Mayor Carlo DeMaria, during his Inaugural Address, highlighted that as part of a Safe Routes to School grant the City has installed and implemented various traffic- calming measures throughout the community.
Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a federally funded initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Safe Routes to School has worked with the DeMaria administration to increase biking and walking among elementary and middle school students in Everett.
The Mayor announced that an entrance corridor along the Northern Strand Community Trail to the Madeline English School was recently completed. The path was upgraded to include a completed ramp to the school, giving children a safe walkable route.
In addition, the Mayor emphasized how the City continues to improve pedestrian safety in residential neighborhoods and near schools. Two raised crosswalks were constructed this past summer to calm traffic near the Madeline English and Webster Schools, with three more to be installed later this year.
“We all want to encourage more kids to walk and bike to school. In order to do this kids must feel safe and be safe,” states Mayor DeMaria, “By installing more crosswalks and raised intersections of this design in the coming years we will calm traffic and make our streets much more welcoming to bicycles and pedestrians. My first priority is in areas around schools and parks and then residential neighborhoods.”
This spring, construction will start to connect the bike path to all of the adjoining streets including Norman, Appleton, and Parlin Streets.