Dear Billy T and Somerville Speakup Line,

Below is a email cc’d letter from Somerville City Councilor Mark Niedergang to David Blumsack, Arthur Moore, Kate W. Castle and Billy Tauro regarding the Broadway fiasco. Below that is David Blumsack’s reply.

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Arthur, Kate, David, and Billy Tauro,

Below and attached is the official announcement of the public hearing on the Broadway Bus/Bicycle lanes, with information about where to send written comments. Let me know if you have any questions.

Councilor Hirsch and I are working on a compilation of feedback that we have received and hope to share that with the Administration and the public.

The City Council has heard a great deal from constituents on all sides of this issue (e.g. neighbors, pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, transit riders, delivery drivers, and more). As the Chair of the Traffic and Parking Committee and a member of the Traffic Commission, my goal for the public hearing is to provide an opportunity to members of the public to share directly with policy makers their feedback and especially suggestions for how to improve the planning and implementation process and the design itself for this and future roadway improvement projects.

I also think an opportunity for people to listen to those who disagree with their positions could be helpful.

I believe there will be many more battles like this one in the next five years as the City continues to redevelop our streets to make them safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. Hopefully we can all learn from what has happened with the Broadway rollout so that future roadway improvements work better for all.

Mark

Mark Niedergang
Ward 5 City Councilor
29 Conwell Street
Somerville MA 02143
(617) 629-8033
m.niedergang@comcast.net
mniedergang@somervillema.gov
http://www.MarkNiedergang.com
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Hi Mark,

I’d like to think we can learn from this and make changes to this current situation as it’s absolutely not fair to pedestrians, residents or businesses in the Winter Hill area. Your emails seem to infer that we can learn from this rather than how we can change this situation now?

You talk about making it a safer city yet what you should be just as worried about is losing a sense of community. I can’t tell you how many people we have spoken with that are completely frustrated with the direction this City has taken and the loss they are feeling. It’s sad to see it, especially being part of this city for so long.

Keep up the trend and soon enough Somerville will look like a giant Assembly Sq Mall… or if anything you’ll give everyone a big dedicated lane to get there!

We look forward to listening and talking in December.

Thanks,
David Blumsack

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Original letter that was sent out:

Public Hearing: City Council Traffic and Parking Committee of the Whole & Traffic Commission Joint Public Hearing on Broadway Bus/Bicycle Lanes

Monday, December 9, 6 p.m., City Council Chambers

The City Council Traffic and Parking Committee of the Whole and the Traffic Commission invite community members to a joint public hearing on Monday, December 9, at 6 p.m., to provide feedback on the design and implementation of the new traffic configuration on Broadway in Winter Hill, which features dedicated bus and bicycle lanes. The public hearing will be held in the City Council Chambers, 93 Highland Ave.

The public hearing will open with a short presentation by City staff on project history, objectives, and preliminary evaluation data for key metrics pertaining to safety and mobility for all road users. Following the presentation, members of the public will be invited to speak. The typical two-minute time limit will be strictly enforced.

Written Testimony

If you are unable to attend, or wish to submit written testimony, please email to both of the following TWO addresses: citycouncil@somervillema.gov, traffic@somervillema.gov. The official public record for written testimony will close on Friday, December 13, 2019, at 5 p.m. Additional comments sent after the deadline will be reviewed but will not become part of the public record.

If you have questions about the Public Hearing, please contact the Chair of the City Council Traffic and Parking Committee and Ward 5 City Councilor, Mark Niedergang, at mniedergang@somervillema.gov or (617) 629-8033.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.