By Ewan Henrie

On Thursday, April 23, the Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs held a virtual meeting with the Mobility Division to discuss new types of transportation features placed around the city and why they were installed.

The first topic discussed was Vision Zero, the plan designed to reduce deaths or serious injuries through traffic accidents. It works across multiple departments and uses a data-driven approach. The plan was supported initially by former mayor Joseph Curtatone. Next, the division talked about the increase of protected bikeways in Somerville, particularly in areas with significant amounts of high speed and traffic.

The Mobility Division then discussed markings to determine where people are allowed to park and where it is prohibited to park. An example used was drivers not being allowed to park less than 20 feet from a crosswalk. Vehicles parked any closer than 20 feet block visibility.

The expansion of floating busways was also discussed. Floating busways provide an exclusive pathway for pedestrians to wait to board a bus without crossing the street.

The Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Mobility Division ended the meeting by thanking the participants for attending and said there would be more transportation projects in the works for 2027.