Data Download with Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

On January 25, 2018, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Taking a closer look at notable city data – and interesting numbers.

15% fewer crashes, but…:

In 2017, 15% fewer crashes were reported on city-owned roadways, which was a marked decline from the previous year. By the numbers: there were 636 crashes in 2016 and 538 in 2017, or 98 fewer crashes this year. But while any decrease is encouraging, it is still early to draw any certain conclusions from this drop. Crash reports tend fluctuate year-to-year. The 2017 total also follows a spike in accidents in 2015 and 2016. So we need to continue to monitor this over the long-term. We also can’t allow ourselves to settle for the old standard of simply striving to decrease crashes overall. We also need to eliminate the kinds of crashes that do the most harm. This will be no simple task, but it’s possible.

Somerville is a member of the VisionZero movement, which means our ultimate goal is to have no traffic-related fatalities or serious injuries on City right of ways. This is vital to public safety. In 2017, 12 persons were seriously injured on our right of ways, and in recent years that number has been as high as 24. While we will never be able to eliminate all accidents, we can strive to ensure that when accidents do happen, that our community members have the best chance possible to walk away without serious harm.  Strategic traffic calming, design changes, and infrastructure investments are our key tools—along with data analysis. Over the long-term, we should have good insight into whether our specific interventions, such as the traffic pattern changes in Union Square, are working, or not. The VisionZero credo is that traffic deaths and serious injuries are not inevitable. I hope you’ll join us in working to help prove that.

$5 monthly Hubway memberships for SNAP participants:

As part of an effort to increase transportation equity, Somerville and several other Hubway communities recently launched the ‘SNAP Card to Ride’ program. The program provides $5 monthly and $50 annual memberships for Hubway bike sharing to people over the age of 16 with a household EBT card. Registration is available at www.thehubway.com/SNAP. We are also looking into ways to expand this program to other low-income individuals in the future.

These new Hubway users, along with other Hubway members, will also soon have even more locations and safe routes where they can hop on a Hubway bike and ride in Somerville.  To further boost opportunities for residents and visitors to choose cost-effect bicycle transportation within Somerville, the City plans to add nine new Hubway stations and two additional miles of protected, low-stress bike lanes in 2018.

$10 million dollars for STEM programs in Somerville and Cambridge schools:

It’s easy to focus solely on the staggering number when you get a significant grant like the $10 million that the Biogen Foundation recently committed for STEM programming in Somerville and Cambridge. But think about this in terms of a much smaller number: one, as in one student and one spark. This 4-year award will fund nonprofits to collaborate with our two school districts on creative science, technology, engineering, and math programs. That means that as our students explore these areas through innovative approaches and with a range of educators, the likelihood that they’ll experience that spark – that game-changing moment where you discover a passion, a deep curiosity, or determination to learn more – just shot up. I’m looking forward to these programs creating aha moments for our future researchers, doctors, and inventors. We often talk about education in aggregate terms such as whole schools or districts, but it’s good to remember that what we are trying to build each day in our schools is the potential of individual lives. We’re fortunate to have Biogen as a committed partner in that effort.

Oodles of families:

Ok, “oodles” is clearly not an official number, but oodles of families is the best way to describe the big turnout for the library’s recent Drag Kings, Queens, and Friends Storytime event where beloved Boston area drag performers and friends read from their favorite children’s books like “It’s Okay to be Different” by Todd Parr. Library Director Glenn Ferdman reports it drew “the biggest crowd we’ve ever had in our auditorium.” As another person described it, “Everyone I know with a toddler was there.” You just have to love Somerville for its welcoming, warm, and often fun-spirited embrace of diversity in all its forms as well as the community’s consistently strong support for and celebration of our LGTBQ neighbors and friends. We should all also be proud to have a library that puts on such creative, inclusive programming. Next up? A craft brewing workshop with Aeronaut Brewery. Really. At the library.

Data-based decision making is at the core of how the City of Somerville develops policy and sets priorities. Every day we check the latest 311 stats, and throughout the week we meet for in-depth review of departmental data and city trends. The monthly Data Download column shares some of the data we’ve been reviewing recently, as well as interesting updates. To see more Somerville Data, visit the online Somerville Data Farm at http://www.somervillema.gov/datafarm/.

 

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