A cloudy but not too cold day. We had six stalwarts (see photo below, one of our number had to leave a couple minutes earlier) and note that the Dynamic Duo of Guptill and Tedrow kept their perfect record intact. Being out at this location, which was the subject of a Vision Zero Rapid Response installation after Silvia Acosta’s death last year, reminded us that we need to follow up, repair the broken/missing flexposts, and move toward making the installation permanent. And so on we go!
No peppy name this time. This will be the fourth and final installment of our standout series. The location this time is at the main southern entrance to our neighborhood and the place where our neighbor, Silvia Acosta, was killed by a hit and run driver while crossing Washington Street in a crosswalk. It would be great to top last week’s 14 participants, so feel free to bring a sign along with yourself and your great attitude. Thanks in advance!!!
Here’s the photo:
I count a total of 13 in the photo who held signs (there are a couple of fellow travelers mixed in) and one of our number took it, so that’s 14 – one more person than we had signs. Messrs. Guptill and Tedrow are in the running for perfect 25 mph standout attendance!!!
We here at WalkUP Roslindale have been talking up BTD’s Neighborhood Slow Streets (NSS) program since they released the application package a few weeks ago. We even went so far as to host a workshop a bit over a month ago to inform and encourage our neighbors all across this great neighborhood to band together and apply. At this point, we are aware of at least 4 separate NSS applications in Roslindale that are in production and almost certain to be submitted by the March 24 deadline. They are listed below with contact information, their draft area maps, and, where available, links to the online surveys for residents in those areas to weigh in on their concerns and support for the concept of making our residential streets safer through calmed traffic:
Longfellow Area (from Knoll to Congreve, between Centre and South/Walter plus the spur of South from the Walter-South intersection to the commuter rail station): LINK to survey. Contact: Rob Orthman, robert.orthman@nullgmail.com.
Lower South Street (South/Bussey intersection down through the Archdale bridge, covering the side streets between South and Washington to Firth and then crossing Washington to pick up the side streets between Florence and Washington down to Cummins). SURVEY LINK. Contact: Steve Gag, stevengag@nullgmail.com.
Metropolitan Hill/Beech Street (Metropolitan to Beech, Washington to Poplar): LINK here. Contact: Sarah Kurpiel Lee, stk1221@nullgmail.com.
Mount Hope/Canterbury (residential side streets off of American Legion, from Walk Hill and Mount Hope to Cummins). Contact: Lisa Beatman, lisabeatman@nullyahoo.com.
The forecast is for much warmer weather. I am accordingly hoping we won’t look this cold:
And your faithful correspondent will stand a round of coffee/hot chocolate at Green T to all participants promptly upon conclusion of the standout at Noon!!! BE THERE, BEYOND THUNDERDOME!!!!!
WalkUP Roslindale’s Standout #2 is ON. Location is noted above. We’ll convene near the fire station on the Cummins side and fan out around the intersection for an hour of promoting the new citywide default speed limit. Though the forecast looks chilly, we will forge ahead. We would love to see you there, so bundle up and come on down!!!
PS Last week’s standout received positive coverage in this week’s Roslindale Bulletin: WalkUP reminds everyone 25 is the limit!
REPORT FROM THE FIELD OF THE SECOND STANDOUT: Very cold again!! Standout participants numbered six — Mses. Beatman, Phillips, and (Lynn), and Messrs. Guptill, Tedrow, and Lawlor. On to #3 – Walter/South!!
Pictured: Liz, Matt, and Steve (L to R).
Your standout standouts this morning were a magnificent 7 – Mses. Phillips, Graham-Meredith, and Moshtaghi, and Messrs. Guptill, Tedrow, Gag, and your faithful correspondent. Reaction from those we saw exercising all modes of travel — including cars — was positive. Many thumbs-up and horn-honks and even a brief conversation a handful of times about the new 25 mph default speed limit, why it’s so important, and how it works. Hoping to see a bigger turnout for our next installment on what will hopefully be a slightly warmer day:
NEXT WALKUP ROSLINDALE 25 MPH STANDOUT: Saturday, March 11, 2017, 11 am @ American Legion/Cummins/Canterbury (meet next to the fire station)
REMINDER: Despite the cold temps forecast, we are going to stick with our first standout tomorrow morning, March 4, 2017 @ 11 am, at Washington & Cummins in Roslindale Square (Adams Park side of Washington). Bundle up and come on down!
Motivated by the common sense concept that slower vehicle speeds lead to safer streets, Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Walsh, recently exercised its local option to reduce the citywide speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph as of January 9. To draw attention to and increase awareness of this important change, WalkUP Roslindale will be organizing 60-minute standouts with hand-held signs around our neighborhood on each of the next 4 Saturdays.
Each standout will start at 11 am and end at 12 pm. The locations are as follows:
March 4 – Roslindale Square (meet on Adams Park side of Cummins/Washington)
March 11 – 5-way American Legion/Canterbury/Cummins (meet by the fire station)
March 18 – Walter/South (meet by Green T)
March 25 – Washington at WR Parkway (meet by the Dunkin Donuts)
We have secured a baker’s dozen signs from Councilor O’Malley (many thanks!), but it would be also be terrific for those interested in participating to bring your own homemade signs promoting the change as well. Thanks!!
On this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (according to the World Health Organization, 1.2 million people killed every year by traffic violence and 50 million injured), we are dismayed to report another serious pedestrian crash in our neighborhood. On Friday, a nine-year old boy was hit by a car shortly after stepping off his school bus at the intersection of Metropolitan Ave and Kittredge Street. The most informative media report comes from WCVB: Boy recovering after being hit by car in Roslindale. We extend our sympathy to the boy and his family, and wish him the speediest possible recovery.
Although it looks like the child will recover, we must remember it is predictable and indeed certain that crashes like this will happen again and again until and unless we do more than pay lip service to Vision Zero Boston. A quick look at the intersection, which is in the middle of a slope just past a peak limiting line-of-sight visibility, reveals a stark absence of critical infrastructure to protect people on foot: no crosswalk, no traffic calming, no curb bump-outs, not even a stop sign on the main street in a densely settled area with chronic speeding problems. There are dozens (perhaps hundreds) of intersections like this in Roslindale alone, and the fact that people keep getting hit and occasionally killed by cars in them is a reminder that these incidents are crashes, not accidents.
It’s time to demand more. We can’t just wait for someone to be seriously or fatally injured on a one-off basis to take a look at specific street crossings, and then spend a year patching up that one spot. Sign the Vision Zero Petition, speak to your neighbors, and tell your elected leaders and appointed bureaucrats at every possible opportunity that it’s time to proactively address road safety across the entire city. There are plenty of successful examples to follow, but at the rate we’re going now it will be a century or more before we realize the core Vision Zero principle: No loss of life is acceptable.
We are delighted that the Boston City Council’s Committee on Parks, Recreation & Transportation has announced a series of public discussions, in partnership with Northeastern University Professor Peter G. Furth, on several critical topics. These discussions will be held in the Iannella Chamber on the 5th Floor of City Hall, and also livestreamed at http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/live.asp. Come in person to be part of the conversation, and please spread the word! Kudos to City Council President Michelle Wu for taking the major leadership role to make this happen.
See also this flyer for these events. Questions or comments to Henry Cohen at 617-635-3115.