The Melrose Ped/Bike Committee is committed to creating safer streets in Melrose for all residents. There are many reasons a person may not feel safe in his or her neighborhood or community, and as a group of largely white advocates, we acknowledge that time and time again we hear black voices telling us that the feeling of being profiled or targeted by law enforcement officials is a reality of their lives. As advocates for safer streets, we acknowledge that many police-community interactions occur on those streets, and that we must therefore look with a critical eye at the ways in which communities like ours have historically relied on policing to achieve safe streets goals. We acknowledge that roadways which rely on policing for safety, and which encourage residents to demand greater levels of traffic policing, can be viewed as contributing to an environment of structural racism. In conjunction with a local group called Fighting for Black Lives in our Neighborhood (FBLN), we have published the below piece which specifically encourages reduced need for roadway policing as a desired community outcome.
We encourage you to read the below and, if you agree with these goals, sign onto the statement here.
This joint letter, written by members of Fighting for Black Lives in Our Neighborhoods – Melrose and the Melrose Pedestrian & Bicyclist Committee and signed by members of the Melrose community, encourages our elected officials and city staff to consider the upcoming redesign of “lower” Main Street through a racial justice lens. Our city motto is “One community, open to all” — but as a recent statement issued by Mayor Brodeur and Chief Lyle acknowledges, the reality is that racism and inequality are facts of life in America. Therefore, when we make decisions that impact our public spaces, we must ask whether those decisions actively challenge systemic racism and discrimination, or if they risk perpetuating them. We believe traffic calming is an equitable form of public safety and that we should lean on it for the redesign of Main Street and other traffic safety projects.
Speeding and unsafe driving are significant public safety issues in Melrose, and making our roads safer has been a top priority for Melrose residents for years. We are happy to see how the city engaged in a public process designed to improve road safety along Main Street, between West Wyoming Ave and the Malden line. We are especially pleased to see that one of the city’s stated goals for this project is to improve safety for vulnerable populations. In the context of the Main Street redesign, how can we ensure that we are making improvements which center the safety of those users?
Traditionally, one of the main solutions proposed to reduce speeding is to add more police officers. Played out nationally, this approach puts people of color at risk. In episodes such as those involving Daunte Wright, Philando Castille, Walter Scott, and Sam DuBous, routine traffic stops of people of color turned deadly. This traditional approach to traffic safety increases conflict between police and other members of the community..
Thus, if we are truly focused on achieving equitable outcomes, we must design our streets to reduce the need for traffic policing. We support substantial traffic calming along Main Street as an alternative to traffic policing. Traffic calming is a neighborhood improvement effort that prevents incidents before they happen. The Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) defines traffic calming as “the combination of mostly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized users.” Instituting these measures is a step towards creating a holistic definition of community safety.
Melrose has recently taken steps toward a more people-focused approach to traffic calming through its “Slow/Shared Streets Program,” which allows neighborhoods “to work together to design a plan to slow traffic on their streets, creating a better environment for walking and recreation in residential areas” (Mayor Paul Brodeur). However, this program only creates temporary installations — and by operating only in “residential areas,” fair questions can be raised about whether the benefits of this program are distributed equitably. Recent public forums on lower Main Street and Franklin Street suggest there is a huge amount of public support for traffic calming on the city’s busier roadways as well.
Designs for Lower Main Street must accomplish many goals: reduce speeding, create safer connections to public transit, and encourage use of the corridor by pedestrians, cyclists, and other forms of non-vehicular travel . To accomplish these goals in a safe, equitable way, we urge the city to utilize narrowed lane widths (a “road diet”) through protected active travel infrastructure, e.g. separated “bicycle lanes.” ITE points out that road diets can both reduce traffic speeds and create safer pedestrian crossings, reducing the need for policing of speeding or failing to yield to pedestrians. Accomplishing a speed reduction using physically separated bicycle lanes, instead of simple road markings, will reduce the chances of incidents involving police, such as vehicles blocking the bike lanes and conflicts between drivers and bicyclists.
Safe mobility is a cornerstone of any healthy community, and Melrose residents place a huge value on promoting walking, biking, and public transportation as ways of getting around the city. The city has also recently affirmed its commitment to social justice through the City Council’s Resolution Reaffirming Support of Racial Equity and proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Melrose. These priorities suggest that we must promote equity through the design of our public spaces. Along Main Street, we believe this means explicitly prioritizing pedestrian and traffic safety while reducing the need for police enforcement. We can, and should, build a Main Street which truly demonstrates our commitment to challenging systemic racism in transportation design. We urge you to join us in prioritizing this goal.