Action Alert: South Boston deserves safety for all pedestrians

Southie Walks Action Alert
Call our neighborhood officials and let them know: South Boston deserves safety for all pedestrians.

• Neighborhood Coordinator Eric Prentis: 617-635-3485
• City Councilor Bill Linehan: 617-635-3203
• Representative Nick Collins: 617-722-2080

Below is a photo of E 4th St at the Stop and Shop parking lot. The same thing happens on East Broadway at the Rite Aid lot where vehicles park over the lot line onto the sidewalk and into the path of pedestrians, strollers and kids -- without any barriers. Just look at the Rite Aid on Dot Ave to see what we in South Boston deserve -- fences, landscape, walkways and well marked direction exits. 

Conflict with pedestrians and vehicles is reaching crisis. More curb cuts and garage doors are crossing side walks (that have been narrowed by variance relief from lot line set backs) everywhere in South Boston.

The BRA and the ZBA apparently have ignored the city's recommendations in the Complete Streets document from the Transportation Dept. regarding sidewalk depth in many new projects.

Without adequate safety measures and attention to sidewalk design to protect pedestrians, the developers are not being held accountable. Businesses like Stop and Shop and Rite Aid have to make their lots safer and we need our elected officials support to insure that changes are made.
  

The above alert was submitted by Mary Cooney, a South Boston pedestrian advocate.

2/21 Update: A woman was in serious condition after being struck Thursday night by a car on Day Boulevard in South Boston. Details. When you call the above officials, please ask them to share and act on their ideas about how to prevent more tragic pedestrian incidents.

On Sunday, July 7: Sniff out gas leaks and walking hazards

On Sunday, July 7  from 4:00 - 6:00 pm, South Boston residents are invited to help reduce our utility bills, make our neighborhood safer, and fight climate change by participating in a walking hazard/gas leak-detection effort. 

Why are we mapping walking hazards?

Faded crosswalks, sidewalks with out curb ramps, perilous intersections and poor lighting are among the hazards that seniors, kids, people in wheel chairs and baby stollers, and other pedestrians face daily in South Boston. When reported, these are easily and affordably fixed and the payoff is big. A walkable community benefits small local businesses, has less crime, fewer cars, healthier people and, of course, fewer injuries.

Join us for the July 7 waking hazards/gas leaks mapping event to help document and report these hazards to make it easier for the City of Boston to know where they need to make repairs. We will use resources provided by WalkBoston to map and report walk hazards.

Why are we mapping gas leaks?

Many gas pipelines are old or leak-prone and we, the consumers, pay the cost. As reported by Clean Water Action, natural gas companies collected nearly $40 million in 2010 from customers statewide for gas that never made it to our homes. In Boston alone, recent scans detected over 3000 gas leaks. These leaks also release methane into the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Next meeting is Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 pm!

Transit, walking and biking are among
the issues we will discuss at the meeting

Hey there neighbors!

We hope you can join us at the next Planet Southie meeting. South Boston Grows will be on hand to give away free seedlings and talk about how you can get FREE TREES!

Thursday, March 28^th  6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Distillery Building
516 East Second Street, South Boston

As always, all are welcome and 
encouraged to attend!

Learn what we tree huggers are up to in this month's newsletter.





Please mark your calendars: Planet Southie meets the fourth Thursday of every month.

See you there!

Is Southie “Walkable” enough?

Author and city planner, Jeff Speck, says that Boston doesn’t need his help in planning walkable communities-(Boston is in the top 10 in the world according to Lonely Planet).

But, in Southie, are the sidewalks wide enough for the stroller? Are there enough street trees to keep you cool during the summer? Are benches ample on the main streets so you can sit for a minute if you need too/want too? Is there enough interesting pedestrian activity? Are the crosswalks blocked by cars, parking lots bleeding into the sidewalk, and are garage doors obstructing visibility?

These are some of the questions the Planet Southie Walk Action Team wants to address. Come to the next meeting (3/28) to discuss plans for a Southie “Walkabiltiy Audit” to determine how comfortably and safely our streets and neighborhoods can be walked.

For more information, listen to this RadioBoston broadcast from December “Why Walkability Is Key To A City’s Vitality”

What is your "Walkscore"?

The following story was posted by Jessica Buhler, Planet Southie's Walk Action Team leader.

Neighborhoods with great "walkability" are better for your health, the environment, and the economy. I recently discovered a website, Walkscore.com, where you can type in a street address or walking route to find out how a particular area scores in regards to access to shops, parks, and transit (indicators of good walkability). 

Cars block sidewalk on East 4th Street

My address in South Boston scored an 80 (out of 100), primarily because the site noted that most errands can be accomplished on foot.  The site allows you to agree or disagree with their score and add in pictures and descriptions of items that may improve the score of the area.

Block length and number of intersections are considered when determining the score. However, whether or not there are safe and accessible sidewalks and crosswalks, if the weather is conducive for walking, and crime levels are not factored into the score.

Including that information would make the score more accurate. For instance, my area is very close to a grocery store and pharmacy (great for walkability). However, because the stores have huge parking lots with no buffers, the cars often park onto the sidewalk and become high car traffic areas that make it less safe and enjoyable for walkers.

Check out your score on walkscore.com and let us know if you agree or disagree.

For more reading, check out an article about planner, architect and author Jeff Speck's book "Walkable City" and his 10-step approach to create walkable urban areas. 

Learn more about better walking, biking, transit and more at the next Planet Southie meeting:

Thursday, February 28^th  6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Distillery Building
516 East Second Street, South Boston

(All are welcome and encouraged to attend)

Next meeting: Thursday, November 15 and thank you!

Please mark you calendars to come together again to work on walk/bike/bus solutions on 
Thursday, November 15 from 6:30 - 7:30 pm 
at the Distillery Building, 516 E 2nd Street.

Last night's meeting was a smash! Over 25 people participated and worked together to create concrete action steps to improve bike, walking and bus/MBTA access and safety!

A longer meeting summary and next steps will be posted in the next few days, we just wanted to be sure to post the next meeting and say a big THANK YOU to all who participated!

Stay tuned!

The Bike team was one of the three Action Teams that met last night.