December 19th, 2019
Pedestrian safety issue affected elderly and children in Chinatown
According to Vision Zero Coalition, a group to advocate for the implementation of Vision Zero in Boston, the city of New York spends about $20 per person on Vision Zero program annually, and San Francisco spends $75 per person annually. In comparison, Boston is spending less than $5 per person.
Read the full PDF here.
December 12th, 2019
Bold design for a car-free span over Fort Point Channel would reflect a forward-looking city
More than a dozen pedestrians and cyclists have died from collisions with vehicles in the past three years in Cambridge alone, according to data from the Vision Zero Coalition. The number is even higher in Boston, the city on the opposite side of the Charles River.
Read the full PDF here.
November 25th, 2019
Governor Baker Signs Legislation Requiring Hands-Free Use of Electronic Devices While Driving
More than a dozen pedestrians and cyclists have died from collisions with vehicles in the past three years in Cambridge alone, according to data from the Vision Zero Coalition. The number is even higher in Boston, the city on the opposite side of the Charles River.
Read the full PDF here.
November 18th, 2019
As New York Cracks Down On Fare Evasion, Another City Weighs Free Transit
More than a dozen pedestrians and cyclists have died from collisions with vehicles in the past three years in Cambridge alone, according to data from the Vision Zero Coalition. The number is even higher in Boston, the city on the opposite side of the Charles River.
Read the full PDF here.
November 17th, 2019
Safety advocates press for legislators to finally pass hands-free driving bill
Two days after lawmakers announced they’d reached an agreement on a hands-free driving bill, road safety advocates stood in front of the State House to recite the names of 72 victims of roadway crashes in Massachusetts and urge lawmakers to finally pass the legislation that is more than 10 years in the making.
Read the full PDF here.
November 17th, 2019
Vigil Held At Mass. State House For Victims Of Traffic Accidents
Two days after lawmakers came to an agreement on legislation regarding distracted driving, advocates gathered at the Massachusetts State House Sunday to mourn those kill in crashes. Hosted by the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, the vigil is part of World Day of Remembrance.
Read the full PDF here.
November 17th, 2019
Vigil to end motor vehicle crashes highlights safety measures, distracted driving legislation on Beacon Hill
Hundreds of yellow flowers were placed on the State House steps after the vigil in remembrance of those injured or killed in crashes so far this year. Members of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, which organized the vigil, have been advocating for the passage of hands-free legislation to prevent distracted driving.
Read the full PDF here.
November 16th, 2019
Committee Reaches Compromise On Distracted Driving Bill In Massachusetts
“Road fatalities are international health crisis,” Thompson said. “We are incredibly grateful to the administration and to the Legislature to have really taken the hands-free bill seriously.”
Read the full PDF here.
November 16th, 2019
Top Negotiators Say They Have Distracted Driving Bill Deal
The chairmen announced their agreement ahead of a vigil planned for Sunday afternoon outside the State House where the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition has announced plans to remember victims killed in traffic crashes, highlight the increasing rate of pedestrians and bicyclists killed, and call for the bill's passage.
Read the full PDF here.
November 15th, 2019
Report: Distracted driving bill compromise reached
The chairmen announced their agreement ahead of a vigil planned for Sunday afternoon outside the State House where the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition has announced plans to remember victims killed in traffic crashes, highlight the increasing rate of pedestrians and bicyclists killed, and call for the bill’s passage.
Read the full PDF here.
November 15th, 2019
Street Safety Advocates Hold ‘Day of Remembrance’ Vigil This Sunday
The Massachusetts event is one of hundreds of vigils being held globally on the World Day of Remembrance on November 17, 2019. On Beacon Hill on Sunday, Vision Zero Coalition members including the Safe Roads Alliance, WalkBoston, LivableStreets Alliance, MassBike, and the Boston Cyclists Union will join forces to remember the victims of traffic violence and ask elected officials to vote on critical safety legislation like the “Act to prevent distracted driving” and legislation to allow towns to use automated cameras to enforce speed limits and red lights.
Read the full PDF here.
November 15th, 2019
Top Negotiators Say They Have Distracted Driving Bill Deal
The chairmen announced their agreement ahead of a vigil planned for Sunday afternoon outside the Statehouse where the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition has announced plans to remember victims killed in traffic crashes, highlight the increasing rate of pedestrians and bicyclists killed, and call for the bill’s passage.
Read the full PDF here.
November 14th, 2019
Act now to make Boston streets safe
Last year, 680 pedestrians and 425 cyclists were hit by cars on Boston streets, according to a report by Massachusetts Vision Zero, a coalition that advocates for the reduction of traffic injuries and fatalities across the state.
Read the full PDF here.
August 13th, 2019
Cambridge Vision Zero Progress Report Advances Ambitious Goals for Safer Streets
The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition and the City of Cambridge have released their first progress report on the city’s plan to eliminate crashes that result in serious injuries or fatalities...Louisa Gag, Public Policy and Operations Manager for LivableStreets, served on the subcommittee that worked with staff at Cambridge City Hall in the new report’s production, and she credits the city for working with advocates to hold itself accountable to its Vision Zero goals.
Read the full PDF here.
August 12th, 2019
Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition and City of Cambridge release first Cambridge Vision Zero progress report
The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition and the City of Cambridge jointly release a Progress Report assessing the City of Cambridge’s implementation of its Vision Zero Action Plan. The Report outlines the City’s accomplishments and challenges faced in the first year after the release of the Vision Zero Cambridge Action Plan, and provides next steps for implementation.
Read the full PDF here.
May 13th, 2019
Slowing down the ‘stroads’ of Boston
A recent policy report from the Vision Zero Coalition indicates the number of fatalities has been declining in Boston, falling from 21 in 2016 to 10 in 2018, with the number of pedestrian fatalities dropping from 14 to 7 over that time period. But the number of crashes that required response by emergency medical service teams actually increased slightly, rising from 4,355 in 2016 to 4,367 in 2018.
Read the full PDF here.
May 9, 2019
Pressure Mounts For Walsh to Deliver On Safer Streets
It’s been more than three years since Walsh announced a “Vision Zero” plan to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. And the Walsh administration has invested significant funding and staff power toward street improvements to curb speeding and reign in dangerous intersections. But the fact remains that on an average day in Boston, two or three pedestrians or bicyclists are hit and inured by cars. And the mayor is now facing mounting pressure from safe streets advocates, ordinary residents fed up with dangerous streets running through their neighborhoods, and the City Council to do more, much more, about Boston’s menacing streets. On Tuesday, in a Council hearing on the city’s transportation budget, Walsh administration officials got an earful from all three pressure points.
Read the full PDF here.
April 22, 2019
Boston Neighborhood News Network: Group Eye New Steps Toward "Vision Zero"
Louisa Gag of LivableStreets Alliance talks about progress toward the City's goal of zero traffic fatalities by 2030--and new steps to increase safety recommended by the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition.
Watch the full news clip here.
April 22, 2019
680 Pedestrians Were Hit By Cars In Boston In 2018: Vision Zero
Last year, 680 pedestrians and 425 cyclists were struck by cars in the city, according to Vision Zero's progress report. For the past three years, the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition has been reviewing the city's progress toward eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by the year 2030. To that end, they study data and then release it annually showing progress and make recommendations on how the city could get to fewer fatalities.
Read the full PDF here.
April 18, 2019
Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition Releases Third Boston Vision Zero Progress Report
The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition releases its third annual Progress Report assessing the City of Boston’s implementation of its Vision Zero Action Plan. This Report evaluates the City’s performance thus far and provides policy recommendations for how Mayor Walsh and the City Council can commit to safer streets in Boston. The Report finds that the increased staff capacity and funding heighten the need for strong inter-departmental collaboration, and the Coalition recommends that relevant departments develop clear organizational structures and a system of accountability for sharing data and other collaboration.
Read the full PDF here.
April 18, 2019
Safe Streets Activists Propose Merger of City Depts.
In its annual progress report, the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition said Boston has made good progress to reduce traffic fatalities -- to the point that having "zero fatalities by 2030 is achievable" -- but has seen a rise in crashes causing injuries and must do more to protect bicyclists and pedestrians. The coalition noted that the city's commissioner of public works job is currently vacant and Transportation Commissioner Gina Fiandaca is due to depart for a job in Texas next week. They proposed that Mayor Martin Walsh "combine the Public Works and Transportation Departments into one, integrated agency."
Read the full PDF here.
April 18, 2019
Report: Drop in fatal car crashes in Boston, but non-fatal hold steady
The number of deadly car crashes in Boston has dropped by nearly half in the last three years, according to a report from the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, an organization that advocates for policies that make roads and highways safer. The report found that in 2018 there were 10 fatal crashes on Boston streets, down from 14 in 2017 and 21 in 2016, according to the report. But safety advocates say the number of non-fatal crashes has remained steady with an average of 12 per day.
Read the full PDF here, and watch the full news clip here.
April 18, 2019
Boston Streets Safer Since City Launched Effort to Curb Accidents, but Work Remains
The number of fatal crashes on Boston streets has dropped significantly since Mayor Marty Walsh enlisted the city in the Vision Zero roadway safety movement in 2015. That is according to a recent report from a group called the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, which used city data to show that the number of fatal crashes on Boston streets involving cars, bikes, or pedestrians declined to 10 in 2018 from 21 in 2016.
Read the full PDF here.
April 17, 2019
Report: Traffic Crashes in Boston Resulting in Less Fatalities, but Not Injuries
The Vision Zero Coalition annual report card for the city released Wednesday noted the decrease in roadway fatalities from 21 in 2016 to 10 last year. But the number of bicyclists, pedestrians and people in cars injured stood at 4,367 in 2018 versus to 4,355 two years before. “It’s a public health crisis,” said Stacy Thompson of Livable Streets Alliance, one of the main organizations in the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, which is part of a national initiative to reduce injuries and deaths from crashes... “Four thousand people annually is not insignificant.” Brendan Kearney of WalkBoston, a nonprofit involved with Vision Zero, said fixing (the lack of crash data) should be a top priority. “If they’re not able to report this data, they are potentially missing out on funding for safety efforts,” Kearney said.
Read the full PDF here.
March 8, 2019
Governor Baker Highlights Proposed Improvements to Road Safety
The proposals to increase road safety being made by the Baker-Polito Administration stem, in part, from discussions with members of the Massachusetts Legislature, strategies outlined in the 2018 Massachusetts Strategic Highway Safety Plan and input from key stakeholders like The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition and various law enforcement professionals.
Read the full PDF here.
January 23, 2019
Gov. Baker proposes hands-free cellphone driving law
The Safe Roads Alliance (a member of the Vision Zero Coalition), which has been advocating for years for hands-free legislation, cheered the Baker administration's proactive approach to the issue this session. The group will be at the State House on Wednesday to lobby legislators to support the governor's bill and others filed this session.
Read the full PDF here and watch the news clip here.
January 23, 2019
Impaired Driving the Next Target for Baker
January 23, 2019Governor Baker Proposes Ban On Handheld Cellphone Use While Driving
The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, an organization that advocates for policies that make roads and highways safer, praised the governor's bill Tuesday as "an important first step" in reducing crashes that result in death or serious injury.
Read the full PDF here.
Public Transportation is 10 Times Safer for Commuters, Analysis Shows
December 27th, 2018
A “modest” increase in public transportation use could help reduce traffic-related fatalities significantly, according to an analysis recently issued by the American Public Transportation Association and the Vision Zero Network.
Read the full article in PDF.
Activists Call for Protected Bike Lane on Canal Bridge
December 18th, 2018
The demand from members of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition came ahead of a meeting Tuesday night at which MassDOT was slated to present two alternate striping plans for the Craigie Bridge that include painted — though unprotected — bike lanes.
"This isn't a new issue to MassDOT and DCR. Transportation advocates have been discussing safe bike facilities on the Craigie Dam and Longfellow Bridge with state agencies since at least 2009," said Wendy Landman, executive director of WalkBoston also in a statement. "Not only is this the right action to take for the safety of people biking, it is also the right action for the safety of people walking because it means that bicyclists do not ride on the sidewalk."
Read the full article in PDF.
Ceremonies Remember BU Grad Student, Others Killed on the Road
November 19th, 2018
Others shared the pain of losing loved ones to crashes as they gathered outside the State House later Sunday afternoon to observe the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The event was hosted by the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, which advocates for measures that make streets safer, with a goal of eliminating traffic injuries and deaths
'Ghost Bike' Vigil Held For BU Student Hit And Killed Near Museum Of Science
November 19th, 2018
“The loss of one impacts us all,” said Becca Wolfson, Boston Cyclist Union executive director. “This was the first in the City of Boston for someone biking in 2018 but there have been over 400 injury crashes each year in the City of Boston.”
Watch the news clip and read the full article in PDF.
Bicyclists Dedicate Ghost Bike to BU Grad Student Killed by Dump Truck
November 18th, 2018
Ghost bikes are small memorials set up across the city for bicyclists killed or hit on the street while also promoting bike safety awareness. Today, many who attended the dedication then rode their bikes to the State House to remember lives lost due to traffic crashes.
"Meng was killed by someone driving a dump truck turning right," said Becca Wolfson, of the Boston Cyclists Union. "This is not a fringe issue. And all of our cities, Boston, Cambridge, Somerville the state agencies need to provide safe places for people to bike."
Read full article in PDF.
Landmarks to be Lit In Yellow to Recall Accident Victims
November 17th, 2018
On Sunday the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition is organizing a series of actions to recall those who have died recently on area roads, including an elderly man killed while walking in Boston’s West Roxbury neighborhood and a 24-year-old man killed biking near the Museum of Science.
Read the full article in PDF.
Boston's Crosswalk Crisis
July 11, 2017
"That signals to me that there's not much attention on replacing these and making sure that it's safe," Brendan Kearney of WalkBoston said.
Kearney and others ask why the city improved just this one intersection where the woman was killed and not the nearly dozen others like it on Tremont?
Watch the segment here or read the full article in PDF.
ROAD SAFETY BILL GOES BEYOND PROTECTING BICYCLISTS
June 13, 2017
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Richard Fries said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported highway workers have the second most dangerous job in the country, garbage collectors are vulnerable, and 700 construction workers were struck and killed nationwide in 2015.
"We are losing tow truck drivers - one a week nationwide," said Fries, who also noted law enforcement officers killed in traffic deaths.
Read the full article in PDF.
INTERSECTIONAL POLITICS (A CRASH-NOT-ACCIDENT REPORT)
June 8, 2017
As a responsive letter from the Vision Zero Coalition pointed out, most people killed while walking are not the eyes-glued-to-their-smartphone, Beats by Dre-wearing millennials whom Walsh is likely imagining. Statistics collected by the pedestrian advocacy group WalkBoston show that of the 68 pedestrians with known ages killed in Massachusetts last year, 48 were older than 50.
Hundreds Respond To Walsh's Comments About Bike And Pedestrian Safety
May 19, 2017
On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition sent Walsh a letter criticizing his comments, calling for better action to protect Boston's streets, and inviting Walsh to join them for a silent vigil on Friday morning.
Rally organizers held a silent vigil for victims of traffic violence Friday and then hand delivered a petition to Mayor Walsh. The petition demands that the mayor do more to make roads safer for people walking and on bikes.
Politics In The Bike Lane
May 25, 2017
In this episode, Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis size up the text and subtext of Walsh's reaction, kicking the tires on city policy with Wendy Landman of WalkBoston and Becca Wolfson of the Boston Cyclists Union.
Listen to the full podcast online.
Protestors gather after Mayor's comment on bicyclist and pedestrian safety
May 19, 2017
Wendy Landman, Executive Director of WalkBoston, said this protest is about the people.
Watch the clip online.
'Streets Are For People' vigil held at Boston City Hall Plaza
May 19, 2017
His comments drew a sharp rebuke from the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, which demanded an apology. "On behalf of those victims, we also ask that you apologize for the comments you made on the air," the coalition wrote to Walsh this week.
Mayor Walsh Says Bicyclists, Pedestrians Share Blame in Accidents
May 16, 2017
Andrew McFarland, the Community Engagement Manager of LivableStreets Alliance, said his organization, which partners with the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, were “very shocked and disappointed with the Mayor's comments this afternoon.”
“They're victim-blaming,” McFarland wrote in an email to WGBH News, “and completely fly in the face us[sic] his administration's own policy, Vision Zero.”
Boston Police need public's help tracking down hit-and-run driver who maimed cyclist Sunday
May 1, 2017
Safe streets advocate Andrew McFarland said the severity of the Sunday crash illustrates the city’s need for better protections for cyclists and pedestrians.
“Something we’ve been advocating for and the Vision Zero Coalition has been advocating for is stepping up response from the city,” said McFarland, of LivableStreets Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for safety, access and enjoyable streets for all road users.
Advocates Push Anew For Driver Ban on Handheld Devices
April 13, 2017
"We must make distracted driving socially unacceptable just as drunk driving is today," said Emily Stein.
Read the full article in PDF.
Steps being taken in Boston to curb crashes involving pedestrians
January 26, 2017
"We know that New York City is spending $13 per person on Vision Zero, San Francisco is spending $75 per person on Vision Zero, and Boston's per capita is three dollars."
Watch the full video at WCVB.com.
Boston Has Yet to Deliver on Big Promises to Eliminate Traffic Deaths
January 20, 2017
"The Vision Zero Coalition, which includes organizations like the LivableStreets Alliance, the Boston Cyclists Union, and Walk Boston, recently released a report calling on Walsh and the City Council to devote more resources to street redesign and staff up agencies like the DOT and Department of Public Works, address Boston’s traffic safety problem. Traffic fatalities in Boston fell last year, but there was a jump in pedestrian deaths, according to Andrew McFarland of the LivableStreets Alliance. The group estimates 15 pedestrians were killed within city limits in 2016, up from nine in 2015."
Read the full article at Streetsblog USA or in PDF.
Advocates: City's Traffic Plan Needs More Funding
December 8, 2016
“The bottom line is that the City of Boston needs to be allocating more resources and staffing to implementing Vision Zero if it is going to meet its 2030 goal."
Read the full article at Dorchester Reporter or in PDF.
Report: Boston Needs More Resources To Achieve Vision Zero Goals
December 7, 2016
"Boston's initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities needs more funding and more proactive efforts to redesign crash 'hot spots' in the city, according to a new report by the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition."
Boston's Traffic Fatality Reduction Plan Needs More $$$, Coalition Says
December 6, 2016
“The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition's progress report, scheduled for release on Wednesday, will include a timeline and map 'detailing where and when fatal traffic crashes have occurred in Boston in the past year and how the City has responded to each,' according to the coalition."
Read the full article in a PDF.
Boston Has 'Vision' for Zero Fatal Traffic Crashes
November 24, 2016
"The vigil was one of many held across the globe on World Remembrance Day. 'Each cut-out represents a person who was killed,' Andrew McFarland, of Livable Streets Alliance, said. Silhouettes pepper Boston streets to call attention to the locations of fatal crashes. One silhouette was placed beside a Washington Street crosswalk in Roslindale in memory of Silvia Acosta, a 78-year-old woman who was killed trying to cross the street."
Eerie Reminders of Fatal Crashes Coming to City Streets
November 18, 2016
A coalition calling for safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists is placing stark and ghostly reminders around the city this week near spots where people have been killed in crashes with motor vehicles. Members of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition have created white plastic cutouts shaped like people, and they are fastening the eerie silhouettes to lamp posts and street signs.
Read the full article in the Boston Globe or in PDF.
Pedestrians, bikers hold rally for safer streets at City Hall
September 30, 2016
The rally, organized by the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, aimed to express solidarity with victims of traffic accidents and to call on Boston Mayor Martin Walsh to recommit to Vision Zero, the group’s initiative to rid the city of fatal crashes by 2030, Vision Zero member Becca Wolfson said at the beginning of the rally.
Read the full article in the Daily Free Press or in PDF.
Bike safety takes center stage at City Hall rally
September 29, 2016
The group organizing Thursday's rally, the Vision Zero Coalition, wants the city to spend more money on redesigning roads; hire more staff to deal with the issue; and deliver on goals laid out last year, including lowering the speed limit on Boston streets.
Mayor Marty Walsh's office said he is committed to all of that. A member of his staff will attend the City Hall rally, promising a significant update on plans.
Read the full article at WCVB5 or in PDF.
Bike, pedestrian advocates to press mayor on road safety
September 28, 2016
Hundreds of advocates and survivors of traffic crashes will converge on Boston City Hall Thursday to press Mayor Martin J. Walsh on his plan to improve traffic safety.
Advocates from the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, which is holding the rally, say they will urge Walsh to move swiftly to devote more money for capital projects, hire additional staff, and finalize goals outlined in a traffic safety plan released in December.
Read the full article in The Boston Globe or in PDF.
read morePlan to cut Boston's speed limit to 20 mph gets hearing
June 21, 2016
Marc Ebuña, representing the nonprofit TransitMatters, and also the Boston Vision Zero Coalition, of which TransitMatters is a member, testified in favor of the proposal during a transportation committee hearing.
He said in an interview that he and those groups believe the slower speeds would “make it safer for vulnerable people on the road and active transportation users like bicyclists.”
Read the full article in the Metro or in PDF.
read moreSafety, parking concerns clash in Mass. Ave. bike lane debate
June 16, 2016
Becca Wolfson, executive director of the Boston Cyclists Union, said she would have liked to see the protected bike lane go even further down the street — a move that the city could consider after next year — but she applauded the city’s efforts.
“This plan doesn’t go as far as we’d originally hoped,” she said, “But we believe it’ll serve as a great short-term solution as they worked on a longer term solution.”
Read the full article in The Boston Globe or in PDF.
read moreMany Americans want to behave more Swedish on the road
February 23, 2016
"Stockholm has the safest roads of any major city in the world. So, it’s not surprising that cities everywhere are trying to replicate the Swedish model. My city, Boston, adopted it last year.
“I feel it’s an excellent start,” said Brendan Kearney with the group Walk Boston. “The vision is there. And there are definitely people working hard to make this a reality.”
Read the full article at PRI's The World or in PDF.
read moreBoston & Beyond: Statewide Coalition Launches In Massachusetts
December 2, 2015
"For years leading up to the Vision Zero announcement this spring, Boston advocates and city officials had been working to improve street conditions, not only for drivers, but for people who bike, walk and take public transit, as well."
Read the full blog on the Vision Zero Network website or in PDF.
read moreRally in Boston remembers victims of road crashes
November 15, 2015
"Safety is a communal responsibility, the group said — shared among motorists, bikers, and pedestrians."
Read the full article in The Boston Globe, or in PDF.
read more