Statement

Dear Malden residents,

As an organization dedicated to improving infrastructure to support walking, rolling and biking safely throughout Malden, Malden Safe Streets has been a leading voice in favor of the Spot Pond Brook Greenway. This bike and pedestrian path connecting the Northern Strand Trail to Malden Center has been proposed by Councilor O’Malley and has generated broad community support. We understand that there has been some opposition to the original plan, and the project, at times, seemed to be in jeopardy of being abandoned altogether. The city recently announced a new compromise design that will allow progress to continue, and we sincerely appreciate the fact that the Spot Pond Brook Greenway will continue to move forward.

This important project is crucial to completing the Mystic Highlands Greenway as well as providing a necessary step toward linking the NST to trails in Melrose, Wakefield and Stoneham. We support the efforts of State Senator Jason Lewis in championing the Mystic Highlands Greenway to provide a safe effective trail connecting all the communities in his district. The Greenway will connect the Malden River paths, Tri-Community Greenway, Lynn Fells Parkway, Wakefield/Lynnfield Rail Trail, and Lake Quannapowitt. We are particularly grateful to Mayor Christenson for continuing to work with all sides to push toward a consensus that keeps the project alive, and to Jim Tarr for all his hard work in developing alternatives. At the same time, we are disappointed that the compromise solution does not provide any improvement to Canal St. Nor does it provide valuable connectivity from the Bell Rock neighborhood to the Malden Center T station and Stop and Shop. These are items that we were very much hoping to see come to fruition.

We will continue to advocate for improvements to Canal St., which, lacking appropriate sidewalks, is dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians, and all but unusable for the mobility impaired. We recognize that addressing the non-ADA compliant sidewalks will be expensive but we believe that not addressing them is irresponsible. Using state funds to offset these costs by including them in the Greenway project would have been a beneficial investment.

Our vision for Canal Street with improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure

In light of Canal Street’s exclusion from the Greenway project, we suggest an interim compromise solution: the city should provide a painted two-way bike lane on the East side of Canal St. in the location that the Greenway was proposed. This painted bike lane should also include plastic bollards. We recognize that plastic bollards are a temporary solution. They are inexpensive and removable, and they will serve to show what’s possible while providing some degree of increased safety for the bicycles and wheelchairs who currently traverse Canal St. Having the barriers in place will also serve to demonstrate whether or not improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure actually interferes with truck access to local businesses.

We believe that the streets of Malden should serve the needs of the whole community in line with the complete streets policy signed by Mayor Christenson in 2016. Road maintenance offers a special opportunity to improve road usability for all road users. Plastic bollards and a painted bike lane offer a low-cost way to honor this commitment and to improve safety in Malden one block at a time. Canal St. is a very wide street with relatively little traffic compared to Main St. or Commercial St. It is well established that increased lane width results in higher driving speeds.

Research shows the direct correlation between street width and vehicle speeds

Reducing lane width on Canal St. while adding bike and pedestrian spaces would improve safety and enable it to serve as a critical multi-modal connector for the neighborhood. Charles St. is another large street that could support robust bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Making improvements to Charles St. would create an east – west corridor running parallel to Pleasant St and connecting to Canal St. and Highland Ave. Improved bike lanes and sidewalks should form a connective network throughout the city, and Malden Safe Streets is committed to continuing to work with the mayor and all of our elected officials to see this vision come true.

Sincerely,

Malden Safe Streets Board of Directors