FOX25 News ran a special report tonight on how parents and school children in Wakefield have organized a "walking school bus" to encourage and promote kids walking to school. This is one of the programs described/promoted by Safe Routes to Schools. In Westwood, I know Hanlon and Downey are doing "Walk on Wednesdays" as part of their participation in Safe Routes to Schools. Here is the video:

The Westwood Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee is meeting tomorrow night (Thursday, June 18) at 7:30pm at Town Hall in the Board of Selectmen's meeting room. All meetings are open to anyone interested in Ped/Bike Safety issues.

The town has set up an email list I will use to send information relatated to the activities of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee. Please subscribe here if you are interested.

Next meeting is this Thursday, 7:30pm, at 50 Carby Street.

We have people from every elementary school excpet for Deerfield. If you know of anyone who might be interested in representing the Deerfield PTO on this Committee, please ask them to contact me and/or the PTO.

[Thanks to Anne McIntyre for bringing this idea to my attention...]

We've all seen those "Slow down, family neighborhood!" signs and wondered if they had any effect. Traffic engineers would probably say signs have NO impact at all and the only way to "calm" traffic is to modify the roads, but the Town of Needham is trying something different.

Signs designed by kids, described as "emotionally intelligent" because they invoke more of an empathetic reaction than negative, impersonal commands, may help to subconsciously remind speeders of WHY they should slow down. Needham has deployed a number of these signs which are inexpensive to create and wildly popular with residents.

They are definitely a better idea than this article I found about residents putting out life-size cardboard children near the road to scare cars.

Last night, Christine Morrow, State Coordinator for Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools, presented an overvew of the program to the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee. The full video is here. But the short clip below was the most eye-opening part of the presentation and really drove home the need for doing things to promote a more actve lifestyle.

Tonight's meeting will cover some basic organizational issues and begin a discussion of how we move forward. I want to ask for help in many of these areas and hope we can begin to divide up the work right away.  read more »

I'll be making a short presentation to the Board of Selectmen tonight on our proposed Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee. The attached Microsoft Word document below forms the substance of our recommendations for forming the committee.

I'm on the agenda for the Board of Selectman meeting next Tuesday, December 16. The meeting starts at 7:30 and this proposal is scheduled for 7:45pm. The document, pretty much what is here on the website, has been distributed to the Selectmen and I will be there to answer questions. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome to do so. My hope is that by getting the commission formed here before the holiday, we will have time to kick things off in early 2009 and then re-authorize/make adjustments at the start of the next fiscal year cycle in the summer.  

I am preparing a proposal for the Board of Selectmen to consider at their next meeting to create the "Westwood Pedestrian and Bike Safety Commission." You can read the proposal below and comment if you have suggestions. (see also my report on the workshop and the walkable westwood topic.)  read more »

I posted this on myDedham since it happened in Dedham, but it is ironically relevant to our efforts to create a Pedestrian and Bike Friendly Westwood. This morning, on my way to work in Boston, I crashed into a car in Dedham Square. I am OK...I even managed to catch the train in to work. But more food for thought as we all should heed the advice to "be careful out there!"

A cross section of residents, along with representatives from the planning and conservation commissions, town engineering/DPW and police department spent Saturday morning walking around the Islington area evaluating ways to improve walkability. The walking audit identified some new issues and gave us an opportunity to talk directly with some of the town people responsible for public safety and infrastructure. The next step will be to ask the Board of Selectmen to appoint a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Commission comprised of residents from all parts of town as well as departments and commissions.  read more »