StreetLife

Join us throughout December for Tour de Streets: Winter Edition!

A view of the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in winter; the area is covered in snow. The field in front of the hatch shell is populated with small groups of people, and the hatch shell itself is lit up in stripes of yellow and pink.

Tour de Streets: Winter Edition is finally here, with fun activities to help you celebrate your streets all December long! As our most important fundraising event, Tour de Streets helps us gather enough resources to fund our work year-round. This year’s winter-themed celebration reminds us that although the days may be getting colder and shorter, there is still lots to celebrate about the wintertime.

You can donate or encourage your friends and neighbors to donate by setting up your own fundraising page on the Tour de Streets webpage. Check out our ever-growing list of winter activities and learn about all the ways to join in the fun here. Share your activities by including the hasthtag #TourdeStreets2021 in your social media posts!

Tour de Streets kicks off with our 11th annual StreetTalk 10-in-1 on Monday, December 6th; keep reading to learn more about this lively virtual event.

Don't Miss Out—Register for our 11th annual StreetTalk 10-in-1!

A speaker at a previous 10-in-1 stands behind a podium and talks to the audience in the Old South Meeting House.

The past couple of years have been rife with uncertainty, but there is one thing you can always count on—StreetTalks!

We’re bringing back our most popular LivableStreets event—the StreetTalk 10-in-1—now in a virtual format. This year’s event will feature 10 speakers from around the country in a lightning round of presentations covering a wide range of topics, including transforming housing policy, the future of the MBTA, and expanding the meaning of “safe” on our streets.

We plan to keep things interesting with pop quizzes, poll questions, and a lively chat discussion! There is still a lot we don’t know about the future, but we do know that we’ll need to advance strategies to combat climate change, tackle systemic inequity, and make our streets work for everyone.

RSVP here!

Transit Access and Equity Wins!

$A person wearing a mask and headphones boards the 28 bus at Nubian Square. The front of the bus says \$

Last week was full of exciting transit news, thanks to the advocacy of our Transit team and our many partners!

Fare-Free Bus Service Expansion + Extension

Last week resulted in huge wins for fare-free bus service across Massachusetts! Both the Worcester RTA and the City of Boston have extended fare-free bus service. In Worcester, riders can continue to expect fare-free bus service on all routes through 2022. In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu put forward a proposal to expand the fare-free bus pilot to include the 23 and 29 buses along with the 28 and extended it for 2 years. We are very excited to see the acknowledgement of the value of fare-free bus service to increase ridership, improve access, and improve transit equity. We hope this trend continues to spread across other municipalities and transit agencies!

Blue Hill Ave Funding Win

The City of Boston and MBTA won a grant from the federal government to fund big changes along Blue Hill Ave including center-running bus lanes and protected bike lanes. The planning process still has a long way to go before getting to a design, with lots of engagement of bus riders, residents, and other stakeholders needed. One of the reasons that we’re excited to see buses prioritized on Blue Hill Have is that it will decrease transit inequities by making a big dent in the 64 additional hours Black bus riders spend on buses compared to their white counterparts.

A Safer Mass Ave Bridge is Now a Reality!

Photo credit: Christopher Schmidt

Thanks to the many of you who signed our petition a couple of weeks ago, we are excited to share that biking over the Mass Ave bridge is now safer! Barriers will be in place throughout the winter with plastic flex posts coming in the spring. These changes will help to slow down vehicle speeds and make it safer and more comfortable for people riding bikes. We are very excited about these long needed changes — kudos to all our advocacy partners!

World Day of Remembrance

A group of yellow carnations lie on the steps of the Massachusetts State House.

This past Sunday, Nov. 21st, was World Day of Remembrance, an annual international event during which we gather as a community to reflect upon those we've lost and build support for safer streets. On Sunday morning, members of the Coalition laid down over 4,000 yellow blossoms on the steps of the State House — one blossom to represent each life impacted by a fatal or serious traffic crash in 2020 and 2021.

The Coalition sent a letter to members of the state legislature demanding action on legislation that could drastically improve traffic safety. Read the Coalition’s letter and learn more here.

Want to take action? Send your own letter using our letter template.

Opportunities

Fellow, Planners of Color: The Planners of Color network is looking to hire a part-time and contract-based fellow who can support the coordination of the network and help carry out the network’s priorities. This is a great opportunity for someone who: has experience working in policy, urban planning, community development, or related fields; enjoys building relationships with those who do that work; and/or is interested in beginning and/or switching careers towards these fields. Learn more and apply here.

As a policy, LivableStreets will only advertise opportunities that include salary or compensation information.

Thank you!

Check out the following resources to learn more about what we've been up to lately!

Press: Read local and national press featuring LivableStreets and our work.
StreetFilms: Watch videos highlighting our advocacy and events.
Greenway Stories: Join us as we explore greenway successes and challenges around the Boston area.

Was this email forwarded to you? Here's where you can sign up for StreetLife! www.livablestreets.info/join