Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Officials from the City of Somerville are requesting input from residents regarding the Community Path Safety Improvements project.
Since the Somerville Community Path Extension opened in 2023, the city has received several inquiries from members of the community about conflicts between path users. The path can often get packed with people going different speeds and occupying different amounts of space, which is why the city is launching a new survey to look into how to make the space safer for everyone. Some locals already have a few ideas.
"Signs kind of encouraging people to stick to the right side more and not block the whole path if they're walking in a group or something like that," Barbara of Somerville said.
A counter was installed at Cedar Street documenting an average of 3,300 daily pedestrians in 2024. According to their website, the city wants to implement both near-term quick-build improvements and longer-term design options along the path, at key intersections, and at the two Green Line station entrances on the path to accommodate the traffic on and off the path.
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"One thing that they could maybe do is add some type of speed bump before some of the crosswalks, because when I notice is most cars are good at stopping, but not all," Lorraine of Somerville remarked. "So I think just giving people more of a heads up."
The project will analyze the inquiries to understand traffic patterns, the use of the path, safety issues, and possible safety interventions for the path. Community members will have until October 2025 to share their ideas on how to make the path safer. The city plans on publishing safety improvement strategies in early 2026 with the goal of implementing the changes in the spring and summer of 2026.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Kyle Bray (@KyleBrayWBZ) reports.