Welcome

Welcome to Newton Streets and Sidewalks.

The intent of this weblog is to keep an eye on issues that matter to those of us who care about the condition of Newton's neighborhoods, particularly as they relate to making it safe, easy, and fun to walk and ride bikes.

Since the focus of the blog is Newton, there will be posts about specific problems and opportunities in Newton. What's going on -- in City Hall and elsewhere -- to reduce the negative impact of traffic in your neighborhood.

There will also be more general posts. What's happening in other cities -- nearby and around the world -- to deal with issues similar to what we face in Newton.

While a blog has its virtues, it's a lousy host for reference material. So NS&S has a companion wiki: newtonstreets.wiki-site.com. On the wiki we will collect detailed information about problem areas in Newton. For each of these problem areas, we hope to provide a description of the problem, proposed solutions, photos, diagrams, a history of activity, status of improvement efforts, and, we hope, a description of an installed solution.

In short, we'll use the blog to post brief updates and the wiki to provide the broader picture.

The blog and the wiki grow out of an assumption that there are many of us that care about the same sets of issues -- calming traffic, making biking safer, making things more pedestrian-friendly -- but that we are dealing with these issues by addressing specific problems in our neighborhoods. We'll have more success with our local problems if we foster a community of like-minded people, recognize that our neighborhood problems are part of a larger context, and convince the city that dealing with these problems comprehensively will make Newton a much nicer city.

Please contact Sean Roche (sean[dot]roche[at]gmail.com) with tips, news, updates, &c.

Thanks.