Bryn Garrity

City Council, Ward 1

Q1. How do you primarily get around? Where do you walk in Malden? When and where was the last time you biked, traveled with a person with mobility impairments, or took public transit? What is your evaluation of your own experiences traveling in Malden outside of a car?

I primarily drive, then take public transit, then walk. I will walk the mile from our home to Malden’s downtown area or towards Everett for dinner or coffee. This winter I was embarrassed by the poor snow removal after a storm when I invited someone to lunch in Malden she was unable to comfortably navigate the sidewalks in her wheelchair. I like the addition of BlueBike stations around the city and the bike path. I have been confined to my car for the last several months because of back pain which left me unable to stand or walk for long periods of time, and the lack of choice in transportation was frustrating! I am happy to be able to walk downtown or to the bus now. I think Malden is well connected between most neighborhoods and is certainly a place where you don’t need a car.

Q2. Name at least one concrete action that you think Malden can and should take within the next two years in order to improve the safety of streets and sidewalks for people not in cars—e.g., pedestrians, bicyclists, people with mobility assistance devices, people with disabilities, and children playing. Limit your answer to interventions which are possible entirely at the municipal level.

I think that we need to add a traffic light at the bike path and Main intersection for the cyclists and scooter users. I also think we should eliminate the second crosswalk next to the bike path crosswalk to streamline pedestrian traffic. This would be a huge improvement of that intersection.

Q3. What, in your view, is the city's role in making Malden a community where more people are encouraged to get around easily and conveniently by foot, on bicycles, and on public transit? Name at least one concrete action you would take to make Malden a leader on this issue. Given that more than 40% of carbon emissions in Massachusetts are from transportation, how will your actions in this area support Malden’s sustainability and green energy goals?

I think an overhaul of zoning in Malden would create pockets of small businesses all around the city which would encourage residents to shop within their neighborhoods. Having a convenience store that sells cooking basics, a coffee shop, and a restaurant option all within an easy walk from your home and not just concentrated downtown is so convenient for residents and offers options after a long day, not limiting you to getting in the car and driving to Stop and Shop or Pleasant St.

Q4. Malden families don’t have the opportunity of relying on school buses. They also aren’t guaranteed their closest neighborhood school, and school drop-off traffic is one of the most persistent congestion challenges in the city. How will you help families who want to get their kids to and from school without relying on a car?

The long term plan is to slowly get more parents comfortable with their kids walking and biking to school. There is no reason why a healthy child shouldn’t be able to walk 20 minutes to school, which is roughly ¾ of a mile. We can start by creating bike buses and walking buses on set routes through neighborhoods, so parents know their kids are supervised. We can run “learn to ride” programs in the summer time to get kids comfortable biking. Local groups like Safe Streets or interested adults can volunteer a day or two each month to lead a bike or walking bus.

The more people who are active in this endeavor, the less work it will be. Cars cause traffic, not bikes and pedestrians. Creating a culture of walking/biking to school will be key to eliminating drop-off traffic.

We can start small with 1 day per week, every week. If that’s going well over the course of a semester, add another day. Not only does this reduce traffic throughout the city, it creates independent, street smart kids, and relieves some of the burden from parents.

Q5. Many communities in our area are investing in regionally interconnected paths and trails to create opportunities for both recreational and functional trips on foot or bike over larger distances. Where do you see opportunities to work with Malden’s neighbors on such projects?

I think it’s a no-brainer to collaborate with Everett, Chelsea, Melrose, and Medford on bike path projects. The more protected paths we can offer, the more options our residents have. This has multiple benefits: residents who commute in between the cities have more avenues to travel, an easy biking route to Malden Center from neighboring towns will boost business, and it gives us a channel of communication between the city officials we need. These towns are so connected, it doesn’t make sense for us to work in a vacuum.

Q6. What is one way that you think street design could help improve Malden’s business and retail districts? What kinds of access do you think are most needed to make Malden a more attractive place for shopping and doing business?

I have an idea for Pleasant Street that will be great for our disabled residents and the restaurants on that stretch of road, as well as eliminate the CONSTANT double parking everywhere:

I propose that from 4-7pm on weekdays and all day on weekends all parking spots turn from 2hr paid to handicap/15 minute pick-up/drop-off spots. If you have a handicap sticker, you are free to park as long as you need. Otherwise, it’s 15 minute parking and you need to be in and out. The restaurants stores on Pleasant can hugely benefit from this as it will increase the likelihood of takeaway orders (I know I for one will avoid getting a pick up order from a spot on Pleasant if I’m by myself since parking is difficult) and make delivery pick ups easier. More business for the restaurants!

This also leaves ample parking right in front of businesses for anyone with a handicap placard.
Anyone planning on spending more than 15 minutes at a business can use one of several parking garages. We should increase signage advertising that the parking is affordable so more people are drawn to it.

If this works, we can expand it to Exchange Street as well.

Q7. Do you support micromobility investments for areas such as Canal and Charles streets and, if so, what sort of infrastructure would you support and recommend?

Of course! I am happy to support more non-car methods of transport. Certainly the devil is in the details, but the general idea is good. The addition of Bluebike stations with Ebikes and regular bikes has been a very convenient neighborhood improvement. I would be very interested in reviewing future projects.