Our Support for the Traffic Calming Plan

We want to express our strong support for the Traffic Calming plan, which has received significant public input during the development period over the last few years, including from our organization.

Our 501(c)3 nonprofit, Friends of Albemarle, launched in January 2021 and represents all 8 wards of the city. We collaborate closely with Newton city departments and have more than 500 members throughout Newton, including more than half of City Council.

Everyone who enjoys, uses, commutes, exercises, or appreciates Albemarle is at risk due to the unsafe driving in the area. They include residents, visitors, seniors, athletes, spectators and our own children, and have all experienced the dangers of the road’s design that may have made sense years ago when cars were smaller, but now feels reckless when witnessing people load their kids into their cars and then, with little to no visibility, back into a traffic flow that includes other cars and children on bikes; and buses that must double-park in order to protect riders.  

Given that pedestrians are at greater risk than ever – with a 35% increase in pedestrian deaths across MA in 2022 – and high-speed, high-risk driving is increasing with dramatic results in our neighborhood – we embrace any step that Newton can take quickly towards a safer roadway.

Every bit of progress at Albemarle has a meaningful impact. This critical walking/biking route for Newton’s largest middle school, F.A. Day Middle School, is also used by students going to Newton North and Horace Mann. The schools combined enroll 4,000 children, along with abutters Fessenden and NECP, a city-wide preschool. Albemarle contains the athletic field that is the most heavily-used in the city. The impending renovation of Gath Pool will make Newton’s only outdoor pool into a water complex visited by even more than the current 30,000 visitors per summer. The special events at Albemarle bring tens of thousands at a time, from all over Newton and beyond. And the environmental impacts in this space have a long reach, including a creek that is a tributary of the Charles River and Atlantic Ocean.

Traffic calming measures are not always seen as popular, because they include things that are considered inconvenient, such as speed cushions and back-in parking. But the alternative of keeping current parking systems and speeding capabilities along this stretch of road is not acceptable. Every step we can take to strengthen safety along that highly-used corridor is going to be valuable for the lives of everyone in the area. 

The City of Newton has a responsibility to ensure that people are able to walk, bike and drive to Albemarle and the surrounding area without such clear and present danger. In fact, we know that the city and community should provide incentives for children to walk and bike safely in Newton. As we all know, this is a trial and we need to learn what works, particularly with so much upcoming change to the park in terms of the pool and fields.

As we have in the past, Friends of Albemarle plans to help participate in community engagement to help people adjust to these changes. We have prioritized safety at the Crafts intersection and appreciate the city’s work to advance solutions.

We are grateful that our city councilors are our partners to improving safety and we look forward to further improvements and value their leadership and engagement in this issue.

The Traffic Calming Measures at Albemarle will help us take the next step toward removing the fear and anxiety that is too often and unnecessarily present in our neighborhood and the risk experienced by everyone using Albemarle.

Sincerely,

The Board of the Friends of Albemarle