New Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee Seeking Members
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The City of Somerville is accepting applications to fill 10 seats on the newly formed Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee. The committee’s input will support and guide city policies and plans to make improvements for public transit riders and pedestrians. Committee members will promote riding transit and walking and will work to create a more comfortable, safe, and enjoyable built environment for doing so. Community members committed to advocating for a robust multimodal transportation system are encouraged to apply to serve on the committee as members.
The committee will be made up of a diverse set of stakeholders that may include business/institutional representatives; transit or pedestrian commuters; persons with disabilities; the elderly, youth, and students; lower-income residents; and transit or pedestrian advocates. Committee members will be appointed for a two-year term. The committee will meet with experts, conduct research, and ultimately submit recommendations to the City regarding transit and pedestrian issues like the design of proposed roadway or development projects, policies related to traffic signals, sidewalk design, and traffic calming, ensuring adequate funding for transit by the state, and transit expansion, service planning, and potential capital improvements.
How to Apply:
Interested community members should send a brief statement of interest and information on any relevant qualifications to Justin Schreiber at jschreiber@somervillema.gov by 12 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2019.
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CONSUMED Data Lab inspires sustainable consumption
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At July's ArtBeat, volunteer "data scientists" collected hundreds of surveys about attendees consumption habits to fit with this year's theme, CONSUMED. Participants answered fun questions about the things they consume, changes they have made to live more sustainably, and ideas for  making more environmentally-friendly choices. Here are some highlights:
REDUCE - By maintaining items we use and prolonging their life, we can reduce the amount of things we consume, which is the first and most important step in living more sustainably. Many ArtBeat attendees are experts in this, with some regularly wearing clothing that is over 40 years old!
REUSE - Sometimes we do need new things, but they don't always have to be completely new. One great way to cut back on your environmental impact is to find previously used items or shop second-hand instead of buying new. Survey respondents shared their favorite second-hand items that they have gotten for free or from a thrift shop. Turns out, Somervillens are really good at scoring great second-hand finds! Some highlights include, an 80's bomber jacket from Goodwill, bikes, couches, books, a camping grill, a toy cement mixer, several drum kits, a horse shaped stool, a guitar, and even a serving spoon named Carol. What is your most treasured second-hand find?
RECYCLE - We also asked what items they have recycled into new uses and got tons of creative responses, including lots of re-purposed containers, turning old t-shirts into grocery bags, making new clothes from old clothes, building furniture, and even turning a Swiffer mop into a walking stick.
TAKE ACTION - Respondents committed to many actions to reduce their own contribution to climate change. They will be walking more, flying less, eating less meat, reducing food waste, and cutting back on single use plastics, to name just a few. What will you commit to?
Want to get in on the fun? Take an online version of the survey yourself! And explore all of the answers from ArtBeat here.
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- September 1st is almost upon us, which means it's moving season! If you're moving (or know someone who is moving) be sure to review Somerville's moving guide and check Waste Wizard to learn how to dispose of unwanted items. Please help cut back on waste by trying to find a new home for your furniture and appliances before trashing.
- Wondering about ways to upgrade your home to be net-zero? Explore the new Road to Net Zero guides on Somerville's Website for Renters and Property owners. Follow simple steps to reduce energy usage, save money, and work towards a net-zero home. Start your journey towards becoming a net-zero hero today!
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SOMERVILLE CLIMATE FORWARD SPOTLIGHT
Somerville Climate Forward, Somerville's climate action plan, prioritizes 13 action areas to address climate change. Each month I will highlight one priority and share some ways you can get involved.
Priority 3 - Equitable Low-Carbon Mobility
Somerville Climate Forward lays out out a two-pronged approach for reducing emissions from transportation, which account for approximately one-third of Somerville's overall emissions. Back in May I shared information about transitioning to electric vehicles, which is one of those priorities. However, the first priority for reducing transportation emissions is to get people out of cars as much as possible--shifting more trips to walking, public transit, or biking. Somerville Climate Forward has three priority actions to accomplish this:
- Improve bus reliability and trip times.
- Improve and expand bicycle infrastructure.
- Assess parking policy and parking supply to meet low-carbon mobility needs.
Several projects are planned for this year to implement this priority, including a comprehensive parking study and a long-range bicycle network plan, but there is one project currently underway that exemplifies what this priority is all about. Winter Hill in Motion, the Central Broadway redesign project, reimagines Broadway as a multi-modal corridor for all forms of transportation. The project will apply new pavement markings to create dedicated bus and bike lanes, install new signage, adjust some parking, and retime traffic signals all with the aim to improve bus reliability, pedestrian access, and cyclist safety between Magoun Square and McGrath Highway. 
If you find yourself on Broadway this week you will see signs of this project underway, as crews are actively working to paint the lines for the new bike and bus lanes. The colored bike and bus lane paint will be applied over the next few weeks. Also changing are some bus stops and parking regulations, so be on the lookout for signs explaining those changes. The final piece of work will be retiming the traffic signals later this fall to reduce wait times for pedestrians. All together these improvements help make Somerville's streets work for everyone, making it easier and safer to choose low-carbon ways to get around. Detailed information about the project can be found here.
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Enjoy the last few days of summer!
Sincerely,
Hannah Payne
Sustainability Coordinator, Office of Sustainability and Environment
www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville
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