Issue #128 - July 2018

StreetLife

3 Reasons to Sign Up for Tour de Streets Today

Photo: TDM Photography

Tour de Streets is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and—more importantly—it’s a ton of fun! Here are three reasons to sign up today to join us on September 8th:

1. The location is amazing. With views of the Boston skyline, a playground, skate park and beautiful patio to enjoy live music and delicious BBQ after your ride, can you think of a better way to spend a Saturday in September?  
2. Ride or walk to honor lives lost to traffic crashes. Tour de Streets celebrates the life and spirit of Bob Zeeb, along with other members of our Metro Boston community whose lives were cut short by traffic crashes.
3. It’s a great way to show your friends why you care about our streets. You can create a team and get your friends and family involved. Plus anyone who donates $25 or more gets a free ticket to the BBQ!

Join Us for a Rally at the State House to Call for Hands-Free Bill in MA

Photo: Kyle Ramey

Join members of the MA Vision Zero Coalition and partners Hands-Free Massachusetts and Text Less Live More for a rally at the State House on Wednesday, July 11th (tomorrow!) to show our elected officials that we cannot wait another year to pass Hands-Free legislation in MA. We know that distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic and the outdated texting-while-driving ban is ineffective and difficult to enforce. 

Act now by supporting a hands-free bill and ensuring that the House brings it to a vote so that there can be a final bill before the legislative session ends on July 31st. Let’s make Massachusetts streets safer for all! To RSVP on Facebook, click here.

In other state legislation news -- the Massachusetts State Senate voted Thursday to pass legislation that aims to create safer streets for all road users. Developed in collaboration with a coalition of bicycle, pedestrian and transportation advocates, S.2570, An Act to reduce traffic fatalities, includes several measures to improve road safety, lessen the severity of crashes, and standardize the collection and analysis of crash data. This is a huge win—now on to the House!

To learn more about the bill, check out co-sponsor Senator Brownsberger’s update here. And consider sending an email to say thank you to the Senators who championed this bill (check the list here to see if your Senator voted in support of the bill)!

July Advocacy Committee: "10 Things I've Learned at MassDOT" with Jackie DeWolfe

MassDOT logo

Hear from former LivableStreets Executive Director, Jackie DeWolfe, about her new(ish) role as the Director of Sustainable Mobility at MassDOT.

Join us at our next Advocacy Committee meeting on July 25 for an engaging discussion about how government and advocacy can work together. RSVP to let us know you can join us!

Join Us at the Neponset RiverFest

Photo: Neponset River Watershed Association

Join us as we celebrate the Neponset River and the beautiful parks and greenway along the shore. This free, family-friendly event promises to be a lot of fun, with free kayak and canoe rental, ice cream, raffles, face painting, and over 20 exhibitors, including LivableStreets!

Event Details
Neponset RiverFest
Saturday, July 14, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
@ DCR Neponset Park
Granite Street & Hilltop Street, Dorchester, MA

2018 Neighborhood Slow Streets Applications Now Available

Photo: City of Boston

Neighborhood associations, community groups, faith-based institutions and other organized groups of neighbors are invited to apply for traffic calming in their specific neighborhood through the City of Boston’s Neighborhood Slow Streets program. The Boston Transportation Department has opened their 2018 application process, and will select three to five zones in this round. Applications must be submitted (or postmarked and mailed) by Friday, August 24, 2018.

Emerald Network Summer Intern

Photo: Maria de la Luz Lobos Martinez

Join us in welcoming Maria de la Luz Lobos Martinez to the LivableStreets team this summer! Maria is a landscape architecture student at Harvard Graduate School of Design. This summer, she’ll be focusing on the design for a proposed greenway between the Fairmount Commuter Rail Station and the shops at Riverwood in Hyde Park -- an important link in the Emerald Network, and part of our Greenway Partners program. Say hello and welcome to Maria at [email protected].

Job + Volunteer Opportunities

• Volunteer Bike Ride Marshal, Mattapan on Wheels: Mattapan on Wheels organizers are seeking ride marshals to lead the Expert Ride on July 21, 2018. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
• Manager of Government and Public Affairs, MassDOT: The selected applicant will work closely with the Director of Government and Public Affairs and will assist in ensuring a strong and productive relationship between all MassDOT agencies and the impacted communities. They will assist in developing work procedures consistent with agency policy and monitor work performed to ensure that MassDOT’s goals and objectives are consistent with the needs of the impacted Communities. To learn more and apply, click here.
• Junior Traffic Engineer, Boston Transportation Department: Under general supervision, with latitude provided for independent problem solving, the selected candidate will perform professional traffic engineering work of moderate difficulty and importance relating to traffic engineering in the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Unit. To learn more and apply, click here. 

Thank you!

Open Newbury Street, July 2018