11.14 making massachusetts more WalkaBle walk b By ken krauSe north Bank Bridge—our persistence paid off Sometimes successful advocacy means making sure you they were basically dooming these two new parks to very are in the right place at the right time. little use.” oston MassDOT officials were sympathetic, but said the holdup was simply due to lack of funding. Undeterred, Landman led a well-attended lunchtime walk in July 2005 to bring broader public attention to the significance of the “Lost Half Mile” in the Charles River Basin near the Zakim Bridge and the need for the promised bridges. Transportation, parks, environmental and elected officials, business and institutional representatives, local residents and commuters gathered for the walk at one of the “dead end” paths near the banks of the Charles. From there, Landman North Bank Bridge—Big Dig mitigation that almost didn’t happen. could easily point out how the bridges would link the nearby Museum of Science, Spaulding Hospital, North Early in her 10-year tenure as WalkBoston executive Point development in Cambridge, Paul Revere Park in director, Wendy Landman started attending meetings Charlestown and other destinations. of the New Charles River Basin Citizens Advisory Committee. Landman and committee members were A Boston Globe article on the morning of the walk concerned that three Charles River pedestrian bridges prompted the state Secretary of Environmental Affairs to promised in 1993 by the state as mitigation for the Big call WalkBoston and ask if he could attend, and an editorial Dig were still not constructed 12 years later. WalkBoston in the Boston Herald a few days later said constructing WalkBoston Boardi had long supported these plans for pedestrian/bicycle the bridge was “a promise that simply must be kept.” paths on both sides of the Charles River to connect the Joe Beggan David Black Then, timing again played a part. Cambridge, Charlestown and Esplanade park systems to Betsy Boveroux the Boston Harborwalk and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Amy Branger “While we were able to push the North Bank Bridge Nina Cohen “There was a long list of things the state had committed project to the top of the agenda, what ultimately got it Whitney Dailey Joyce DiBona to do that were getting done, but the three Charles River built was that it was shovel-ready when ARRA (American Mark Favermann bridges kept getting pushed down the list,” Landman Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funds became Nina Garfinkle recalls. “It was a matter of reordering the priorities. available,” Landman says. Paula Gold WalkBoston took this on as our cause, and several other Ann Hershfang the north Bank Bridge was completed and opened Betsy Johnson stakeholder organizations joined in.” Karla Karash in July 2012, a testament to WalkBoston and citizens Matt Lawlor/president Joining the conversation from the perspective of walkers advisory committee energetic advocacy over seven years. Erik Lund/counsel and bicyclists, Landman had a practical and persuasive Jerry Pucillo The other two promised pedestrian bridges – at the Bill Reyelt argument for honoring the bridge commitments. “The MBTA commuter rail bridge and the South Bank Greg Rogers/treasurer state was spending hundreds of millions of dollars Linda Sharpe/vice president Bridge – still are being designed, but you can count on creating an incredible park system that essentially was Karen Cord Taylor WalkBoston to continue to be there to make sure they a set of dead ends,” she says. “The North Bank Bridge Emma Rothfeld Yashar/secretary become a reality as well. was absolutely the critical missing piece in the plan. contacts/committeesi Without the connection and with very limited access, executive director Wendy Landman By BoB Sloane staff Stacey Beuttell the old state house corner: the corner that could Julie DeMauro Dorothea Hass Boston’s Old State House, at the corner of State and A major shortcoming of these plans was where the Brendan Kearney Congress Streets, is known for its 1713 statues of the Freedom Trail passes the corner of the Old State House Barbara Maratos British symbols—the Lion and the Unicorn—installed with its heavily-used door that leads into the Blue Laura O’Rourke Robert Sloane up where the gable meets the roof. For some 200 years, and Orange Line T stations, a spot travelled daily by interns slow-moving horse and pedestrian traffic swirled around over 26,000 people, plus another 10,000 people on Sunny Menozzi it until the streets were transformed into traffic channels the Freedom Trail. For these 36,000 daily walkers, the Kasia Hart in the 20th century that surrounded a small island where sidewalk would still to be only 6 feet wide. advocacy a ring of stones commemorated the famous Boston Karla Karash Massacre of 1770 (an event that actually took place So, WalkBoston got involved. We drew up and presented communications further down State Street!). to the MBTA plans that would narrow streets and/or Nina Garfinkle eliminate curbside parking and put that space into wide development In 2011, the MBTA was planning to redesign this sidewalks. We also recommended a raised crosswalk Emma Rothfeld Yashar intersection as part of its improvements to the State T near the MBTA entrance. While our extravagant hopes newsletter editor Christine Giraud station. Their plans eliminated one roadway to create were not all adopted, we did manage to gain a sidewalk a commodious plaza for groups of tourists walking the widened to 10 feet at the squeezed MBTA exit location Freedom Trail. and a raised crosswalk. The MBTA’s plans called for 6-foot sidewalks on both For many, this would seem a small victory. But for the sides of the street, a 24-foot wide one-way street to 36,000 people a day here, it is a significant gain—of accommodate fire trucks and MBTA buses and a 7-foot which WalkBoston is quite proud. parking lane for MBTA deliveries/pickups. 1990-2015—wow! vision zero thank you! raceWalker Microsoft NERD Center CommuterChoice We will be celebrating our 25th Zero is the number of people Millennium Partners Copley Wolff Design anniversary throughout 2015. permitted to die in Swedish traffic, New Balance Crosby, Schlessinger, NStar Smallridge renew today—don’t miss any of according to national law. Pillars Plymouth Rock Edelstein & Company the celebrations. Your support of the Swedish model include the Sasaki Environmental Business continues to make our work pos- reduction of default speed limits Stantec Council of N.E. TEC Engineering Friends of PO Square sible! Stay tuned for our schedule and the expansion of automated striders The Collaborative Gilbane of walks, talks, and events across enforcement. On many city streets, Eaton Vance Toole Design Halvorson Design Massport Massachusetts—we hope to see the speed limit has dipped below TranSystems Harpoon Brewery Partners HealthCare Zipcar Jacobs Engineering Group you there. 20 miles per hour. In a departure Robinson & Cole LifePlans from most American traffic safety Trinity Financial amBlers McMahon Assoc. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin A Better City approaches, Swedish authorities Nitsch Engineering Alta Planning & Design Parsons Brinckerhoff have generally dismissed the effects strollers Architectural Heritage STV Boston Society of of education or enforcement on Foundation Transit Realty Assoc. Architects BETA Group URS pedestrian safety. “Design around DLA Piper Barrington Wright Assoc. the human as we are,” said Claes Eastern Bank Beth Israel Deaconess contriButors Epsilon Tingvall, the director of traffic Medical Center AAA Fay, Spofford & Thorndike BEVCO Assoc. ADD safety at the Swedish Transport Goody, Clancy BSC Group BR Alexander Administration and a godfather of Goulston & Storrs CBT Architects Cambridge Traffic, Parking HMFH Architects Cabot, Cabot & Forbes & Transportation the “Vision Zero plan.” HNTB Carol R. Johnson Directr New York Times 05/1/2014 HYM Investment Cecil Group Leers Weinzapfel Assoc. Howard/Stein-Hudson Cetrulo LLP Modell’s MassDevelopment communities. communities. environment and vibrant vibrant and environment cleaner a health, better Massachusetts to encourage encourage to Massachusetts walking safer and easier in in easier and safer walking makes WalkBoston mission www.walkboston.org [email protected] [email protected] F: 617.367.9285 617.367.9285 F: T: 617.367.9255 617.367.9255 T: walkboston.org/donate MA Boston, 02108 School Street School 45 ! today donate Please walk oston b 11.14 our successes TM By ChriStine Giraud teens and seniors shoot [speedguns] Why walk audits matter This October 25th, with support from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation, For years WalkBoston has been using the walk audit as a tool for Massachusetts WalkBoston held “Speed Gun Day,” a day where teenagers and seniors communities to analyze the state of walkability in their areas. A walk audit is measured street speeds throughout Brookline in order to make walking safer. used to assess the walking environment of a street, school environment, or neighborhood. It helps point out deficiencies such as missing sidewalks or Seniors and teens walk more than other people, according to WalkBoston. curb ramps, obstacles, and offers concrete solutions for improvement. Many teens walk because they are too young to drive or don’t have access to cars. Seniors often walk to stay in shape or because they’re worried about Fall River recently received a $10,000 grant as part of a collaboration driving safety. Nationally, the largest numbers of people killed or seriously between the MA Dept. of Public Health Mass in Motion and the MA Assoc. injured in crashes with cars fall into these two age groups. of Councils on Aging. Julie Kelly, who oversees the Fall River Mass in Motion program, and Pauline Gousie, Director of Fall River’s Council on Aging, used This past spring, WalkBoston used speed guns to measure average speeds the funds to assess conditions around the Niagara and Flint Senior Centers at 16 spots in Coolidge Corner.