Transportation and Mobility

Eight out of ten cars using Somerville streets pass through our neighborhoods on their way to and from other communities. These daily commuters rarely stop at local businesses; they only make Somerville streets more congested, more polluted, and less safe.

As Mayor, I’ll keep working with the community to create a safe, connected network of "complete streets" that will serve the needs of Somerville residents, businesses, and institutions. We will plan and build our streets to accommodate multiple transportation modes including bus and bike lanes, shared curbs, traffic calming, and hands-free pedestrian signals. These features will make moving around Somerville safer and more efficient for everyone, including children, mature adults, and people with disabilities.

Somerville is poised to be a regional leader in transportation, and by working together we demonstrate that pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, and local drivers can safely coexist with smarter planning and better streets. I’ve worked with Safe Streets (SASS) and have been a member of the Somerville Bike Advisory Committee (SBAC), and the Somerville Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PTAC). Together, we have made some important and highly visible improvements, but there is much more to do.

As mayor, I will work to make Somerville a leader in encouraging appropriate, new modes of efficient, economic, user-friendly urban transit options, including bike-sharing and autonomous vehicles. We will continue to improve local transit options by working for better local bus and shuttle services. These shared mobility options will help to make local transportation more affordable, limiting our dependence on automobiles and fossil fuel use, thereby improving sustainability, and economic and environmental equity.

For more information about my transportation and mobility values, read my responses to the Vision Zero, People-Centered-Cities questionnaire.