Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Joseph A. Curtatone

I do not use public transit as much as I would like. I use my car to drive my four sons to school, sports, and a lot of appointments both in and beyond Somerville and then I get myself to and from work with it. Once at work, I also walk to a lot of local meetings in Somerville. I sometimes take the Red Line but more frequently I take the Orange Line at Assembly, which is near my neighborhood, to Boston for professional and political meetings and events. For instance, I took the Orange Line home after speaking at Michelle Wu’s UnFairHikes Rally on June 30.

Somerville has many dangerous locations that my administration is working systematically to address such as McGrath Hwy, which must be grounded and redone on a human scale, and Powder House Rotary, which must be made safer. But we also need systemic change to ensure safety for all. For this, lower driving speeds are key. My administration dropped the citywide speed limit to 25 mph, added numerous 20 mph safety zones, and we’ve steadily altered our roadways to induce slower speeds. Lower speeds save lives. We must expand traffic calming including through road diets with protected bike lanes.

Because in addition to my deep passion for mobility issues and persistent public (and not so public) advocacy on this, I get things done. I listen, learn, and join with community members to fight like hell for outcomes that rarely come easy. Under my administration, the Green Line Extension is finally under construction. The Assembly Row T stop is open. The Community Path extension is coming. Bike lanes, better lighting, and bright crosswalks cover the city. We are investing in and determined to reach Vision Zero. But we have much more to do. A vote for me will keep the momentum.

Marianne Walles

I generally move around the city by walking, train and driving.

One of the problems I see is the lack of clear pedestrian cross walks in some parts of the city.

I want to make sure that we address safety issues across the city, in particular the areas that have gone unattended.

Joseph A. Curtatone

We have 93 miles of roadway, 6.5M square feet of sidewalks, and 3,200 curb ramps that my administration catalogs and prioritizes for improvements. We’ve developed systems to stretch our limited resources. Accessible ramps and sidewalks now go in with every repaving job. Preemptive maintenance of roads saves money that can go to traffic calming measures like chicanes, bumpouts, and street trees. But we’ve also invested millions to transform east Broadway, Beacon Street, and other roads to bike, ped, and assistive device-friendly corridors, while focusing heavily on traffic calming infrastructure citywide. This takes money, but there was a time when we couldn’t invest. My administration’s recognized sound fiscal management makes that now possible--and expected. As a result, with the construction of the Green Line Extension, my administration is taking this once in a lifetime chance to make major changes to how people move through and use the streets and sidewalks in the neighborhoods where new stations are being built such as Union Square, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, and Ball Square--all toward the goal of supporting safe, multimodal travel.

I don't think it is an overstatement to say that under my administration Somerville has led our region, and indeed is a national leader, in improving the reach, frequency, and quality of public transit, thanks to our creation of the first new T station in 27 years at Assembly Row, and now the construction of the Green Line Extension. When GLX opens in 2021, 85% of Somervillians will be within walking distance of a train station. But bus riders also need fast, reliable transit. So in addition to the long and expensive fight to get the Green Line Extension built, Somerville has also been testing Bus Rapid Transit lanes. We took a first step at this in 2017 by installing a dedicated bus lane along Prospect Street leading into Union Square. The lane has shaved about six minutes off the travel time of the CT2 bus. This summer we will be taking the next step by creating a dedicated bus lane along Broadway in Winter Hill. The lanes will run from Magoun Square to McGrath Highway, which will help streamline the trip for the MBTA's 80 and 101 routes. And in 2020, we hope to add another dedicated bus lane to help buses on the 87 and 88 routes get through traffic in Teele and Davis Squares.

Somerville's Community Path is a great resource that thousands of city and regional residents use, but it ends at Lowell St. In recent years, there was a lot of back and forth over whether the state would help extend the path alongside the Green Line Extension. Along with advocates, I have always advocated that the Community Path be included with GLX, and now we know that it will happen, putting this off-street path all the way through Somerville. The protected lanes on Beacon Street are nearing completion, others have been added more swiftly on Washington St. and Park St., and we are looking at protected lanes on Somerville Ave. and Powder House Blvd. This is part of the process of remaking our streets for multimodal transit, which we have been a regional leader in pursuing. This year we will invest several million in Vision Zero projects while developing a Bike Network Plan that will guide and speed future efforts. As the GLX forces huge changes to our streetscape and layout, Somerville has a whole new set of opportunities to reduce parking and promote biking and walking across our city, and under my administration we will not miss that chance.

Marianne Walles

I would ensure that cross walks are visible. I would also like to increase the amounts of cross walks. There are many parts of the city, especially in school zones where there needs to be more cross walks.

I would advocate for more bus lanes within the city. I would also advocate for improvement to our transit system.

There needs to be more community conversations. Currently, there are many contentious feelings between many groups about the bike lanes.