Letter To The Medfield Community...

Letter To The Medfield Community....Vulnerable Road Users

On May 20, 2022, my husband, Joel, woke up and went on a run on Causeway Street in Medfield. It was a sunny morning and the Celtics had just won a playoff game the night before. He was training for the Vermont City Marathon, and I am sure he woke up feeling energized.

At 7:20am, I received a call from Beth Israel Deaconess in Needham that Joel was in their Emergency Department, and he had passed away. He went on a run like any other morning, but this time he did not come home.

It has been nearly eight months since Joel’s death, and I do not want anyone in Medfield to forget this tragedy. Personally, I have not walked my dog or run on Causeway since that day in May because I am my children’s only parent and if it could happen to Joel, then it could happen to me. Causeway is not the only road in Medfield that is frequented by pedestrians – walkers, runners, cyclists, and high school cross country teams. We have a number of roads that require motorists and pedestrians to share the road.

I am concerned about pedestrian safety in our town. For me it is personal. For you, it should be personal too.

We are a town of families. One in four of Medfield’s residents are under 18 (U.S. Census 2020 estimate). We should be concerned and do what we can to protect our children as they walk to school, walk to downtown on half days, play sports, or go to visit their friends. We are a town that likes recreation. We run, we cycle, we hike, and this has only increased with the COVID-19
pandemic. We have hiking trails that cut across roadways. Finally, we are a town of commuters. We drive to work and school. We all bear responsibility.

On January 3rd, Governor Baker signed a new law that protects “vulnerable road users” and sets
certain protections for them when they travel alongside motor vehicle operators (Baker signs new law protecting 'vulnerable' road users (boston.com)).

• Drivers are now required to leave at least four feet between their vehicles and pedestrians when they pass. This includes runners, walkers and cyclists. The Commonwealth will support increased signage on roads to make drivers aware of the four-foot clearance requirement.
• Local municipalities can request the state to lower speed limits on state-owned roads in their borders.
• Cyclists are required to use rear-facing red lights at night.
• Large trucks purchased or leased by the state must include back up cameras and extra mirrors.

So now it is not me and my children who are asking for these protections, but the state is requiring local municipalities, including Medfield, to protect the “vulnerable users” of their roads.

There are a variety of opportunities to improve safety of our roads, and I hope that the Board of Selectmen, Police Department, and Department of Public Works take action to implement changes. I understand there are a variety of reasons for not adopting change or thinking we should take our time to implement change, but I do not think that is acceptable. Medfield can be
a “trailblazer.” I ask that you reach out to representatives from these boards and departments to express your support for increasing pedestrian safety. The town also has a Safety Committee
(Steve Caskey, Craig McGary, Julie Obbagy, and Shane Medeiros), and they will be meeting in the next few weeks to discuss solutions. You can reach out to these individuals too. And you can
reach out to me because I guarantee I will be attending those meetings.

There is likely no perfect solution to our town’s safety problem, but there are still small steps that we all can take to make Medfield safer. And now the Commonwealth is backing those steps.

Karen Schneider
Jade Walk, Medfield