The League of Women Voters, along with a number of co-sponsors, including Newton Villages, is bringing us an evening of deep insight on what works for transportation in Newton and what we can do to improve it. We owe LWVN a debt of gratitude for bringing this forum together.

It will include some of the biggest names in transportation planning and thinking in Greater Boston. If you’re wondering about what’s next for pedestrian connectivity, bike lanes, transit, and traffic management, you need to be at this forum.  It’s in the Druker Auditorium at the Newton Free Library on Tuesday, November 29th, at 7 pm.

The full flyer is here.

School’s out and the weather is getting warmer (for New England, anyway), which leads to more pedestrians and bicyclists on our city streets.

Yesterday in Attleboro, police ran a crosswalk sting and stopped 47 cars in four hours — around one violator every five minutes, according to today’s article in The Sun Chronicle.

Police cited 16 of those drivers for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, a $200 fine. The same state law and fine apply here in Newton.

In May 2010, Newton police nabbed 48 drivers in crosswalk stings around the Garden City over a similar amount of time — about one violator every five minutes. (If people had as much luck fishing, we’d all be eating cod.)

[Read more →]

Recently published research by a University of Massachusetts graduate student in economics suggests that road construction projects which accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists create more jobs than projects that don’t.

The report, by Heidi Garrett-Peltier at the university’s Political Economy Research Institute, is based on analysis of five types of infrastructure projects in Baltimore, Md.

As reported by Baltimore Sun columnist Michael Dresser on his Getting There blog:

bicycle-pedestrian projects such as hiker-biker paths and the creation of bike lanes yield 11-14 jobs per $1 million spent, compared with seven for road work.

Detail from the MIT report

Imagine a day — OK, years from now — when you could stroll down Needham Street among three- or four-story buildings filled with condos, offices, restaurants, and small retail shops. You might even bicycle along recreational pathways.

These are just a few of the changes envisioned by graduate urban planning students at MIT who presented the findings of their semester-long study of the Needham Street corridor.

Engaged by the city’s Planning and Development department, the students’ goal was not only to envision redevelopment but to recommend implementation strategies to make the plan a reality. [Read more →]

Mayor Setti Warren is hosting a Community Meeting on Safety at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 27, at Newton North High School. All are welcome. The mayor’s goal is to “explore ways to make Newton a safer city for travelers of all ages.” All Newton residents and employees can participate in break-out discussion groups or sign up to participate in future subcommittee meetings.

Newton Villages was created to foster community involvement in planning for the future of our village centers. Walk-ability ranks high among the qualities that make these public spaces enjoyable. Yet, we want the village centers to be safe and convenient for everyone. That means walkers, joggers, parents pushing strollers, bicyclists, the physically disabled, senior citizens, people commuting by bus, trolley, or train, and people driving personal cars or commercial vehicles.

Come to Wednesday’s meeting to share your thoughts. The event is being co-sponsored by Newton Villages, the League of Women Voters, Bike Newton, and Bike and Pedestrian Task Force. For more information, please contact David Koses at 617.796.1133 or dkoses@newtonma.gov.

Down Under Yoga has moved to Newtonville (from Highlands), bringing more activity — and some challenging poses — to the village center.

As part of its move, and to address city concerns about nearby parking, the studio is donating a bike rack to neighborhood.

Down Under Yoga’s new space is located at 304 Walnut Street in Newtonville. It celebrates its grand opening on Sunday, October 17 with: free “taster” classes from 9am to 4pm, and a keynote speech and panel discussion about yoga starting at 5pm.

For more information, call 617-244-9642 (YOGA) or send an email.