Southwick teen’s report details pedestrian challenges in downtown Westfield

Published: Jan. 28, 2022, 6:31 p.m.  
By Michael Ballway | The Westfield News | mballway@thereminder.com
Special to The Westfield News
 

 Westfield is a very walkable city. A new report, however, reveals some issues in downtown for pedestrians as well as bicyclists.
The report by high schooler Max Austin found that more than 80 downtown crosswalk instruction plaques are badly faded, creating a potential safety issue for pedestrians. Downtown also is not user-friendly for bicyclists, because there are too few bike racks.
“Report on the Pedestrian Infrastructure of Downtown Westfield — Recommendations for a Better City,” was written by Max Austin, a high school junior from Southwick. His report is based on data collected by a group of 15 volunteers he organized last November.
They spent several hours on a Saturday morning walking around downtown to record conditions and locations of various pedestrian infrastructure. Volunteers covered five different routes divided into 200- to 300-foot segments over a one-square-mile section that comprised about a third of the downtown area.
Teams of volunteers checked to see which crosswalks had governing lights and evaluated the condition of crosswalk plaques that provide crossing instructions to pedestrians. The type of button used at each crosswalk light was also checked.
The survey data found that all 84 crosswalk plaques inspected need to be replaced. All were so faded that reading the instructions is difficult. Volunteers also found only five bike racks on streets that regularly see significant vehicle traffic.
In his report, Austin wrote that the “lack of bicycle storage space” is a “major weakness” of downtown’s pedestrian infrastructure. He recommended that the “primary way” to fix this deficiency is for the City Council to approve policies that address the issue.
One policy the report advocates is for the city to amend the zoning code to require bike racks. Currently, there is no requirement for bike racks at businesses or in parking lots.
The report cites Bicycle Security Advisors, a publisher of guides on best practices for zoning laws in regards to bike racks. It recommends one bike rack per 1,000 square feet of space in retail and residential units.
Austin said inverted “U”-style bike racks are the most cost-effective type for cities. He said racks that can park two bikes costs between $150 and $300. He added that whoever owns the space where racks are needed should pay for the installation.
Bike racks may be expensive, but he said there are benefits to having more in the city. For example, he said adding bike racks on sidewalks in downtown would sometimes be closer to a store than a parking spot — making biking to local businesses much more convenient.
Austin explained that having more cyclists benefits the city in a “multitude of ways,” such as decreasing Westfield’s emissions, promoting public health, and increasing the patronization of local businesses, especially in downtown.
“It also helps the city’s poor,” said Austin. “Bikes cost much less than cars, and making Westfield a city where you don’t need a car is a fantastic step toward making Westfield a great city for all income levels.”
Ward 3 City Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane, along with her daughter Nianh Matthews, formed one of the teams that conducted the survey. She had requested a copy of the report when it was completed.
The biggest surprise in the report for Matthews-Kane is the limited number of bike racks in the downtown corridor. She said the report made the lack of bike racks obvious.
“As someone committed to transportation equity, I’m concerned about the lack of bike racks available at places like the post office and stores, such as the East Silver Street Big Y,” she said. “As a community, it’s important we make transportation safe, convenient, and affordable for everyone, not just people who can drive cars.”
The city councilor said she’s willing to work with Austin to increase the number of bike racks in downtown.
“I think this is the way of the future,” said Matthews-Kane. She noted that the KFC restaurant on East Main Street has a bike rack featured prominently in front of its new building.
“This feature shows an international company’s commitment to both environmentally friendly transportation and transportation equity for both their workers and customers. Other businesses and facilities in our city would do well to copy this national chain’s ideas,” she said.
Austin said he expected to find “sparse” bike racks and faded plaques. But he was surprised by the universally poor condition of the plaques. He said the city could easily remedy this “flaw” by purchasing new plaques, which cost between $5 and $20 each.
Westfield Gas & Electric, the city’s electric and natural gas provider, is responsible for maintaining traffic signal lights and crosswalk plaques. Austin, however, recommends using volunteers to replace the plaques.
“Crosswalk plaques are easy to replace and don’t require any intense skill,” wrote Austin in his report. “This is one area in which volunteers can be involved in the process of improving Westfield.”
Matthews-Kane said she’s concerned about the number of faded plaques. but added that the city should make “data-driven decisions” as much as possible. She added that a thorough analysis of accident data in Westfield would show how much faded crosswalk plaques are contributing to accidents and would help determine if they needed to be replaced.
She added that she wants to see if the recently completed, but not yet published, transportation audit from the Safe Routes to School Coalition mentions the plaques and gives recommendations about them.
“At a minimum, I hope the city considers replacing plaques near the Middle School and the Abner Gibbs School, as children frequently cross those intersections,” she said.
Matthews-Kane said she was impressed with Austin’s report.
“His ability to focus on an issue in our community with real-world impacts is commendable,” she said. Austin said Matthews-Kane has been very responsive and helpful, so he’s working with her on his next steps, which could include sharing the report with other city councilors.
Austin said he plans more walkthroughs in other areas of Westfield to determine where new plaques need to be installed. He wants to explore using online services, such as Google Maps and Google Street View, to count the number of crosswalk plaques.
A former student at St. Mary’s High School, Austin now attends Southwick Regional School. He got the idea for the project after observing a number of pedestrian issues while walking through downtown one day in early November.