities, electric lines or other impediments. However, the city should look for additional installations of trees in an area where the goal is to make the street more attractive to shoppers and people doing business downtown.

Pedestrian crossings at traffic signals
We understand that the city and the state are looking at additional methods of assuring pedestrian crossing safety at intersections. We encourage the use of concurrent signals at intersections where they are feasible because of relatively low turning volumes, along with leading pedestrian indicators (LPIs) as part of the signalization. LPIs have been proven to aid in safe crossings by pedestrians due to the fact that pedestrians are more visible to drivers and because they provide extra time they provide walkers to cross the street.

Bi-­level sidewalks
A major project element is the bi-­level sidewalks on the west side of Main Street. These sidewalks are designed to solve gradient problems on the existing slope of the sidewalks that arise in applying ADA design standards as part of the street upgrade. We understand that the bi­‐level sidewalks are designed to avoid constructing a sidewalk with a high curb that could be dangerous for walkers.

The result is the design of two sidewalks ‐ an upper sidewalk, nearest the buildings, which varies from some 12’ to more constrained widths that are 6’ or narrower. These variations appear to be required because the right-­of-­way boundary is not straight and many of those variations have long existed along the west side of Main Street.

The lower sidewalks, nearest the street, appear in typical cross‐sections to be a continuous 4’ in width throughout the project. The plans suggest that this 4’ width of the lower sidewalk will always be a hard surface –paved with stamped colored cement. The hard surface, along with proposed parking meters, implies that pedestrians will be encouraged to use the lower sidewalk. The lower sidewalk also includes several bus stops. In order to meet accessibility requirements, a 3’ wide path without obstacles is required to provide handicapped accessibility on sidewalks. However, the lower sidewalk includes street light poles and pits for street trees. Light poles and trees are shown in central locations along the lower sidewalk – i.e., 2’ from both the bollards and the curb. This results in segments of the lower sidewalk that are less than 3’ wide and thus do not meet ADA standards for walkability. The lower sidewalks need to be widened to safely and accessibly accommodate walkers. Widening to a 6’ width is recommended because that width would allow for tree planting and accommodation of street lights, etc. and still be able to provide a 3’ clear width as required by ADA. The extra width of the sidewalk might be obtained by reducing the widths of the two 6’ bicycle lanes to 5’ each. This gains 2’ of width that can be added to the lower sidewalks, making them 6’ wide. Within this space a 3’ clear walkway could be provided to meet ADA standards. A 3’ wide strip would then be available for installation of street trees, parking meters, street lights and signs.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important project. Please feel free to contact us if there are any questions.

Sincerely,

Robert Sloane
Senior Planner

Brendan Kearney
Communications Manager

Comment Letter: Improving parkways in Emerald Necklace

Comment Letter: Improving parkways in Emerald Necklace

March 2, 2015

Department of Conservation and Recreation
Office of Public Outreach
251 Causeway Street, Suite 600
Boston, MA 02114

Re: Improving parkways in the Emerald Necklace

Dear Commissioner Murray:

WalkBoston thanks you for launching the public process to improve safety and connections for people walking, bicycling and driving the section of the Emerald Necklace parkways between Jamaica Pond and the future Casey Arborway (under construction). As well as creating new, separated paths for pedestrians and cyclists, proposed improvements include replacing Murray and Kelley Circles with new, safer “roundabouts.”

We understand that your office was initially responding to concerns of the bicycling community. However, your staff and consultants, Toole Design Group, quickly saw that the challenges facing cyclists and pedestrians in this area cannot be fixed without also solving the existing problems of confusing and dangerous vehicle circulation and chronic speeding. So, the scope and objectives were expanded to all users.

WalkBoston is happy to support this comprehensive package of improvements. The safety of people who are walking or bicycling is absolutely dependent on changing the traffic circles. We feel that the proposed plan would both provide good vehicle access and accomplish the following benefits for walkers:
Improve connections between Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum for all park visitors, whether on foot or on bike
Improve safety and reduce the number of accidents, injuries and deaths Improve quality of life for local residents
Make the movements through the roundabouts clear and understandable and prevent speeding

All of us are aware that the Arborway is unsafe. Between 2008 and 2012 alone there were 135 crashes on the Arborway, with more than 20 injuries. Murray Circle is especially dangerous because of high vehicle speeds and lack of clarity for drivers. Cars frequently jockey for openings and exits. No one wants to walk or bicycle across the roads that feed into Murray Circle!

Proposals
The process that DCR used to develop a set of “starter ideas” included both a public meeting and several meetings with local elected officials and pedestrian and bicycle advocates. The ideas presented by Toole Design at a public meeting on February 5 are impressive and promising.

  • Separate pedestrian sidewalks and bike paths would be provided in the area
  • The “circles” would be rebuilt as smaller, modern roundabouts that
    o    clarify vehicular movements
    o    make it difficult to exceed the “design speed” of 15‐20 mph
    o    provide multiple safe crosswalks (for people traveling in all directions)
  • Provide raised crosswalks to improve pedestrian visibility and slow traffic
  • Preserve the historic roads between today’s traffic circles including the allées of oak trees
  • Reduce the number of traffic signals that interrupt vehicle flow (reduced from 5 to 1)

What is strikingly innovative about the current “starter ideas” is the concept of replacing the enormous Murray Circle two smaller roundabouts, side by side, to sort and channel traffic clearly and efficiently – while providing multiple crossings for bikes and pedestrians.

In addition the plan provides local residents on both sides of the Arborway with multiple ways to access their homes, while using the outer roadways for local access only, making them safer for all users.

Naturally, a lot of details need to be worked out in the next phase of design (e.g. How will blind persons navigate the roundabouts? How will snow removal be handled?), but the big ideas are solid. Your agency’s intention is to make this area more livable for residents and park visitors alike while continuing to accommodate vehicles.

Sincerely,
Wendy Landman
Executive Director