Thomas Kraus and Marc Kaufman, president and vice president of the Newtonville Area Council, had a oped in last week’s TAB calling for improvements to Walnut Street in Newtonville to take place prior to the Austin Street construction.
Postponing the project for years to benefit 68 new apartments on Austin Street is the wrong priority. Walnut Street changes should come first, benefiting thousands of residents. Waiting until after construction provides little new information; drivers will gradually find the most efficient way to move. As with the opening of Newton North, it will take years for new traffic patterns to emerge.
I agree with the editorial. Slot in in now. But the key is what they are going to do.
Make Walnut St. through Newtonville more attractive and functional *before* Austin St. disruption to give the merchants a shot in the arm so have a better chance of survival.
folks moving to Newtonville will adapt to the environment they see around them, data shows that moving is one of the few key times that mode choice can actually be changed and ingrained. We need to build a safe pedestrian first village center FIRST, if we want to do the most to encourage new residents to use more active and sustainable modes to get around (and thereby reduce traffic and parking demand).
– which all goes back to politically local control vis-a-vis area council, Ward specific councilor (alderman), or perhaps an at home-based corner office executive…