'Neighborway' Concept Wants Kids to Play in the Streets

A lot of people who grew up in Somerville talk about an era when kids would play in the streets.

It's not a sight that's common these days, but a small group of people, led in part by Mark Chase, a transportation planner who teaches at Tufts, would like to make Somerville's streets kid-friendly again.

Chase and some of his students have put together a website that outlines some simple ways to create what they're calling a "neighborway."

"It's a concept that originated on the West Coast," Chase said, and it's one that has many different names, including "greenways" and "bicycle boulevards."

A "neighborway" can be created easily and cheaply with some paint, Chase said, and it can get as complex as a street with crossing islands (traffic islands that let bicycles pass through), chicanes and brick intersection markers.

Chase said, "I feel the less expensive it is, the less cost would be a barrier." He added, "I think we could do some very cool things with paint." Painted stencils on the street and painted designs at intersections can create visual markers that make streets safer for children, pedestrians and bikers.

"It seems it would fit well in Somerville, but it would need some activism," Chase said. In other words, it's best "if people say, 'Okay, I'd like to see this on our street.'"

The call for a neighborway needs to be a "bottom up" effort, driven by residents, and not something imposed on neighborhoods by city government, he said.

Chase also said a neighborway wouldn't need to take parking away from streets; parking is an issue that sometimes causes conflict when it comes to traffic plans in Somerville.

The website proposes two possible pilot neighborways. One would connect the Capuano School in East Somerville with Davis Square, using local streets and the Community Path. The other would connect Davis Square with City Hall and Somerville High School.

Anyone interested in learning more can visit the website.