Do You Travel Through Brookline? Check Out This Map

BROOKLINE, MA — If you have ideas on how to improve walking, biking or taking transportation in Brookline or know of dangerous spots that need to be looked at more closely, now's your chance.

Brookline is working on becoming a Complete Streets Community with MassDOT so it can apply for a grant to (you guessed it) improve all of the above.

In April, the town put out a wikimap where anyone can plot problem areas or suggest ideas. The map will only be open for more info for about another week, according to transportation officials, so if you've ever grumbled about a stoplight that isn't helpful for bikes or an pedestrian light that doesn't stay green long enough for you to make it across the road, now's your chance to make it known.

(Although you can always share that data with the Transportation Board, that's their job).

Currently the map is covered in notes from folks noting everything from narrow, bumpy sidewalks on Chestnut Hill Avenue to dangerous intersections at Dean and Beacon.

The wikimap was created by the consultant the town enlisted, Howard Stein Hudson, to gather project ideas from interested parties on changes they would like to see included in the Complete Streets Prioritization Plan. That plan is the final step to become a Tier 3 Complete Streets Community with MassDOT and apply for competitive grant money to implement complete streets projects, according to Transportation Commissioner Todd Kiranne.

Afterward HSH will assemble all of the projects along with the community data they have assembled and put together with staff and Transportation Board input our final plan to be submitted in late August/early September.

"One thing I have noticed on the Transportation Board is that we get our best outcomes when we get the most public input possible," said Brookline Transportation Board Chair Chris Dempsey told Patch. "This WikiMap is an opportunity for us to be proactive and to solicit good ideas from residents and anyone else who uses Brookline's streets. We have a great community, but we also know that there is lots of room for improvement, especially on making our streets safer and more comfortable for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. We want every street in Brookline to be a great place to walk — that's good for public health and good for our small businesses."

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