events and advocacy this week, starting Dec 3

[Ellery Klein, WalkMedford]

Hello WalkMedford,

A few notes for action and advocacy that you can take this first week of December! 

1) More 25 mph speed limits in Medford! 

As Laurel Siegel emailed earlier this week, the City Council has at last decided to take up WalkMedford's request to explore taking advantage of the change in state law made in the 2023 Vulnerable Road Users Act. This change allows municipalities to request that DCR and MassDOT state roads that pass through our community adhere to our 25 mph citywide limit, which previously were simply excluded from any municipal changes. 

Why should we make this request? We've put together a slideshow of safety and environmental reasons that you can share!

The proposed request can be read here on the City Council agenda.

You can attend in person to show your support, or the Zoom Link to attend the meeting remotely is here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82401804736

If you cannot attend, do send an email in support of this request to the city council: 

Isaac 'Zac' Bears <ibe...@medford-ma.gov>,

Kit Collins <kcol...@medford-ma.gov>,

Anna Callahan <acal...@medford-ma.gov>,

Justin Tseng <jts...@medford-ma.gov>,

Matt Leming <mle...@medford-ma.gov>,

sca...@comcast.net,

Emily Lazarro <elaz...@medford-ma.gov>

2) Environmental advocacy group Mothers Out Front Medford chapter is holding a meeting on Dec 4, 2024 at 7 pm in the Bonsignore Room at the Medford Public Library for a chapter-wide meeting about our 2025 plans. Among the proposal is for street usage improvements for pedestrians, public transit, and cyclists as well as cars. Given that transportation is 40% of emissions in MA, we are excited to see multimodal transportation get on the radar for more environmental groups as an issue that needs tackling, and we encourage you to get out to support and join the efforts.

3) WalkMedford meeting on December 12 at 7 pm at Medford Public Library

We realize it's a busy time of year, but come out for a short meeting to say hello and talk about what WalkMedford has managed to do over the last few years, and what we should plan to advocate and organize for in 2025 and beyond. 

Best,

Ellery Klein

Chair, WalkMedford