Late October 2022 (copy 01)

Apologies for the repeated message, but we included a broken  link in yesterday's call to action. The email links have been corrected below. Thanks to those who let us know that there was a stray + character in the email addresses!

The City of Somerville is only about 4 square miles in area, and about 25% of that is paved streets. For the past two years, City of Somerville staff and resident volunteers have been working to understand the way we use those streets and how we can change those uses as the city continues to grow and thrive.

They've pulled together a great set of

carefully-designed, thoughtful recommendations

, informed by our long-term planning goals and prioritizing equity and the needs of vulnerable road users. They include programs enhancing visibility and safety at intersections, the creation of more loading zones and ADA-accessible spaces, and, perhaps most controversially, changes to the resident parking permit system aimed at reducing the number of cars people store on the street.

A backlash against these absolutely necessary improvements to safety and mobility is already growing, and we need your help to make sure the city knows that residents support them in doing the right thing.

Please

write to the parking department and Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD)

to

let them know you support the study and its conclusions, and you want them to move forward on implementing its recommendations.