Somerville’s second Shared Streets route, which connects West Somerville and Davis Square, is set to open Tuesday, June 23. The Shared Streets initiative opens up low-volume or residential side-streets to pedestrians, cyclists, and other users while still allowing vehicle access for residents who live on the street or who need to use the street to get to their homes, first responders, delivery drivers, sanitation trucks, and street sweepers.
The City’s first Shared Streets route opened in early June and connected Winter Hill and East Somerville and passed by several food resources and schools. The second route will provide access to the Stop and Shop on Alewife Brook Parkway, North Street Housing (which hosts the Somerville Mobile Farmers’ Market on Saturdays starting July 11), the West Somerville Neighborhood School, David Square, and the Community Path. Additional routes will be rolled out throughout the summer, and you can find a full route map and schedule at https://somervoice.somervillema.gov/covid19mobility. As routes are implemented, feedback on them can also be submitted on SomerVoice.
Safety measures along each route include signage and flexible barriers to alert all users to the shared use of these streets. Somerville’s program will use temporary materials that can be modified based on our experience and feedback from residents with the pilot. Motorists allowed to use a shared street, such as abutters, should drive slowly and expect to see people in the street on these routes. People walking, rolling, and biking should remain alert and aware and make room for these allowed vehicles.
So funny. The one on Jacques Street was so stupid. Put signs in the middle of the street so no one can get by. Saw horse is in splinters as it has been hit and moved many times as the Fire Trucks won’t fit by or other large vehicle. This is another dud copycat by our traffic department that was not going to work from the start as the apparently do not know how to use a ruler to see that emergency vehicles cannot fit or get by. Never mind other types of vehicles. I don’t know what these people can do good in that department but everything they have done so far has been a miserable failure. Like a protected bike lane no one uses. They block off businesses from ADA people. They should go play with matchbox cars int he sandbox if their work is even that good.