Category: Events

Three things this month – GaGang Family at the Boston City Council and two upcoming hearings worth getting involved in

Matt Lawlor

Item 1: GaGang Family: The time to act is NOW. Crowd estimates are not our strong suit, but the council chamber at Boston City Hall was full to capacity and they opened a separate room for remote viewing yesterday just after noon when the GaGang Family – Laura, Steve, and Emily – were invited to the podium by District 4 City Councilor Enrique Pepen to offer remarks before the start of the council’s normal Wednesday session. Emily spoke for the family and delivered a highly impassioned and clear call to action to the council, the administration, and really all of us on key street safety priorities, including especially funding for the Streets Cabinet and moving urgently on working through the backlog of good projects so that we can avoid tragedies like the crash that took Louisa’s life just under 4 months ago. Coverage can be found at the Boston Globe (“Relatives of late transportation planner Louisa Gag announce $100,000 in community donations in her honor, call on City Council to fast-track street safety upgrades“) and WBUR (“Family of cyclist killed in Mission Hill pleads for action to improve Boston street safety“).

Item 2: VERY SHORT NOTICE: City Council Hearing Today – 2:00 pm on State of the Bike Network and Large Vehicle Safety. From our friends at the Boston Cyclists Union: “At 2PM on Thursday, 11/5, Boston City Council is holding a hearing on the State of the Boston Bike Network and Large Vehicle Safety in Boston in the Iannella Chamber (5th floor of City Hall). You can attend virtually if you register in advance, but no need to register to attend in person. Testimony will likely start sometime around 3:30, you don’t have to attend the whole hearing but you’ll just miss out on some information from City officials and panelists. If you’d like instructions and an email template for virtually attending or sending in written comment, you can find that here. We’d love to see you there tomorrow!”

Item 3: BETTER NOTICE: City Council Hearing at 10:30 am on Thursday, 19 November 2026 – Annual Street Project Reporting. This one is on a joint proposal from City Councilors Breadon, Pepen, and Weber to require annual reporting of streets projects by the administration to the council, as is already done in places such as Somerville, which has emerged as a regional and even national leader on street safety and vision zero. Information on the hearing and how to attend/offer testimony can be found here: Mandating Annual Reporting of Streets Projects.

Open Streets – Roslindale had a great time. See you there next year!

Matt Lawlor

Well, Open Streets finally made it down to Roslindale and the square put on an impressive show. We all know this, but the scale of our neighborhood’s center truly is ideal for events of this type – it was like walking among three very comfortable living rooms if you include Birch Plaza, Adams Park was as packed as it is on a market Saturday, and the weather absolutely could not have been better.

Many thanks to Mayor Wu and the whole team at the City should be proud of the overall success of the day’s experiment with much better streets and how we can achieve them, if only for part of a day.

We strongly encourage the city to do this again next year, only this time, let’s expand the hours so we can enjoy some outdoor dining, shopping, and entertainment into the evening! And finally, many of us here at WalkUP Roslindale were able to find the time to table at the event and chat with our neighbors about our activities and how we can all pitch in to make our neighborhood a better place. Good stuff all around and we are loving our new look logo!

Don’t Miss This Week: Neighborhood Zoning Meeting, Ice Cream Social & Farmers Market

Ben Bruno

There are three events this week we’d love to see you at:

Tuesday, Sept 15, 6 PM — Virtual Neighborhood Planning Update Meeting on the Neighborhood Housing Zoning Initiative. This is a big one — please plan to attend! The proposed zoning would make it much easier for homeowners to add a porch, finish an attic, build a backyard ADU, add a ramp, or otherwise adapt their properties, and it treats most of our existing homes as conforming for the first time. Before the meeting, take a few minutes to get up to speed if you haven’t already: check out the helpful story map and look up the proposed zoning for your address. The comment period closes October 31, and this is your chance to show up informed and submit your feedback.

Wednesday, Sept 16, 6–8 PM, Birch Street Plaza — Ice Cream Social, co-hosted with AHMA. Come enjoy some local ice cream and meet and talk with neighbors!

 

Saturday, Sept 19, 8 AM–1 PM — Please stop by our booth at the Roslindale Farmers Market and chat with us about everything from street safety to housing to the Roslindale Gateway Path!

Arboretum Road Cleanup – 14 March 2026 – 10 am to 12 pm

Matt Lawlor
Photo of the new Arboretum Road Gate and southern end of the Roslindale Gateway Path
Photo Credit: Mike Mejia, City of Boston, Mayor’s Office.

We here at WalkUP Roslindale remain delighted at last fall’s completion and opening of the initial phase of the Roslindale Gateway Path from the end of the Blackwell Path to the new Arboretum Road entrance. We would like to start a tradition of spring and fall cleanups and so are kicking off with a community cleanup next Saturday, 14 March 2026, from 10 am to 12 pm. We will meet at the entrance. Please bring yourself, comfortable clothes that can get messy, gloves, and whatever cleanup implement works best for you. We will have water, light snacks, and some extra implements (likely a couple of brooms/rakes and a shovel) on hand. Hope to see you then and there!

Speak Up for a Safer Hyde Park Ave: City Council Hearing Oct. 6

Ben Bruno

Early Monday morning, yet another serious crash on Hyde Park Avenue left a pedestrian critically injured near American Legion Highway. Streetsblog MASS reports that Boston EMS transported the victim to the hospital after being struck by a driver — the latest in a long line of preventable tragedies on this corridor.

For years, residents have pushed for long‑promised safety improvements along Hyde Park Avenue. Despite hundreds of people participating in meetings and engagement processes, the City has delayed action — most recently stalling traffic‑calming measures tied to repaving near Forest Hills. As Streetsblog has noted, the administration has cited the need for “more feedback,” even as the corridor project remains without funding or a timeline. Residents living near Hyde Park have organized the Boston Better Streets Coalition to push for change.

Now, the City Council’s Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee is holding a public hearing to focus on the northern stretch of Hyde Park Ave, from Walk Hill Street to the Arborway. This is our chance to make sure the community’s voice is heard.

👉 How you can help:

  • Arrive by 5:55 pm on this coming Monday, Oct. 6 at the BTU School gym (25 Walk Hill St.) to get on the speaker list.
  • Share your own travel story — whether you walk, use a wheelchair, push a stroller, bike, take the bus, or drive.
  • Highlight the safety challenges you face and how better infrastructure could make the corridor safer and more accessible.
  • Keep it short: just 2 minutes is enough to make an impact.

If you sign up here beforehand, the Better Streets Coalition will help coordinate and offer tips on effective testimony!

If you can’t attend, you can still send written comments to the Council by email, but a strong in‑person showing is the most powerful way to push for change.

Walk Audit #2: Adams Park + Roslindale Square Area – Wed 9/17, 3:30-5pm

Ben Bruno

The 2nd walk audit of our 2025 walk audit series is coming up next week! In this, audit we’ll be examining the heart of our Roslindale community. We’ll begin in Adams Park and walk around the Roslindale Square area, observing and documenting how safe, accessible, and welcoming the streets and sidewalks are for people of all ages and abilities. Together, we can identify opportunities for improvement.

Walk Audit #2: Adams Park + Roslindale Square Area
📅 Wednesday, September 17th
🕞 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

map of walk audit area- Adams Park (meet here) and Roslindale Square area

👉 RSVP here to let us know if you’ll be joining us – while not required, this will help us prepare enough materials for everyone and know to expect you.

 

This initiative is made possible by the AARP Community Challenge, a grant program that funds quick-action projects to help communities become more livable for people of all ages. It’s part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative. Learn more at AARP.org/Livable.

New City Initiative Alert – “Spaces for You”

Matt Lawlor
Visual images of use of public spaces in Boston.
Source: Boston Planning Department.

In line with the way the Wu Administration has been seeking to emphasize systemic planning instead of project-based development review, they’re now out with a new initiative on public spaces they’re calling “Spaces for You” and which they describe at a very high level as follows:

Spaces For You is a collaborative and proactive initiative by the City of Boston to co-create, enhance, and celebrate public outdoor spaces that foster joy, belonging, and well-being for all residents. It seeks to bridge the gap between community needs and city resources, knitting together public and privately generated open spaces to create vibrant social places for all.

The project page can be found here and note that there’s a brief survey in which they’re seeking some initial feedback. Go ahead and let them know what you think!

District 5 City Council Candidate Forum – 8 July 2025 – 7 pm – Via Zoom

Matt Lawlor

We’re happy to be among the co-sponsors for the upcoming District 5 City Council Candidates Forum to be held a week from tomorrow via zoom. The registration link can be found HERE. We’d be delighted if you could attend. Thanks!

Bike to Work Day & Festival on City Hall Plaza – Friday, 16 May 2025 – WR/Roslindale Convoy Departs at 7:10 am in Adams Park

Matt Lawlor

This really is a great event every year and if you register early enough, you get a free Boston Bikes t-shirt. Get with the program if you can! Registration link is HERE.

BTD Open Houses: Roslindale Transportation Action Plan & Hyde Park Ave

Ben Bruno

Mark your calendar for two upcoming Boston Transportation Department (BTD) open houses this May!

Roslindale Transportation Action Plan Open House

Tuesday May 13th, 6:00 – 7:30pm @ St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church

BTD will be introducing the project, sharing what they’ve heard, and asking for some initial feedback. There’s no formal program and no need to stay the whole time. Come any time to meet the planners, learn about the project, and share your thoughts! See the flyer for the event.

Hyde Park Ave Multimodal Corridor Open House #3

Wednesday May 21st, 6:00pm – 8:00pm @ Boston Teachers Union School

Come listen and provide feedback on the latest design concepts for Hyde Park Ave.