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Mural #2 at Intersection of Whiting Ave. and Mt. Vernon Street
Overview
The Active Transportation Working Group (ATWG), in partnership with thecollab and many volunteers successfully completed Dedham's second street mural project at the intersection of Whiting Avenue and Mt Vernon Street, strategically located between Dedham High School and Middle School.
Community Participation
Over 100 volunteers and community members participated in this weekend initiative, demonstrating strong local engagement and support for traffic safety improvements.
Project Approach
The project followed the "Pop-Up Projects for Safe Routes to School" guidebook methodology, implementing a low-cost, quick-build solution to address a problematic intersection identified through citation data and community input. Funding came from grant funds and local contributions, including donations from residents and community partners.
Why this design and approach?
The project created painted curb bump-outs with bright, eye-catching designs intended to:
- Encourage drivers to slow down
- Improve stop sign visibility and compliance
- Promote wider, safer turning movements
- Reduce vehicle-pedestrian conflicts in the school zone
Not Dedham's First Mural
This mural project complements previous road safety improvements along the Whiting Avenue academic corridor funded through a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Grant that ATWG helped secure. The dual approach combines immediate low-cost interventions with longer-term infrastructure investments to improve roadway safety both now and in the coming years.
Share Your Feedback with the ATWG
The ATWG welcomes community feedback on this intersection and others, with ongoing input opportunities through:
- Email: atwgdedham@gmail.com
- Virtual meetings: First Wednesday of each month at 4pm
Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you for your feedback; the survey is now closed. The ATWG will finalize its report and recommendations to share with the Select Board at a future public meeting.
February 26, 2025 Community Meeting:
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Watch the February 26 Community Meeting Recording, courtesy of Dedham TV
Creating temporary changes through flex posts/delineators to evaluate a new safety strategy to slow vehicular traffic and better separate pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic.
The Active Transportation Working Group (ATWG) has been approved to conduct a lane narrowing pilot study on Needham Street, based on available data and experiences around the Riverdale Elementary School. There are many studies that suggest narrowing lanes could mitigate the speeds at which vehicles currently travel at along Needham St (example: https://shorturl.at/jGT25).
This lane narrowing will be accomplished by physically narrowing the existing travel lane widths of 13 feet to 10 feet with plastic delineators. The delineators will be installed from the roundabout at Vine Rock to Hillside. The Town Engineering department will conduct a study prior to installation and during the pilot to measure vehicle behaviors.
The ATWG will present the findings of their study and their public meetings with the Select Board in consideration of restriping or repaving to consist of 2 – 10’ travel lanes and 2 – 5’ bike lanes.
Needham Street Issues
Speed: In 2022, Needham Street saw roughly 950 of the 3000+ speeding citations in Dedham, and speeds up to 44mph, despite the speed limit being 20-25mph. (source: Dedham Police)
Crashes: In 2022, Needham Street experienced eight car crashes*, the most on the roadway in the last five years. (source: MassDOT Crash Portal). *subject to change per MassDOT review
Lane Width & Speeds: Wide traffic lanes encourage faster motor vehicle speeds. The current width is 13 feet, whereas safer roadways & speeds can be achieved with 10 feet wide lanes (source: NACTO)
Complete Streets: The Town of Dedham recognizes that users of various modes of transportation, including but not limited to pedestrians, cyclists, transit and school bus riders, motorists, etc are legitimate users of roadways and deserve safe facilities. As a high-volume bike route, Needham Street was designated as a priority site for bike lanes by the MAPC Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan in 2014.
The Plan
WHAT:
The ATWG has been awarded two grants from America Walks and the Dedham Cultural Council to implement a street art/mural project at the crosswalk by the main entrance of the school. (The project is inspired by the Safe Routes to School Pop-Up guide).
WHO:
The Dedham Active Transportation Working Group(ATWG) is a committee that reports to the Select Board that advocates for a broader and sustained focus on the many active modes of transportation including, but not limited to walking, bicycling, motor vehicle, public bus, train and ride hail companies. You can click here and scroll to the section of “Submitted Updates” to learn more about the Active Transportation Working Group
WHY:
The ATWG has identified several safety and design concerns on Needham St that make it a dangerous road for people who are walking, biking, and using wheelchairs or strollers. Despite being a school zone, Needham St sees regular speeds between 30 and 45 mph, with the Dedham Police Department having issued nearly 1000 speeding tickets on the street in 2022. This is roughly 1/3 of all speeding citations in the town that year.
Research shows that asphalt art has a strong correlation with improved safety benefits, including a 50% decrease in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, and a 27% increase in frequency of drivers immediately yielding to pedestrians with the right of way. In effort to advocate for a safer Needham St for the Riverdale Community, the ATWG sought to explore this as a temporary yet effective solution to calm traffic. Check out some examples of asphalt art throughout the country on Bloomberg Philanthropies.
WHEN:
We hope the project will complete by Fall 2023, with more details to be communicated as they are available. This project is intended to be a Quick-Build project to respond to urgency of the conditions, while also providing evidence and justification for longer term, permanent design improvements.
The ATWG is working with Town departments to achieve a better comprehensive design of Needham St to better represent all forms of transportation, making it a Complete Street.
To get in touch with questions, willingness to participate in the project, or to share any personal experiences or concerns about Needham St in Dedham, please contact us via email at atwgdedham@gmail.com.
As of April 1, 2023, new laws in Massachusetts are in effect to help make roadways safety for everyone, in particular those who use transportation services other than cars.
The Vulnerable Road Users Laws were passed in Massachusetts as part of an “An Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities” that strives to increase roadway safety across the Commonwealth.
The following definitions and overview have been provided by MassBike.org to help provide context and clarity regarding the new laws and how they apply to all users.
What is a Vulnerable Road User?
Massachusetts now defines “vulnerable user” on our roads to include:
- People walking and biking
- Roadside workers
- People using wheelchairs
- Scooters, skateboards, roller skates, and other micromobility devices
- Horse-drawn carriages
- Farm equipment
Future policies and guidelines can be created with vulnerable road users in mind.
Safe Passing - Who is this for: Motorists
Drivers will need to provide a “safe passing distance” of at least 4 feet when passing vulnerable road users. (Note: Massachusetts is the 36th state to define safe passing as at least 3 feet).
According to the new laws, motorists are explicitly allowed to cross a double-yellow line in order to pass “when it is safe to do so and adhering to the roadway speed limit.”
MassDOT is required to put up signage to this effect across the commonwealth and will work in collaboration with municipalities to do so on public roadways.
Rear Red Light Requirement - Who is this for: Bicyclists
A new requirement for use of rear red lights at night will go into effect to ensure cyclists are visible on our roadways.
Bicyclists will now be required to use a front white light and rear red light and rear reflector when riding at night.
Police officers cannot use a light violation as a reason to stop a bicyclist. The lack of lights cannot be used as “conclusive evidence of contributory negligence” in a civil action, for instance when making an insurance claim.
Safer Speed Limits - Who is this for: Municipalities
Clarifies the process for municipalities to alter speed limits in thickly settled areas from 30 mph to 25 mph both on state-controlled roads and on the roads they control.
This is an update on the previously implemented Chapter 90, Section 18, giving authority to local jurisdictions to create safer roadways in their communities.
Crash Reporting - Who is this for: Police Departments
To improve statewide data collection surrounding vulnerable road user crashes, a standardized analysis tool will now be used to report crashes and incidents involving a person biking or walking. Standardized crash reporting will allow us to systematically measure, report, and track crashes which allow us to make data-informed changes that increase roadway safety.
Truck Safety Devices - Who is this for: Municipality/State Agency Contracting Trucks
State-contracted trucks that are class 3 or 10,000+ lb will be required to be equipped with “lateral protection devices” (safety side guards), convex and cross-over mirrors, and backup cameras to reduce fatalities of people walking and biking.
This requirement will reduce some of the tragic right-hook fatalities that we’ve seen in recent years.
The registrar shall also prohibit aftermarket accessories that obstruct visibility or endanger vulnerable users.