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This is the hardest email I have written to you.
- Jackie Douglas, Executive Director
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I am sad and angry. And determined to make a change.
On June 22nd, I read in the news that my former neighbor Jack and his girlfriend Jessica were killed while walking down Beacon Street sidewalk when a car hit them. I was speechless.
Then, a week later, there were two car crashes in front of my house in Jamaica Plain caused by people driving too fast. Luckily everyone walked away, but not without injuries. I was jolted.
It seems every other day this summer there is news of people getting hurt or killed on our streets - and those are just the cases that make the news. We hear stories every day about your near misses and close calls as you try to get around the city safely.
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| Street Ambassador Bruce Lederer calls for #SaferStreets at a recent rally on Cambridge St. in Allston, where a person walking was recently killed. (photo credit: Glen Berkowitz) |
A city-wide commitment to Vision Zero would shift the priority of transportation policies and projects from speed to safety, with the philosophy that crashes can be avoided if streets are designed to protect all people.
Ask Mayor Walsh to commit to Vision Zero today.
At LivableStreets, we envision a city where children and adults can travel confidently on foot, and by bike, transit, or car. And, we know that good street design - like cycle tracks, traffic calming, and improved traffic signalization - combined with good policies, education, and enforcement can dramatically reduce crashes.
However, we're not there yet. I'm tired of hearing that streets are not being designed with you in mind. Another tragic example is Lisa Smith, whose 12-year-old son Vaughn Brinston was killed crossing Cambridge Street near Union Square in May 2013. "They didn't want to put a crosswalk there because they didn't want to encourage people to walk there," she said. "But people already walk there."(Boston Globe)
At LivableStreets, we have had enough. That's why we're bringing people together to call on the mayor to commit to a Vision Zero policy for safer, more livable streets.
Cities across the country are responding to public calls to keep streets safe by pledging to reduce traffic fatalities to zero. Together, let's make Boston the next visionary city to commit to Vision Zero.
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