The next public meeting on Woodland Road is March 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the deWitt Auditorium, Winslow Hall, on the Lasell College Campus.
Because Lasell College student Kevin Flaherty died, the college community and the immediate neighborhood have put a lot of pressure on the city to solve the particular problems of Woodland Road. The last public meeting drew hundreds of people.
But, Kevin Flaherty's death shouldn't just matter to the Lasell community. And, the heightened attention given to Woodland Road because of his death should not be squandered on the resolution of the problems on Woodland Road alone. Keven Flaherty is not the only pedestrian to have died in Newton recently. Nor is Woodland Road the only unsafe or problematic street.
While there are some people in and out of city government who care about pedestrian safety and other traffic-related issues on a city-wide basis, traffic issues are typically raised and addressed neighborhood-by-neighborhood and problem-by-problem. The problems of a neighborhood only get support from the neighbors. And, the neighbors only consider traffic issues in the context of their neighborhood.
That's gotta change. The problems of Woodland Road should matter, even to those of us who never travel it. And, Kevin Flaherty's death merits more than change to a relatively small length of the city's roads.
Anyone with a traffic problem in their neighborhood should attend this meeting to make sure that the city addresses Woodland Road and all the other areas in the city where motor vehicle traffic is having a negative impact on safety and quality of life.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Woodland Road Meeting
Irony alert
Keen observers might notice that the hedge in this picture (which I sent to the mayor) is the same sidewalk-blocking vegetation that I've complained to the DPW about.
What's the irony depicted? City policy to plow streets and not school-route sidewalks directly benefits the homeowner who has ignored the DPW's request to cut back the pedestrian-blocking hedge.
Previously: Dangerous Sidewalk Letter to Mayor Cohen
Update: Sidwalk Consuming Hedge
From the gargantuan to the tiny (but not trivial)
Inconvenient and dangerous
Here are the streets on which I saw pedestrians walking in the roadway between 5:30 and 6:00 tonight and last night:
- Beacon
- Needham
- Centre/Winchester (near the Route 9 overpass)
- Parker
- Washington
But, there is no question that it is a serious safety issue when the sidewalks get so little attention that people are walking in the streets with moderate-to-heavy traffic in the early hours of darkness.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Dangerous Sidewalk Letter to Mayor Cohen
Here's what I just sent to the mayor:
Walking my son from our home on Daniel Street to Bowen School this morning was difficult and dangerous. Treacherous would not be an exaggeration. Because of the good work by the DPW overnight, the same trip by car would have been easy. That's good service delivery to motorists, but lousy public policy.
On the walk to school, my son fell. Hard. On the way back, a woman fell, cut her head, and needed my help getting up. (My son will be fine. The woman was bleeding a fair bit, but appeared fine, too.) I would be very surprised if there were not other minor accidents that I did not witness. Certainly there was a high risk of a serious incident.
Mine is a widely used route to Bowen. On a good day scores of parents and school children walk the sidewalk on the North sides of Daniel and Jackson to Cypress. I cannot conceive of a reason why this pedestrian corridor doesn't get the same level of snow removal attention as major, much less minor streets.
The attached photo paints a damning picture. I took it standing on White Avenue where it intersects with Jackson Street. Jackson is the street running roughly vertical on the right side of the photo.
There are thirteen homes on White Avenue. While it is not completely cleared, it has clearly been plowed more than once. The sidewalk along Jackson, which is used by a large part of the Bowen community, is untouched by the city or city contractors. Some portions of the sidewalk have been shoveled by residents, but no parts are clear. Indeed, the shoveled sections are the most ice-bound and slippery.
Please note that the snow removed for the White Avenue residences is blocking the way for elementary school children and their parents.
At a time when we should be doing everything reasonably possible to reverse the disturbing increase in car traffic to our schools, the city's policies and practices not only encourage driving over walking, those practices and policies actually make it more dangerous to walk than to drive.
It is not an answer to say that this was an exceptional storm. It was an exceptional storm, no question. But, the unique qualities of the storm (lots of ice accumulation, for one) just highlight the policy discrimination in favor of motorists over pedestrians. Most storms don't result in such diametrically opposed conditions on the roads and sidewalks. But, sidewalks always fare far worse than streets.
This storm also highlights the inadequacy of resident response. Many of my neighbors and I did our best efforts to keep our sidewalks clear. But, we have jobs so could not keep at the task during the day. And, we don't have ready stores of sand and salt to deal with the ice accumulation.
To be clear, my concern is not with the quality of the work that DPW does, nor with the amount of money dedicated to snow removal. My concern is with the snow removal priorities.
I would be happy to work with you on the problem of snow removal on school routes and the two related larger problems: snow removal on pedestrian routes and encouraging children to work to school all the time. Already, at Commissioner Rooney's suggestion, I have joined the Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force. And, inspired by David Koses' work on school-related traffic issues, I will be working with Dr. Kelly and others on a Safe Routes to School application for Bowen.
I'm sure there are lots of creative, cost-effective ways to make our sidewalks more hospitable in the winter ... and throughout the year.
But, this is one issue that clearly requires -- and deserves -- leadership from the top. Please make it a priority to provide clear sidewalks for school children.
Our kids should have it at least as good as our drivers.
Thank you.
Sean Roche
42 Daniel Street
Newton Centre, MA
617 792-8998
cc:
Dr. Jeffrey Young, Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Patricia Kelly, Principal, Bowen Elementary School
Alderman Vicki Danberg, Ward 6
Alderman George Mansfield, Ward 6
Alderman Ken Parker, Ward 6
Alderman Christine Samuelson, Chairman of Public Safety & Transportation
Public Works Commissioner Robert Rooney
David Koses, Traffic Planner
Jeremy Solomon, Director of Policy and Communication
Greg Reibman, TAB and TAB Blog
Chuck Tanowitz, The Garden City
I cc'd John Bliss, Bike/Pedestrian Task Force, when I sent my letter to the mayor, but neglected him on the list of cc: recipients.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Sidewalk Snowplowing Solution
Here's a solution to our sidewalk snow-clearing challenges ... a snow-eating robot that navigates by GPS and video cameras. A roomba for sidewalks.
This bright yellow little machine doesn't just push the snow around, it processes the snow into bricks that can be repurposed for cooling (like that's a pressing need on snowy days).
Link from Gizmodo (sophomoric content alert).
Plowing map in DPW Customer Service
I saw something neat while I was in DPW Customer Service about my sidewalk and light issues. On a computer display visible from the customer side of the Customer Service desk, was a color-coded map of the city, divided into zones. Karen on the other side of the desk explained to me that the color coding shows how many plowing passes the different zones have received. The snow-plow operators call in as they plow and she updates the map.
What a great tool.
It would be really cool if the city could figure out how to make that chart visible on the web site. (Do not misunderstand this as a requirement for transparency. There's nothing about the chart that must be made available. It's just be a friendly suggestion.)
Bowen School Zone light
I have noticed that the School Zone light is not on in the mornings when I drop my son off at Bowen. Today, while I was in DPW Customer Service, I asked that it be looked into.
I'll follow up in a little while and report back.
Update: Sidwalk Consuming Hedge
I stopped by DPW Customer Service this morning to follow up on my request to have a hedge on Jackson Street trimmed to allow us to use the full width of the sidewalk. (Thoughtful, no, to bother DPW during a storm about problems unrelated to the storm?)
DPW has sent the homeowner two notices. The nice DPW employee (Karen) was surprised that two notices had not been sufficient to result in some trimming. She's going to escalate the issue.
Previously: From the gargantuan to the tiny (but not trivial)
Monday, February 12, 2007
Thought for the day
From Allen Jacobs :
The reason great intersections work is because of the creation of a pedestrian realm where the cars know this. When streets become unsafe, it is almost always when the pedestrian realm does not exist.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Extension of the MBTA #60 bus
Looks like the #60 bus has been extended (PDF) to add a new stop at the Mall at Chestnut Hill, just west of the new Bloomingdale's women's store. The new route eliminates the stop under the Route 9 overpass. (Tip from Adam Peller.)
I'm not a transit-junkie and don't pretend to have a grasp on the nuances of individual bus routes. It appears to me that the change corresponds to the Bloomingdale's women's store move. It used to stop near Bloomingdale's. Bloomingdale's moved. Now it stops near Bloomingdale's new location. Maybe it's just coincidence.
But, it does have some interesting implications for the Chestnut Hill Square project. One of the changes New England Development promised in the Final Environmental Impact Report was to work with the MBTA and the Mall at Chestnut Hill to extend the route. Check that one off the list.
The route change also bears on the pedestrian bridge. One possible use case supporting the bridge was people working or shopping at the Mall at Chestnut Hill and using the pedestrian bridge to get to the Chestnut Hill Square bus stop. This assumes that the bus would not stop on the north side of Route 9.
Unless the MBTA eliminates this new stop, that use case vanishes. And, there's nothing about the bus route, the proposed changes to Route 9, or the pedestrian bridge that suggests that the MBTA would or should change the route.
It doesn't make sense to me that they would eliminate a stop at the Mall at Chestnut Hill in favor of the proposed Chestnut Hill Square stop when getting from the Mall to the CHS stop would involve crossing the parking lot and the pedestrian bridge and then getting down a flight of steps or an elevator. Especially when eliminating the Mall stop only saves the loop through the Mall parking lot.
But, what do I know?
Note: Adam wonders why the bus, having negotiated the Langley jug-handle, doesn't stop at the Atrium. I suspect because they don't have the space in the driveway. Also, Simon has a new shuttle between the Atrium and the Mall at Chestnut Hill, making it possible for Atrium shoppers and workers to use the bus. (I wrote "shoppers and workers" because it seems proper to do so. But, seriously, who's taking the bus and a shuttle to shop at Tiffany's or get a Greta Cole manicure?)
Biking, Writing Grandmother
New NS&S buddy Molly Schaeffer has a terrific bike article in this week's Tab, on the monthly Environmental page. (Page 26 in the dead-tree version. Not online yet.)
Molly and her husband have committed to one car between them, so she's got little choice to bike to and from work and around Newton.
Molly's article discusses the health benefits of biking and the infrastructure needed to make biking more prevalent.
My favorite quote:
We drive everywhere and make many highly polluting short trips. Then we complain about the traffic.
Totally New Idea
Tonight's Draft Comprehensive Plan Workshop was an interesting exercise in (too quickly) identifying citizen concerns and priorities to see how well the draft plan corresponds.
We were divided into groups by topic. Each person was asked to think of two sets of three goals for the city within the topic -- one set of blue-sky goals and another of more realistic goals. Once we listed all the individual goals, we voted on our top three blue-sky and realistic goals, which were the only goals reported out of committee to the larger group.
In the Transportation brainstorming, most of the ideas were familiar, though passionately presented. One was totally out of left field: make transit familiarity a requirement for high school graduation.
Our young people should be competent in getting around the region by public transportation.
Love it.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Why the Transporation goals are soft: bikers are the problem.
A very ominous statement at the Draft Comprehensive Plan Workshop this evening. In response to comments by Molly Schaefer and me about the lack of specific, measurable goals in the Transportation and Mobility section (particularly as it relates to bicycle and pedestrian access), Phil Herr informed us that, in essence, we're lucky even to get the pro-bike language that's in the section. According to Mr. Herr, there is a substantial contingent within the community that think bicyclists are part of the city's traffic problem and shouldn't be afforded accommodations. (I'm paraphrasing from memory. If I got something wrong, somebody let me know.)
I'm having a tough time attributing the sentiment to something other than a belief that roads exist solely for purpose of moving cars and trucks as quickly as possible, and that any limitation on the right to free motor vehicle travel is a problem. If there's a more charitable explanation, I'm all ears.
In one sense it's a non-zero sum game. Holistically looking at the interests in the city, we're going to have a more livable city if we can figure out how to implement a better balance among modes of transport and how to reduce car and truck traffic volumes and speeds. That would, necessarily, include making the city more friendly to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
But, from the perspective of the individual motorist, it's more of a zero-sum game. The more that he has to share the road, the less road there is for him. In any given encounter with a bicyclist, any delay attributable to the bicyclist means that the bicyclist has contributed to his personal traffic woes.
What's the consequence for the Draft Comprehensive Plan? The process by which the plan was adopted was, by design, a collaborative one, aiming to arrive at a consensus for presentation, ultimately, to the Board of Alderman and the Mayor. In a consensus-driven process, the status quo will almost always triumph over change. (The proponent of change typically has the burden of proving consensus, so failing to achieve it sees the proposed change dropped. Nobody ever said to a proponent of the status quo: You don't have unanimity for your resistance to change, therefore we're going to have some change.)
The Transportation and Mobility section that is currently on track to be presented to the Board of Alderman and the Mayor deprives them of a chance to show real leadership in making Newton a city of livable streets.
I don't want to overstate this. The language of the section is overall bike- and pedestrian-friendly and the goals are certainly not anti-bike or anti-pedestrian. And, weak or modest bike/pedestrian goals in the Comprehensive Plan won't limit what specific measures the Mayor or the Aldercritters can take in the future.
But, it is an important document and an important opportunity. We should provide the Board of Alderman and the Mayor with an opportunity to adopt stronger language.
More details to follow ...
Previously: Draft Comprehensive Plan -- Transportation and Mobility
Why isn't City Hall in a village?
Why isn't City Hall the anchor tenant in Newton Centre or another transit-supported village? It's a shame that city staff can't take transit to work, that they can't (reasonably) walk to lunch or lunch-time shopping, that the nearly all-day activity at City Hall isn't adding to the vitality of one of the villages.
Possible, long-shot scenario: rather than renovate the rather decrepit City Hall, tear it down in favor of a use that it less transit-optimized (day care or an elementary school come to mind). Build a new City Hall in Newton Centre.
Now that would show a commitment to livable streets!
Update: My charge that City Hall is not served by transit is inaccurate. There is a bus line that serves City Hall. But, shouldn't it be closer to one of the many T stops in the city?
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
When's mitigation mitigation?
On the Tab's blog, Christopher Loh commendably noted my skepticism with New England Development's claim that they have committed $13.5 million to mitigation. (Mr. Loh's Tab article with the New England Development claim. My original entry questioning the mitigation.)
Mr. Loh, appropriately, turned my skepticism back on me, asking the basis for my conclusion that some claimed mitigation should not be considered mitigation. Herewith a summary of my reply ...
The key question is whether or not New England Development will realize a direct and substantial benefit from a proposed measure. If so, then it seems a bit much to suggest that it is a mitigation measure.
Looking at the signalized cut in Route 9 and the widening of Route 9 to 8 lanes, it seems pretty clear that the key beneficiary is Chestnut Hill Square. Without the cut in Route 9, some potential Chestnut Hill Square visitors will pass on a visit rather than deal with an already overloaded Langley Road turnaround. And, if you have a cut in Route 9 and lights, without the road widening you'll have congestion at the intersection from the undifferentiated mix of Chestnut Hill Square traffic and through traffic. CHS-bound cars stopped at a green light waiting to turn left will back up through traffic, which will back up CHS-bound traffic, which will ... you get the point. More disincentive to shop at CHS.
A counterfactual hypothetical might help. If the city (with the commonwealth's blessing) were to say, "We need the tax revenue so badly, we don't even care if you mitigate," would New England Development make the signalized cut in Route 9 and widen Route 9?
For $3.5 million or so, they'd be foolish not to.
Previously: NED's Overstated mitigation commitment
