New Shared Streets Route Coming to Davis Square Area

Somerville’s Shared Streets initiative will add a new route, weather permitting, starting Thursday, September 3. Shared Streets open up low-volume or residential side-streets to pedestrians, cyclists, and other users while still allowing vehicle access for residents who live on the street or who need to use the street to get to their homes, their guests, and service vehicles such as first responders, delivery drivers, sanitation trucks, and street sweepers.

The new route will include Morrison Ave., Winslow Ave., and Clifton St. between Morrison and Winslow. This new Shared Streets route joins a network of routes opened over the summer throughout the city that help residents safely get outside and reach essential services.

You can find a map of Shared Streets routes at https://somervoice.somervillema.gov/covid19mobility. Feedback on routes can also be submitted on SomerVoice. 

Safety measures along Shared Streets routes include signage and flexible barriers to alert all users to the shared use of these streets. Somerville’s program will use temporary materials that can be modified based on our experience and feedback from residents with the pilot. Seven new “pinch points” will be installed along Morrison Ave. that will narrow traffic down to one lane to help slow vehicles and make the road safer for all users. Signs will alert motorists when a pinch point is coming up so they can yield tor other vehicles if needed. Motorists allowed to use a shared street, such as abutters, should drive slowly and expect to see people in the street on these routes. People walking, rolling, and biking should remain alert and aware and make room for these allowed vehicles. Please note that cyclists, using caution, can ride in either direction on a Shared Streets route.