| In this issue: |
| Mayor announces new transportation initiatives, including Vision Zero Boston |
| Complete streets design for Comm Ave! |
| MBTA woes need to stay a hot topic |
| Don't miss our spring open house! |
| Rescheduled: Go Boston 2030 Public Visioning Lab |
| Massachusetts Transportation Summit |
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Wins
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 Mayor announces new transportation initiatives including Vision Zero
Yesterday, on the heels of unveiling a groundbreaking redesign for Comm Ave, Mayor Walsh announced several new transportation initiatives aimed at improving how individuals move around the city with a focus on improving public safety. The announcement included:
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the complete streets approach to Commonwealth Avenue
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citywide replacement of parking meters with smart meters
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a pilot program to eliminate street sweeping towing, and
- most importantly, the adoption of Vision Zero Boston
Vision Zero is a commitment to bring traffic crashes and fatalities down to zero, "based on the premise that traffic fatalities are not accidents, but rather they are crashes that can be prevented by effective policies and systematic evaluation, enforcement, engineering, education, and community engagement." To learn more about the Mayor's plans for a safer Boston,read the press release here.
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Last year, we called on the Mayor to commit to Vision Zero and we are thrilled to work with the city to realize the vision. We will work to ensure that this important policy announcement is followed by tangible actions and street improvements to make streets safer for you, your family, and your friends.
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Complete streets design for Comm Ave!
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A packed house for the city's public meetingon Tuesday
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On Tuesday, in a room packed with more than 150 people, the city unveiled an updated plan for a safer, more livable Comm Ave from the BU Bridge to Packard's Corner - including critical revisions like protected bike lanes, improved bus stops, raised crosswalks and signal priority for the Green Line and 57 bus! This is a cutting edge plan for the City of Boston. Click here for more details.
In the coming weeks, we will dive into the details of this new plan, and help resolve outstanding issues, like a crossing at Naples Road to the grocery store. While it may seem like we are done, there is more to do. Over the coming weeks we will work to debunk any negative press coverage bashing the plan and will be meeting with Councilor Flaherty next week to discuss his concerns regarding parking revenue.
More than 100,000 people use Comm Ave every day. It's a vital corridor and we are committed to sticking with this project until our vision for a Safer Comm Ave moves from design, to construction, to reality.
We set a goal of raising $1500 in 48 hours to fund the next phase of our work on Comm Ave. We are almost there, but we need a few more donations to pull us over the line in the next 5 hours. Will you help us reach our goal?
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Newsworthy
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MBTA woes need to stay a hot topic
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| Press conference (credit: The Boston Globe) |
As the snow begins to melt and memories of the terrible commutes people endured this winter begin to fade, LivableStreets has been making sure policymakers and the public don't forget that we still need a better transit system.
On March 4th, LivableStreets' Jeff Dietrich joined Somerville's Mayor Curtatone and dozens of others at a press conference organized by Transportation for Massachusetts to deliver more than 12,000 signatures calling for better funding for the MBTA. Read the Globe's coverage here.
On March 15th, our other Jeff, co-founder Jeff Rosenblum, was quoted in the Globe encouraging individuals to take the anger and frustration they felt during the tough winter and turn it into collective action that will force real solutions instead of the incremental progress we've experienced thus far. Read the Globe's article here.
We couldn't agree more with Rep. Tom McGee, Chairman of the Transportation Committee, who took the Blue line to work as part of "Gov on the T" day:
"If this winter has taught us anything, it's that transportation has got to be a package deal and we've got to do something now," he said. "If you don't have a transportation system you can depend on, you can't get to work, you can't live your life."
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What's happening
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Don't miss our spring open house!
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Thursday, April 9, 5:00pm-8:00pm
@ LivableStreets, 100 Sidney St. Cambridge
Join us for food, drink, and conversation at our annual spring open house. We'll have a short program where we'll celebrate our recent wins and share more about what LivableStreets has been up to the last few months:
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Hear from our new staff and board members
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Get updates on some of our recent work and current events, including the MBTA's winter struggles, the Olympic bid, Go Boston 2030, Comm Ave, Vision Zero, and the Greenway Links Initiative
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And get a sneak peek at our 10th Anniversary celebrations and new membership program!
To learn more and register, visit our 2015 spring open house event page.
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Rescheduled: Go Boston 2030 Visioning Lab
New dates: May 8 & 9
@ China Trade Center, 2 Boylston St., Boston MA
What's your vision for getting around Boston in the future? The Visioning Lab will be an opportunity for you to work with the City of Boston to plan our transportation system in 2030.
- Share your ideas about Boston's transportation future
- Read some of the 4,800 questions collected
- Learn about existing transportation data
- Check out exhibitions on new technology
- Hear from Mayor Walsh, Commissioner Fiandaca, and transportation experts
Go Boston 2030 is a City of Boston initiative to envision a bold transportation future for the city. LivableStreets is a member of the Go Boston 2030 Advisory Committee, working to ensure that the resulting plans will include a world-class transportation network that provides safe, convenient, innovative, and affordable transportation options for you.
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Massachusetts Transportation Summit
Friday, May 1
@ DCU Center, 50 Foster St, Worcester, MA 01608
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Join Transportation for Massachusetts for the first-ever statewide summit exploring and exchanging ideas and actions to improve transportation in every corner of the Commonwealth. LivableStreets is an active member of T4MA and helping plan this event -we hope to see you there!
For more information and to register visit: http://www.t4ma.org/summit
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