Boston’s Vision Zero Action Plan and sharing the Arboretum Gateway Path with our friends at LivableStreets’ 10-in-1 Street Talk

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As part of our effort to spread the word and gather more support for the Arboretum Gateway Path concept, I was excited to have the opportunity to do a 7 minute presentation at LivableStreets Alliance’s 10-in-1 Street Talk last Wednesday night at the Old South Meeting House downtown. This is the 10th anniversary for these talks, and they’re a great way to connect with folks who have similar interests and advocating for making our streets and public places better and safer for everyone. LivableStreets has posted some photos from the event on their facebook page. I’ll share the video of the whole thing as soon as I see it posted in a public forum, but I was most struck during the evening by the presentation from Mark Chase of Somerville Neighborways. You should check out the images on the website, especially the concept of stressing the importance and local ownership of key intersections with resident-organized and applied graphics painted directly on the pavement. Pretty impressive and something that we should look into doing here in Roslindale – I have my own thoughts on where, and I’m sure others in our neighborhood do as well.

The evening got off to a great start with the semi-surprise of the Mayor’s announcement of the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan in a short video, which was followed by reinforcing remarks from BTD Commissioner Gina Fiandaca. Chief of Streets Chris Osgood was also personally in attendance to emphasize the importance of the announcement. The whole action plan is worth looking at and taking part in as it moves forward. But I would say that among the most interesting  and important early action items is the institution of neighborhood slow speed zones in the Talbot-Norfolk triangle near Codman Square in Dorchester and between Washington Street and Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain’s Stonybrook section. My own understanding is that this is mainly a matter of lowering the speed limit from 30 to 20 mph and highlighting that fact with signage and enhanced crosswalk treatments and related measures. Bottom line: The pilots are a great idea, long past due, yet fundamentally every residential area in the city should get the same treatment, as soon as the city can get the standard package set next spring and summer through the pilots and then roll them out. The data on vehicle speed vs. fatality rates for pedestrians are uniform on pointing to the shift from 30 to 20 pm as being absolutely essential. If we can get actual vehicle speeds to that lower level on our neighborhood streets, we will have accomplished something of real and lasting value.

Healy Playground

Healy Playground – Public Meeting – Monday 12/14/15 6:30pm at Archdale Community Center

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Healy PlaygroundQuality parks and playgrounds are another essential element to our WalkUP vision. There’s an opportunity next week to make your voice heard and show the city that we care about better facilities in Roslindale. Attend this meeting about planned improvements to Healy Playground (the playground at 160 Florence Street, off of Washington Street). Details:

Time: Monday, December 14, 2015 6:30pm-8pm
Location: BCYF Archdale Community Center, 125 Brookway Road
Contcat: Cathy Baker-Eclipse at Boston Parks and Recreation Department, 617-961-3058, Cathy.Baker-Eclipse@nullboston.gov

See also this full-page flyer for the event.

Spread the word!

Walk Audit Complete

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This past weekend, an intrepid group of about two dozen Roslindale walkers itemized the many ways in which the square’s pedestrian environment should be improved, with the help of our friends at WalkBoston. The event was a great success. Stay tuned for a full report and action plan in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please check out this slideshow that was presented to the group before the walk in the 2 Belgrade Ave (former Select Cafe) space; also see WalkBoston’s latest e-news bulletin for their report on the audit. The bulletin also includes lots of other useful information, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already.

Walk Audit Group
Some of the Rozzie Square Walk Audit participants gathered in Select Cafe space
100 Weld Street Rendering

WalkUP Roslindale in the News – 100 Weld Street Approved

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100 Weld Street RenderingWe’ve posted multiple times about the proposed development at 100 Weld Street, which recently won approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The project could have been better–we would have especially liked to see more mixed use (i.e. retail) and a more progressive approach to parking–but on balance we supported the proposal because it should revitalize vacant space, benefit the business district, and help with the housing crisis. Earlier this month, the Roslindale Bulletin ran a feature on the BRA approval, quoting our own Matt Lawlor. The full article is reproduced below.

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Join Us for Rozzie Square “Walk Audit” December 5, 2015 at 9am at 2 Belgrade Avenue

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Would you like to help improve the pedestrian environment around Roslindale Square?

We’re doing a “Walk Audit” foot tour with the help of WalkBoston to identify the most pressing issues with sidewalks, intersections, traffic signals, and crosswalks, so we
can bring them to the attention of the right City departments and GET THEM FIXED!

WHEN: Saturday, December 5, 2015 9am‐11am
WHERE: Starting inside 2 Belgrade Ave
(a/k/a the former “Select Café” and “Emack and Bolio’s”)
WHY: Because a walkable community is a healthy community.

RSVP to info@nullwalkuproslindale.org or on the Facebook event page or on the Nextdoor event page.

Please check out our full-page flyer and tear-off flyer for this event. Feel free to post widely.

Stay tuned here for any last minute weather announcements.

Centre and Walter Intersection

Official WalkUP Roslindale Comment Letter – Centre Street Corridor Study

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Centre and Walter Intersection
Intersection of Centre and Walter Streets

We sent our third WalkUP comment letter today, providing feedback on the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Centre Street Corridor Study, focusing specifically on the intersection of Centre and Walter Streets, quite likely the most crash-prone intersection in all of Roslindale. We hope DCR will consider our comments seriously and ensure improvements to this area benefit users of all modes of transportation. In addition, because the redesign and construction are likely years away, we emphasize the need to make common-sense easy improvements today, such as flexi-poles and  lane-narrowing, which will save lives and prevent serious injuries while we are waiting for the longer process to complete.

The comment period is open until November 30, 2015. Please add your voice (select “Improved Multi-Modal Safety and Access to Emerald Necklace Parks in Jamaica Plain (Centre Street)” from the drop-down list)!

The content of our letter is reproduced below.

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Urban Moneyball for Walkability

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Thought-provoking episode of Christopher Lydon’s Open Source podcast, featuring Mayor Walsh’s chief of staff Daniel Arrigg Koh among others, about the city’s ambitious move toward a “Moneyball” statistical/evidence-based approached to government. There are benefits as well as perils to this approach–we need to make sure we measure the right things, protect against “gaming” the system, and not lose sight of the forest for the trees (or, in this case, for micro-level data). The opportunities to promote walkability through a data driven approach are manifold and exciting, however, and better collection and use of data is key to the Vision Zero Initiative.

We recommend the entire episode which repeatedly touches on issues of transportation, walkability, density, and vibrant neighborhoods, but if you only have a minute, check out this snippet from city planner Jeff Speck, Boston-area resident and author of Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, who called in to highlight the importance of walkability metrics.

(download link)

Also of interest is a somewhat contrary perspective on the “knowledge economy” and its ill impacts on neighborhood character from the Baffler’s John Summers, who bemoans the transformation of Central Square later in the episode, expressing the general sentiment of his article The People’s Republic of Zuckerstan.

Go Boston 2030

Go Boston 2030 Idea Roundtable – Roslindale Session Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015 at Roslindale Community Center

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Go Boston 2030RSVP here.

Earlier this year, Mayor Walsh announced Imagine Boston 2030, the first citywide planning process in 50 years. The Imagine Boston 2030 process is an opportunity and a framework for WalkUP Roslindale supporters to advance our vision of a walkable neighborhood and a walkable city where people of all ages will have ample convenient and safe options for getting around by foot, bicycle, and transit. The 2030 target date is far enough away that we could make substantial investments and improvements in that time frame, but close enough that we should be moving ideas into policy and policy into practice starting now. But it will only live up to its potential if residents speak up and engage in the process.

One important part of the Imagine Boston 2030 citywide effort is Go Boston 2030, “an initiative to envision a bold transportation future for the city.” Go Boston 2030 has been holding visioning meetings at various locations throughout the city, and the Rozzie session is set for Thursday of this week.

The Go Boston 2030 Idea Roundtables are designed to gather transportation project and policy ideas that would most affect our lives. By donating your ideas, you will contribute to planning a transportation future that works for everyone. It is important that those who share our vision of making Roslindale the most walkable neighborhood in Boston turn out and speak up. Details below:

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2015
Time: 6pm – 8:30pm
Location:

Roslindale Community Center
6 Cummins Hwy

Spread the word!

RSVP Link

Go Boston 2030 Roundtable Invite
Go Boston 2030 Roundtable Invite
"Alternative 1"

Update from the Nov. 10, 2015 Community DCR Meeting re Centre/Walter Intersection

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"Alternative 1"
“Alternative 1”
As noted earlier, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (“DCR”) held an additional public meeting about potential redesign of the Centre Street Corridor in Roslindale on November 10, 2015. The meeting was reasonably well attended with a robust discussion about the significant problems with existing conditions at the troublesome Walter & Centre Street intersection, among others, and potential design alternatives. The majority of the spoken comments offered were consistent with key WalkUP principles. Although the latest presentation has not (yet) been posted, a copy of the presentation from the 10/7/15 meeting concerning the same area is available on the DCR website. WalkUp Roslindale is working on a formal comment letter advocating in favor of alternative 1 and emphasizing that any design must better incorporate pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure.

"Alternative 2"
“Alternative 2”
The redesign project, which is not currently funded by the state legislature, will not be implemented for at least three years, in the best of circumstances. It is important for Roslindale residents and WalkUP supporters to voice how critical the project is for the walkability and cycleabilty of Roslindale.

The comment period has been extended to November 30, 2015.

Send a comment to DCR and note specifically:

  • DCR should make pedestrian and cycling access and usability a priority in a design and not be treated–as in the existing conditions–as second to automobile use.
  • A traffic light (alternatives 1 and 2) is an essential component of pedestrian and cyclist safety and must be included.
  • Key abutters, including the residents, employers and visitors of day care centers, senior housing facilities and a rehabilitation hospital complex require safe, usable and convenient crossing of both Walter and Centre Streets.

Finally, in our continued effort to avoid confusion, we remind you that this is separate from the process underway with respect to the nearby intersection of Walter and Bussey Streets.

Bussey and Walter Intersection

Walter and Bussey Intersection Slated for Redesign – Let’s Make It Better!

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Bussey and Walter Intersection
Bussey and Walter Intersection

We recently learned that the city plans to rebuild the intersection of Walter and Bussey Street, a problematic spot for pedestrians and bicyclists at the edge of the Arnold Arboretum adjacent the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and not far from the Sophia Snow House on Centre Street. Although the new design represents an improvement, it is a long way from achieving Complete Streets standards and moving us toward Vision Zero: that no one should die or be seriously injured from transportation on our public ways. We are also troubled by the apparent lack of public notice and comment on a project like this that has significant impacts on our quality of life and would benefit from community input.

New Proposed Design for Walter-Bussey Intersection
New Proposed Design for Walter-Bussey Intersection

Fortunately, our close allies from the Livable Streets Alliance have sent a detailed letter to the City’s new Chief of Streets, Chris Osgood, detailing problems with the new design. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we are reproducing LSA’s letter below, which we endorse wholeheartedly. If you want to help make this intersection better, please contact your City Councilors and neighborhood liaisons and demand that the Department of Public Works hold public meetings and hear from the neighborhood before plowing ahead with this project. Although the plans appear to be final, this should not be a done deal. The work hasn’t started yet, so let’s make it better.

Finally, to dispel any confusion, note this is not the same intersection nor the same process currently underway regarding the Walter-Centre Street intersection. That project is under DCR control; we’ll have an update on the recent community meeting in Rozzie about this shortly.

Update: WalkBoston has also sent a comment letter.

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