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As Watertown ponders issuing tickets to residents who fail to clear sidewalks abutting their property, there are two bills pending in the Massachusetts legislature that have a direct bearing on the issue.
The first bill, H.1959, concerns a technicality. The existing law limits the size of the fine for a violation of a snow clearing ordinance to $50 per violation. As of its first reading, the new measure in Watertown proposed a top fine of $75 in cases where the initial $50 fine went unheeded. Apparently this would not be legal under state law. However, H.1959 aims to raise the limit to $100 per violation, which would enable Watertown to issue tickets at the higher level. This is a reasonable adjustment simply because of inflation since the creation of the current law.
H.1959 is sponsored by Rep. Peter Kocot of Northampton. According to the Legislature's web site, the bill was introduced in 2007, but has not progressed through the bureaucracy.
Similarly, bill H.1987 also seems to be stalled on Beacon Hill. This purpose of this bill is to address a quirk in state law that some say could increase the liability of homeowners who clear their sidewalks. In some interpretations, the existing law stipulates that no one can be held liable for the natural accumulation of snow and ice, but as soon as an attempt has been made to clear a sidewalk, the homeowner becomes responsible for ensuring that it does not present a danger to people who use that sidewalk. H.1987 would explicitly dispel the possibility of somebody being held liable for shoveling their sidewalk, except in the case of "gross negligence". The liability issue is a distracting sideshow to the question of pedestrian safety, and H.1987 would effectively sweep it away. It would be unfortunate if Watertown had to decide on the proposed ordinance on the basis of some vague or obscure state law that has nothing to do with the real questions at hand.
So what are the pertinent questions that our Town Councilors should be asking about the proposed ordinance? The most important question is whether or not it will result in clearer sidewalks and thereby improve public safety. Common sense says it should do just that.
But there are other questions that the Town Council must consider. How will it deal with those who are physically unable to shovel and cannot afford to have it done? Will it result in increased costs to the Town? How will it be enforced? We need to look at how other communities have done this, and try to craft an ordinance that really works well.
In the meantime, those two bills before the House are good bills, and should be passed. You can contact Rep. Hecht and let him know what you think about them.
On Tuesday, February 10th, the Town Council gave a first reading of an amendment to the Town's snow removal ordinance. The proposed changes would require residents to clear sidewalks abutting their property within 12 hours of the end of a snowfall.
Councilor Susan Falkoff introduced the measure, and it has the support of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, as well as Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety (WCES). Fred Hewett of WBPC urged the Council to favorably consider the the changes to the ordinance during the public forum prior to Tuesday's meeting. A full report appears in the Watertown Tab. An on-line at the poll on the Tab's site indicated strong public support for the proposed changes, although some questioned how it would be possible to clear sidewalks if plows created large snowbanks on corners.
The measure now goes before the Committee on Rules and Ordinances, which is chaired by Councillor Angie Kounelis.
Let's
begin with the bottom line: failing to shovel your sidewalk endangers pedestrians.
Anyone who has to walk our residential streets in winter knows that it only takes one or two short
stretches of unshoveled sidewalk to force you into the road. If you're a bus commuter, the walk
home from the bus stop involves sharing dark and narrow streets with hurried motorists, who
understandably find you difficult to see unless you're in the habit of wearing a day-glo orange
safety vest to work.
If everybody cleared the sidewalk in front of his or her residence,
this wouldn't have to be a concern. Read the story
WBPC spokesperson Mari Ryan presented the Bike-Ped Committee's 2008 annual report to the Watertown Town Council on January 13th. The report summarizes the Committee's 2008 accomplishments, notably the Safe Routes to School Program, and looks forward to the Committe's plans and projects for the upcoming year.
The slides from the presentation are available for download, along with the supporting documents:
NBC News has a report on the variety of factors contributing to the increase in walking to school. The report focuses on a town in
New Jersey, but also includes a segment about Watertown.
Although
the Faire on the Square was rained out this, the WBPC Bike Raffle took place as planned. The raffle
was successful in raising several hundred dollars, which will go towards the Safe Routes to School
program.
The winning ticket was purchased by Jenny Born of Hingham. Jenny's kids, whose grandmother is a Winsor Avenue resident, are already enjoying the prize. Congratulations!
The WPBC thanks the Lowell School PTO, Farina's Bicycle Center, and all the folks who bought tickets to support this program.
This year's Faire on the Square will feature a bike raffle sponsored by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. The money raised from the raffle supports the
Safe Routes to School initiative in Watertown elementary schools.
The bike to be awarded to the raffle winner is a terrific kid's mountain bike. The rugged Giant MTX-125 bike features 21-speeds and front suspension. With 20" wheels, Shimano components, and a quick-adjust seat post, this bike is great for kids between 6 and 10 years old.
Tickets for the raffle are $1 each, and will be available at the Faire. If you'd like to purchase tickets before the Faire, send email to watertown.bikeped@gmail.com.
WBPC acknowledges the help and support of the Lowell School PTO and Farina's Bicycle Center in making this raffle possible.
With the addition of a paid program coordinator, the Safe Routes to School in Watertown elementary schools is poised to expand in the coming school year.
Jeannette Belcher-Schepis, the new Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator, will work with the schools and the Safe Routes to School Community Task Force to carry out the program objectives at the Lowell and Hosmer Schools. One of her primary goals is to expand the program to include the Cunniff School.
Jeannette's background makes her especially well qualified for the coordinator position. She is a graduate student in the Sociology department at Boston College and a Research Associate on the study of Children and the Economic World at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University. She received a B.S. in Business Administration from the Boston University School of Management with a concentration in Marketing and an M.S. in Administration from Boston College. Jeannette was instrumental in the implementation of the Safe Routes to School program at the Hosmer School last fall.
The new position is funded by a grant from WalkBoston. Watertown is one of just a small handful of towns to receive money from WalkBoston's grant program this summer. We were selected based on a strong coalition made up of school administrators, parent-teacher organizations, the police department, public works, and the WPBC. Now more than ever, it's important to teach kids the merits of walking when possible rather than being driven, and to make sure they can do so safely.
The National Center for Safe Routes to School is a nationwide clearinghouse for information pertinent to Safe Routes to School programs around the country. One of the resources they maintain to assist communities in starting SRTS programs is a compendium of case studies. Recently, Watertown's SRTS program was written up, and is now available on the Center's site. Click here to view the article (PDF).
Watertown's already successful Safe Routes to School initiative will get another shot in the arm upon receipt of a $1700 grant from the Watertown Community Foundation. The funds are targeted to the purchase of pedometers, which students use to track the distances they walk. Health educators have approved the use of pedometers as a means to motivate students as they are educated on the benefits of walking.
Congratulations are in order for all the people who volunteer to make this program successful, and especially to WBPC member Mari Ryan who has worked tirelessly on the Safe Routes to School program. The Watertown Community Foundation also deserves credit for its thoughtful recognition and support of the initiative.
A recent article in the Boston Globe reports record numbers of bicycles on the road. No doubt the price of gas is convincing more people to get back in the saddle. Anyone who bikes around Watertown will certainly agree -- the number of cyclists out there is definitely up this spring.
If you're new to bike commuting, take a look at the slides from our recent presentation on bike commuting. There's lots of useful pointers about the ins and outs of getting to and from work on your bike.
Earlier this spring, the Watertown DPW installed about 40 new bike racks around town, and they are getting good use.
The racks were installed primarlily around Watertown Square and
Coolidge Square, and there are new racks at Victory Field and other locations as well. The image to the right was taken
in Coolidge Square.
The Town acquired these racks at no cost through a grant program sponsored by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, a state agency whose mission includes the promotion of alternative transportation. DPW Superintendent Gerry Mee recognized this opportunity to realize a a substantial infrastructure improvement at minimal cost to the Town. The work was started last fall, and completed in April.
All around town, cyclists have been locking up to the new racks, most of which are in convenient locations next to businesses and recreational resources. Besides giving cyclists secure parking, the racks have the added benefit of getting bikes off of trees, which can be damaged, and off of signposts and parking meters, where they are often insecure and in the way of pedestrians. The WBPC encourages cyclists to take full advantage of the new racks, and to let us know if there are other places where a rack is badly needed.
The Watertown Historical Commission has awarded its 2008 Richard Mastrangelo Memorial Award for historic preservation to the WBPC jointly with the Watertown Historical Society. The award is given in recognition of the 2007 Bicycle Tour of Historic Watertown.
The WBPC is proud and honored to receive this award. We extend our thanks to the Watertown Community Foundation, whose grant provided the funds that made the tour possible, and to all those who participated in the ride.
The award ceremony is at the Commander's Mansion in Arsenal Park at 7 PM on June 5, 2008, and the public is invited to attend.
An entry in a WPD blog reports that the Police Department has a limited number of bike helmets to offer to residents, both adults and children. The helmets are made available through a grant from the Executive Office of Safety and Security.
The WPBC thanks the Police Department for this action, and encourages residents to take advantage of it. Despite the efforts of countless cycling advocates to promote helmet usage, there are still too many people who are biking without one. Cyclists who wear helmets correctly suffer head injury only under rare or extreme conditions, while those do not wear helmets account for the overwhelming majority of serious head injury cases.
The WBPC held a workshop at the Watertown Free Public Library on May 8, 2008. Presenter and WBPC member Sheila Fay described some of her experiences as a bike commuter, and discussed topics such as proper gear and clothing, traffic issues, and practical issues surrounding getting to and from work on a bike.
The slides from this presentation are available here. Sheila also made available a handy resource sheet for bicycle commuters.
The Town Council and the DPW are developing plans to build a parking area along Bacon Street (off Main St.),
and the plan includes a new walking/biking path
that runs along an easement owned by the Cambridge Water
Department. Read more here.