Salem Celebrates Walking
On October 5, the 20th anniversary of International Walk to School Day, the City of Salem and Salem Public Schools will mark the occasion with group walks for students at the Bates, Carlton, Saltonstall, Witchcraft Heights, and Horace Mann schools. Mayor Kim Driscoll will lead the students walking to the Carlton Innovation School, Ward 2 City Councillor Heather Famico will lead the students biking to the Horace Mann Laboratory School, Ward 5 City Councillor Josh Turiel will lead the students walking to the Saltonstall School, and State Rep. Paul Tucker will lead the students walking to the Bates School. The effort is organized by Salem’s Safe Routes to School project, an initiative of Salem Mass in Motion, the City’s health and wellness program.
Also coming in early October, Salem Mass in Motion will be working with the City’s Department of Public Services to post walk time way-finding signage in the North Salem area. These signs will display the average walk time and direction to important local landmarks and facilities. The effort is a pilot program that the City hopes to expand in future neighborhoods, including, first, the forthcoming work as part of the Derby Neighborhood Envision 2020 improvements.
Salem, which has a nationally recognized complete streets policy that values all modes of transportation, is considered by many to be among the most walkable historic cities in Massachusetts and possibly the nation. This fiscal year the City will be installing new enhanced pedestrian crossings on Lafayette Street and Bridge Street and investing in a $100,000 traffic calming pilot program. Components of the major corridor improvements on Canal Street will include new ADA accessible crosswalks, as will upcoming corridor work planned on Derby Street and Boston Street. The City is also installing a second at-grade accessible pedestrian crossing point over the Pan Am freight train tracks between North Salem and downtown, further enhancing the pedestrian connection between these two parts of the community.
WalkBoston, a nonprofit pedestrian advocacy organization that has conducted walking audits of the downtown and South Salem neighborhoods, offers a walking map of the City at http://issuu.com/walkboston/docs/walkbostonmapsalem/2?e=0.
“Salem is such an incredibly pedestrian-friendly community,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “Whether you are a resident, a student, or a visitor, we really want to encourage people to think about leaving their car at home if possible and getting out there to walk or bike to school, to work, or just for fun and exercise. It’s good for you, good for our city, and good for our planet.”
For more information about the Walk to School Day event on October 5, please contact Salem’s Safe Routes to Schools coordinator, Melissa Wilson, at melzwilson@me.com.
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About Mass in Motion Salem, a program of the Office of Mayor Kimberley Driscoll
Mass in Motion Salem, works locally to increase opportunities for Salem residents to eat better and move more in the places they live, learn, work, and play. Salem is among 52 cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth that are part of the MA Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion Municipal Wellness and Leadership Program. Mass in Motion Salem is working to implement Safe Routes to Schools, expanded access to the Salem Farmers and Winter Markets, school garden initiatives, and infrastructure evaluations that will make the healthy choice the easy choice for residents of Salem. Mass in Motion Salem is funded in part by North Shore Medical Center and Partners HealthCare with additional support from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
