statewide network
WalkMassachusetts is building a statewide network of individuals, advocacy organizations, municipal committees, community groups working on walking, and other pedestrian-focused transportation professionals.
We typically meet every third Wednesday of each month at 1 pm. Anyone can listen in and participate in monthly calls. Join the Google Group to get a reminder about these Zoom calls.
Can’t attend mid-day, but really interested in one of the talks below? Don’t worry: each talk/presentation will be recorded so we can share it afterwards. We’ll stop the recording before Q&A as we have the last few months to encourage open discussion. Recordings are posted to our YouTube channel and linked below under “past events.”
Upcoming Topics
Do you have a topic that should be discussed at a future meeting? Suggestions welcome!
- September 18, 2024: Walkability and its impact on food sovereignty
Speakers: Enrique Vargas, Associate Director of Mill City Grows, and Jessica Wilson, former Executive Director of Mill City Grows and Non-profit strategy and fundraising consultant.
Mill City Grows was founded in 2012 to increase access to local produce for the community of Lowell, MA. In 2022, Mill City Grows completed the Lowell Community Food Assessment and found that walkability and access to transportation was a major factor in food security. We’ll discuss our findings, current programs, and policy changes that will help shape a more equitable and food secure community. Register for the zoom meeting. - October 16, 2024: Ped 101 during Pedestrian Safety Month.
Speaker: WalkMassachusetts staff.
What goes into creating a safe, walkable environment? How can you push for safer streets in your own community? We’ll share our “Ped101” overview that we use before walk audits so everyone taking part can feel confident to ask questions and make suggestions while participating.
Register for the zoom meeting. - November 20, 2024: The Walking City Trail
Speaker: Miles Howard, founder and lead organizer of Boston’s Walking City Trail
The Walking City Trail is a 27-mile walking route through more than 30 urban green spaces in 17 Boston neighborhoods; from Mattapan’s Harvest River Bridge to Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. A transit-accessible curation of pre-existing spaces, scouted, connected, and mapped by volunteers, the Walking City Trail was launched in 2022 and has since been walked by thousands of Boston residents and visitors. The WCT, as some call it, exemplifies a model of grassroots urban trail-making that has been replicated in other cities in the U.S. and abroad; at a fraction of the time and expense that it takes to physically construct traditional trails. Maps, directions, and a short history of the trail can be found on the Walking City Trail’s dedicated website. Register for the zoom meeting. - December 18, 2024: A Local Vision for Vision Zero
Speaker: Elizabeth Maldari, Vision Zero Project Manager at the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC)
For better or worse, car travel is deeply embedded in US culture. Historically, traffic engineers and transportation planners have prioritized the efficient movement of vehicles while responsibility for safety typically rests on the individual in and outside of the car. Vision Zero is a strategy that aims to disrupt this mindset in favor of a safer, more holistic transportation network. Elizabeth Maldari, the Vision Zero Project Manager at the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission is looking forward to sharing a presentation and discussion with the WalkMass community about the systemic barriers, public insight and data analysis that shaped the Merrimack Valley Vision Zero Plan for a regional transportation network free from traffic violence.Register for the zoom meeting.
The WalkMassachusetts Network looks to connect and support new, emerging, and existing local organizations, community groups, residents, municipal staff and committees, and elected officials all working on improving walkability throughout the Commonwealth. Key features of the Network include community and statewide sharing of advocacy techniques, member recruitment strategies, and approaches for securing improvements to the built environment. The Network amplifies our impact by strengthening local voices.
Do you, your resident group, or your organization want to be involved? Please get in touch!
How to join the Network:
Anyone can listen in and participate in monthly calls. The Network is open local organizations, community groups, residents, community members municipal staff and committees, and elected officials actively working on improving walkability in their community. If you or your group would like to join, please fill out this form with your information.
Have more questions? Visit our FAQ or reach out to us: contact-us@walkmass.org or at 617-367-9255.
Network benefits include:
Monthly meetings (3rd Wednesday of each month at 1 pm) that foster peer-to-peer learning and sharing of tools, strategies and best practices among network organizations, community groups, residents, municipal staff and committees, and elected officials
Year-round targeted communications focused on local issues through a Google Group. You can request to join the network’s Google Group by filling out this form. Have a question about how other groups do things? Looking for examples about how other communities create safer streets? Search the discussion board and ask a question! Breakout sessions topics and notes from the first meeting have been added to capture those conversations.
One-on-one technical support and training to Network organizations for local initiatives, such as building constituencies for improving local walking and working with municipal staff and elected officials to implement simple, low-cost, and easy-to-build walking safety improvements.
Methods to inform legislators about walking issues such as distracted driving, budget priorities for active transportation investments, and use of new safety measures.
Guidance on the use of outreach tools, such as Facebook pages or email newsletters, that are easy and inexpensive to use.
Past Events and Network Meeting Recaps
- August 21, 2024: Sharing about the MUTCD
Speaker: Stefanie Seskin is NACTO’s Director of Policy and Practice and a WalkMassachusetts board member. Register for the zoom meeting. - July 17, 2024: How can spatial thinking help in advocating for pedestrians?
Speaker: Professor Sumeeta Srinivasan, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, WalkMassachusetts Board Member
GIS or Geographic Information Systems includes analytic tools that help make maps and conduct spatial analysis. In this brainstorming session, we will try to come up with ways in which GIS can be used by communities to advocate for themselves. - June 18, 2024: Getting Around Town and mapping for pedestrian accessibility
Speaker: Garrett Dash Nelson, President & Head Curator, Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library.
Hear insights learned from the Leventhal Map & Education Center’s exhibition Getting Around Town (on display in person through April 27th, will remain online afterwards), and how mapping can be used as a tool for improving pedestrian accessibility. View the recording, visit the Leventhal Map & Education Center website, and view Atlascope. Garrett also put together a document w/ shared resources that he referenced in the presentation. - May 15, 2024: Learn more about PROWAG (Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines).
Speaker: Sarah Presley, Accessibility Specialist, U.S. Access Board.
The Access Board has published new guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) that address access to sidewalks and streets, crosswalks, curb ramps, pedestrian signals, on-street parking, and other components of public right-of-way. These guidelines also review shared use paths, which are designed primarily for use by bicyclists and pedestrians for transportation and recreation purposes. View the recording and view the presentation slides. - April 17, 2024: Working with local elected officials on transportation safety issues
Speakers: Etel Haxhiaj, Worcester City Council District 5 & Karin Valentine Goins, WalkBikeWorcester
Worcester established a new Transportation & Mobility department in 2022. They are currently working on the Worcester Mobility Action Plan, starting development of a Vision Zero action plan, and making changes using resurfacing funds. Hear the perspective of a city councilor on supporting street safety initiatives, as well as a local advocate about how people can work with their elected representatives. View the recording. - March 20, 2024: Preview – Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2023) Report
Speaker: Brendan Kearney, WalkMassachusetts
This past year saw the 2nd release of our Statewide Pedestrian Crash Report, which took a closer look at fatal crashes from 2022 and investigated patterns found in publicly available data. This work builds on our monthly crash review posts. This annual report release serves as a tool for advocates to identify areas where they can make an impact. Our look at crashes from 2023 will be released in March 2024 and a preview of it will be discussed at this meeting. [This was a working meeting, with questions and discussion throughout so it was not recorded.] - February 21, 2024: Impacts of transportation noise and the environment on aging populations
Speaker: Stephanie Grady is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health and WalkMassachusetts board member.
Much of our health is shaped by the environments in which we live, work, and play. Transportation noise and other aspects of our built (human-made) environment can contribute to worsening health, such as stress, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. How does this happen? How can we work across sectors to make meaningful change to our environment to protect public health? View the recording. - December 20th: MassDOT’s Statewide Long Range Plan, Beyond Mobility 2050.
Speakers include: Nathaniel Kerr, SPR Work Program Coordinator & Miranda Briseño, Federal Programs Coordinator | Office of Transportation Planning, MassDOT.
Beyond Mobility, the Massachusetts 2050 Transportation Plan, is a planning process that will result in a blueprint for guiding transportation decision-making and investments in Massachusetts in a way that advances MassDOT’s goals and maximizes the equity and resiliency of the transportation system. Come hear a summary of where the plan is at now (almost in its final stages) and offer feedback to ensure what they have accurately captures the perspectives of all users of the transportation network. View the recording. - November 15th: MA Safe Routes to School
Speakers include: Judy Crocker, Statewide Coordinator, Massachusetts Safe Routes to School – a program of MassDOT.
Since 2005, the federally funded Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program has been working to increase safe biking and walking for students grade K-12 by using a collaborative, community-focused approach that bridges the gap between health and transportation. Join this nationally #1 ranked program of MassDOT as we discuss their latest efforts, including the recent inclusion of high schools, driver education materials, and DESE-accreditation for professional development of their pedestrian and bike safety curriculum. View the recording. - October 18th: Vacant to Vibrant: Creating Walkable Neighborhoods with Social Infrastructure
Speakers include: Aaron Greiner, director of CultureHouse.
Making an area walkable requires paying attention to more than what is on the street—also critical is what happens on the edges. Having good civic spaces creates communities that are strong and resilient and neighborhoods that have accessible, walkable destinations. Aaron will also share about how they use a community-driven model to reimagine vacant storefronts as pop-up community spaces that meet local needs. View the recording. - September 20th: Piecing together, the Mass Central Rail Trail. It is like putting Humpty Dumpty together again.
Speakers include: Craig Della Penna
This is the longest and most complicated former RR corridor to reassemble in New England. Running from Northampton to Boston, it has been a 40+ year journey so far. It is the longest developing rail trail in New England. Today we have 59 of the 104 miles open as a trail. 90.5 miles are in a protected status.
12 miles are currently under construction. In two-years we are likely to have 75 miles open. https://www.masscentralrailtrail.org/ Within 150 miles of Northampton, MA lies the densest network of former steam railroad corridors in the United States. A report by MassDOT showed that the MCRT can be completed, but it begs the question: What would a completed 100 mile long walking and biking trail mean to the Commonwealth? Craig is the author of 5 books, the forwards to several more, op-eds in numerous newspapers and in the past few years, 5 books have been written that feature him in them as a case study in various realms. Including two about his innovative real estate practice; specializing in the sale of houses near rail trails. He is the first Realtor in the US to specialize in this niche. He and his wife Kathleen, also operate an award-winning bed & breakfast that sits 8 feet from the now rail trail, in Northampton’s historic Civil War era industrial village of Florence. He has given over 1,200 lectures in 21 states on various topics related to the conversion of former RRs into linear parks known as rail trails. View the recording. - August 16th: All Things Pedestrian & Traffic Signals
Speakers include: Peter G. Furth, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University.
Based on recent conversations on the WalkMassachusetts Network Google Group, we’ve lined up a speaker for August who is very knowledgeable about traffic signals! Come with your signal questions, and be ready to learn about RRFBs, accommodating slower peds, ped recall, protection from concurrent conflicting turns, and more, including Boston’s new traffic signal policy which has enormous improvements for pedestrians. View the recording and view the presentation slides. - July 19th: Walk the Talk: Understanding Pedestrian Behavior & Creating Analytic Tools to Aid Planning & Policy Speakers include: Rounaq Basu is the Manager of Multimodal Planning and Design at the Boston Region MPO, as well as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT.
Why do pedestrians choose one route over others? Which street attributes are considered attractive and which ones are onerous? What should urban planners and designers be looking out for? How do we then incorporate these behaviors into a framework that allows us to understand and predict where people walk? What are the implications for Vision Zero policies? View the recording. - June 21st: Vehicle Design and Visibility
Speakers include: Alex Epstein, Senior General Engineer, USDOT Volpe Center. Vehicle design and visibility from the driver’s seat are significant factors in the rise of traffic crashes and fatalities. Hear from Alex about global and local efforts to reduce traffic fatalities by developing a “Direct Vision Standard” for vehicles. View the recording. - May 17th: Boston Brakes
Speakers include: Colleen Flanagan, Engagement and Outreach Specialist, City of Boston’s Disabilities Commission. Boston Brakes is a campaign focused on encouraging folks, particularly bikers, to share space and be aware of people with disabilities using wheelchairs, white canes, and other mobility devices as they move around the city. - April 19th: Snow Updates
Speakers include: Ava Dimond, WalkBoston. We’re happy to chat about the gradual branding switchover we’re doing throughout 2023 to WalkMassachusetts, but we’ve set aside April’s meeting to talk about what worked well this winter for snow clearance (or what didn’t). We’ll also have a working draft to get feedback on a new way to frame our snow report, and we want to know what would be useful for you / your community. All things snow can be found at: https://walkmass.org/snow - March 15th: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022) Report
Speakers include: Brendan Kearney (WalkBoston).This past year saw the release of our first Statewide Pedestrian Crash Report, which took a closer look at fatal crashes from 2021 and investigated patterns found in publicly available data. This work builds on our monthly crash review posts. Going forward, this annual report will serve as a tool for advocates to identify areas where they can make an impact. Our look at crashes from 2022 will be released in March 2023 and a preview of it will be discussed at this meeting. - February 15th: Walk Audit Academy / Worcester Training Pilot
Speakers include: Karin Valentine Goins (Prevention Research Center at UMass Chan Medical School) & Iolando Spinola (WalkBoston). Hear about the pilot launch of our new video series, the “Walk Audit Academy,” which we rolled out in Worcester designed to train community leaders on how to lead walk audits and implement change. The groups who participated in the Walk Audit Academy project in November 2022 presented their findings in January 2023 to community leaders; we’ll share lessons learned for you in February. We’ll be looking for opportunities to roll the training out more widely. - January 18th: America Walks
Speakers include: We’ll be joined by Ben Crowther, Advocacy Manager and Susan Le, Program Manager – two America Walks staffers who live right here in Massachusetts!More about America Walks: “America Walks brings together the frontline efforts of local walking advocates into a collective voice for national change. We work with community advocates and their allies to identify priority issues and common challenges to making walking safe, routine, and enjoyable. America Walks takes a lead in nationwide advocacy that supports policies, practices, and public funding that encourages safe movement in public spaces. Walking advocacy touches a wide spectrum of issues. At America Walks, we shape the national conversation through our four key campaigns: Building Better Streets, Reconnecting Communities, Freedom to Move, and Safer Vehicles for Pedestrians.” - July 2022 Network Meeting Recap
- April 2022 Network Meeting Recap
- March 2022 Network Meeting Recap
- February 2022 Network Meeting Recap
- October 2021 Speed Workshop
- 2nd WalkMassachusetts Network Forum, SMOC in Framingham, Wednesday 2/12/2020
- 1st WalkMassachusetts Network Forum, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Saturday 12/1/2018