Somerville Launching Shared Streets Pilot

SOMERVILLE, MA – The city will start a Shared Streets pilot program next month to provide more walking and biking routes that allow for social distancing. Routes will connect residents to essential services like food distribution sites, medical facilities and grocery stores.

The Shared Streets initiative opens up low-volume or residential side streets to pedestrians, cyclists and other users while still allowing vehicle access for residents of the street, first responders, delivery drivers, sanitation trucks and street sweepers.

The first Shared Streets route, set to launch in early June, will connect Winter Hill and East Somerville neighborhoods and include the Somerville Public Schools food distribution sites at the Healey and East Somerville Community schools; the Project Soup Food Pantry at 165 Broadway; Stop and Shop; and the Capuano School.

Subsequent routes will open throughout the summer. To see a full map of planned routes and schedule, visit our SomerVoice site at https://somervoice.somervillema.gov/covid19mobility. As routes are implemented, feedback on them can also be submitted on SomerVoice.

"As we begin to reopen the economy and more people need to leave their homes, we need to make sure we have safe options for that. This is essential planning for life during a pandemic," said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said in a statement. "We're anticipating more people will be on foot or on bikes in these warm weather months, and we’re creating more space for safe, accessible transportation."

Safety measures include signs and flexible barriers to alert drivers and pedestrians to the shared use of these streets. Somerville's program will use temporary materials that can be modified based on our experience and feedback from residents with the pilot.

Along with the Shared Streets pilot, the city will be implementing several measures starting this month intended to improve public safety and social distancing on Somerville streets, including temporary sidewalk expansions in commercial areas, pickup/drop-off measures in business districts and touch-less walk signals.