Residents address unsafe crossing conditions along McGrath

East Somerville Neighbors for Change (ESNC), a group of residents representing a spectrum of ages, languages and cultural backgrounds, is currently taking on a campaign to improve crossing standards for pedestrians along the McGrath-O’Brien Highway.

   Resulting from a survey conducted last summer of close to 300 people, plus information gleaned from the East Somerville Community Mapping Project, ESNC discovered that the inability to cross McGrath-O‚ÄôBrien Highway safely is of deep concern to this neighborhood.  A study recently put out by the Massachusetts Highway Department listing the top 1000 high crash locations in the Commonwealth includes 4 intersections along McGrath-O‚ÄôBrien Highway in East Somerville, with the intersection of Broadway and McGrath O‚ÄôBrien ranking 116.  Less than 1/2 mile away, the intersection of Fellsway and Mystic Avenue is listed as the highest crash location in the entire state.   

    Foss Park, one of the few green spaces and parks in the area sits next to the highway, and people of all ages must cross the highway in order to get to it.  Hundreds of people are on the park‚Äôs premises daily.  Residents of East Somerville have timed the length of the crossing signal, and discovered that the signal to cross lasts 22 seconds to get across 8 lanes of traffic. Even fit individuals must walk quickly to accomplish this crossing in this amount of time; it does not accommodate the crossing needs of the elderly, children, people with disabilities, or individuals carrying or pushing other objects. 

    ESNC, with Somerville Community Corporation (SCC), will host a meeting for residents, business owners, and other concerned members of the community to meet with the Department of Conservation and Recreation to discuss pedestrian concerns, and identify solutions.  The meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 13th, 7pm, at the East Somerville Community School Cafeteria.  Interpretation will be provided.