CALL TO ACTION FOR MORATORIUM ON CENTRE STREET RECONSTRUCTION

Centre Street in West Roxbury is an example of a city environment that is hostile to physical activity.  Before the mid-seventies, Centre Street was a thriving town center with wider sidewalks and narrower streets.  Traffic traveled more slowly, passengers opened their car doors into a safe zone and pedestrians crossed the street confident they were visible to all drivers.  The “improvements” made to Centre Street some twenty-five years ago contributed to the decline so evident today.  Those “improvements” considered the needs of vehicular traffic over quality of life issues and foot traffic.  Today, most towns and cities are replacing this outdated planning model with a more holistic approach which considers the requirements of all users and balances the needs of vehicles, pedestrians, public transportation, and bicyclists.

In spite of significant resident and business protest and petitions over the last four years, the pending city “reconstruction plan” for Centre Street will perpetuate this 25 year old mistake at our expense.   The projected $3 million plus dollar price tag for the reconstruction will buy us effectively what we have now. If you want to see what that looks like, examine the recently completed section of Centre Street between Mt. Vernon and Spring Streets.  Not much has changed. The “improvements” do not reflect the 25 years of medical knowledge and streetscape advancements visible in other Boston neighborhoods and nearby communities.

Time, like the Boston Globe and other local and national media have run a plethora of articles focused on childhood and adult obesity and its adverse effects on health. All these articles agree that the cure is both diet and exercise.

Last November, at an international conference held in Boston, members of the medical and architectural communities discussed the importance of city design that takes a holistic approach and creates environments that encourage walking and bicycling.  These experts suggest that walking and bicycling have to be integrated into everyday living for health benefits to extend to the young and the old alike.  Boston’s own Public Health Commission agrees and has funded 54 community based organizations to join “NeighborhoodWalk” to promote walking as a way to good health. Locally, both community newspapers ran recent articles focusing on school walk zones and the role of diet and exercise in the schools.

Why is there is a disconnect in this conversation for Centre Street in West Roxbury?

Health professionals are calling for integration of walking and biking into everyday life, but the Centre Street redesign is at odds with safe walking and bicycling. Some officials and parents are fighting for neighborhood schools to which youngsters can walk. Why aren’t these same officials supporting wider sidewalks, shorter crosswalks, or bike lanes for these children? School budget cuts have reduced in-school and after-school physical activities. Research presented at the international conference held in Boston in November shows that children’s biggest opportunity for exercise is daily transit to and from school. But the City’s redesign for Centre Street, with narrow sidewalks and emphasis on moving vehicles, does not facilitate safe travel for youngsters attending one of the five schools found on or near Centre Street.  At two community meetings a lawyer who works in the vicinity of Holy Name School and the Roche Community Center stated publicly that the current situation is “an accident waiting to happen.”  Representatives from the Boston Transportation Department were asked to consider widening the sidewalks and narrowing the street in this area for the safety of the children who walk to school and cross the street to the Roche Community Center, but after consideration of the suggestion, their decision was to keep things the same - “an accident waiting to happen.”

One of the ironies here is that City Councilor John Tobin, chairman of the Education Committee, who has endorsed a “holistic” approach to obesity, and neighborhood school walk zones, has publicly opposed a Centre Street infrastructure which would support safe walking and bicycling. Another irony is while the City of Boston’s Public Health Commission is encouraging formal walking groups for cardiovascular fitness, increased longevity and weight control, the City’s own Transportation Department is poised to begin construction on a design of Centre Street which is hostile to physical activity.

If we fail to act now, we will have to live with this mistake for an additional 25 years. We will have to live with an outdated streetscape design that is dependent on the automobile and hostile to physical activity. We will have to live without streets that accommodate bicyclists, without parking bays that permit safe opening of car doors, without adequate room for snow removal during our long New England winters. The Office of Commonwealth Development, a Massachusetts agency dedicated to wise investment in public infrastructure, recently produced a 54 page document outlining the twofold challenges we face.  Douglas I. Foy, Secretary, states in his opening letter to the readers of this important document, “…we must acknowledge and repair the damage we have already caused, and we must change our policies and actions to minimize future damage.”

The stakes are high.  A significant number of people have called for a moratorium on the reconstruction of Centre Street until residents and businesses have the opportunity to establish goals and review options for meeting those goals.

Please add your voice to this appeal for a moratorium by contacting the representatives below TODAY. We have included a form with some suggested wording, and the addresses of your elected officials.  If you would like to register your request by e-mail, please access our web site www.walkablewestroxbury.org to copy the text and e-mail addresses. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Walkable West Roxbury Steering Committee
 

For Mayor Menino:  One City Hall Plaza,  Boston, MA 02133
Michael Kineavy, Office of Neighborhood Services, Michael.Kineavy@ci.boston.ma.us
Merita A. Hopkins, Corporation Counsel, Merita.Hopkins@ci.boston.ma.us

For Rep. Mike Rush: House of Representatives, Room 437, State House,
Boston, MA 02133;
617-722-2460; FAX 617-722-2879 OR michael.pastore@hou.state.ma.us;

For State Senator Marion Walsh: State House, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-1348, FAX (617) 722-1071   Dave O'Donnell at dodonnel@senate.state.ma.us

For City Councilor Stephen Murphy:  One City Hall Plaza, 5th floor, Boston, MA 02133    Stephen.Murphy@ci.boston.ma.us OR Thomas.McDonough@ci.boston.ma.us

For At-Large City Councilor Maura Hennigan, One City Hall Plaza, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02201
(617) 635-4217; FAX: (617) 635-3734; MauraH@ci.boston.ma.us  OR Mary.Regan@cityofboston.gov
 
For At-Large City Councilor Felix Arroyo: FelixD.Arroyo@ci.boston.ma.us
 OR chief of staff James Willmuth : James.Willmuth@cityofboston.gov

For City Council President Michael Flaherty, One City Hall Plaza, 5th floor, Boston, MA 02201; Michael.F.Flaherty@ci.boston.ma.us;

For City Councilor John Tobin: 5th Floor, One Boston City Hall, Boston, MA 02201; (617)635-4220
FAX 635-4203 John.Tobin@ci.boston.ma.us OR David.Isberg@ci.boston.ma.us
 
 

 
June 2004

Dear ___________,
The City of Boston Transportation Department has vowed to begin reconstruction on Centre Street, West Roxbury this summer. The City’s redesign perpetuates a hostile environment for pedestrians and bicyclers and does not advance the health, safety, or quality of life of the residents and businesses. Please urge Mayor Menino and the Boston City Council to support a moratorium on this project until residents and businesses have the opportunity to establish goals for Centre Street and review options for meeting those goals.
 Thank you.
 Name, address, phone number