WalkMedford takes on dangerous Salem Street rotary, road conditions

On a cold night, more than two dozen Medford residents, city and state officials met outside City Hall to take a walk. Their goal? To make it one piece around the Salem Street rotary, where the Interstate 93 on and off ramps connect to Medford.

Thanks to the help of Medford Police officers and Chief Jack Buckley, the group made it safely around. But one man wasn’t so lucky.

On Feb. 4, Arthur J. Webber crossed the rotary, something he’d done daily, when he was struck and killed by a pickup truck. He was 73.

Just two months prior, on Dec. 4, 2024, Boston University chemistry professor Dan Dill was walking his dog, Blue, across the Mystic Valley Parkway near his home in West Medford when he, too, was struck by a car and critically injured. Dill died Jan. 11 from his injuries. He was 78.

Both men were in a crosswalk when they were struck. Both were traveling across state-owned and operated roads, Dill on Mystic Valley Parkway, operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Webber on the rotary, controlled by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

And that’s not even all of it. Ellery Klein, chair of WalkMedford, said in a letter that there have been two other incidents where pedestrians have been struck in the past few months.

WalkMedford, a citizen’s group, has been around for the past 10 years, advocating for safe streets and walkability in the city. And, the group has been actively lobbying the city to do something about problematic areas for not only walking, but cycling in the city.

What’s been done so far?

On Jan. 23, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn sent a letter to MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver and DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo, asking both to lower the speed limit on the state-controlled roadways from current speeds to 25 mph.

MassDOT controlled roads include:

• Fellsway (Route 28) – approximately south of Mystic Valley Parkway/Route 16

• Middlesex Avenue

• Mystic Avenue (Route 38) – approximately south of Crescent Street

• Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) – approximately east of Mystic River (near Main Street)

• Roosevelt Circle (including South Border Road, approximately east of Massachusetts Avenue)

DCR controlled roads include:

• Elm Street

• Fellsway (Route 28) – approximately north of Mystic Valley Parkway/Route 16

• Highland Avenue

• Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) – approximately west of Mystic River (near Main Street)

• Mystic Valley Parkway (MVP) – approximately north of High Street (near Mystic Lakes)

• South Border Road – approximately west of Massachusetts Avenue

On Feb. 11, City Councilor Emily Lazarro proposed a resolution in remembrance of Dill, adding the City Council will work with DCR and the state delegation to make improvements to the crosswalk where he died.

The March 19 walk is just the latest action by residents to bring awareness to the issue of pedestrian and bicycle safety in Medford.

The Salem Street walk

 Along for Wednesday night’s walk were Joshua Grzegorzewski, lead field operations specialist for the U.S. Department of Transportation and MassDOT Project Engineer Brian Fallon.

Lazarro, Medford Director of Traffic & Transportation Todd Blake, Buckley, who is chair of the city’s Traffic Commission, and members of the Medford Bicycle Advisory Commission also walked the route.

“Tonight is an audit of the Salem Street rotary,” Klein said. “This is probably the most dangerous walk we’ve ever done.”

She said she hoped residents who showed up would be able to ask questions and offer suggestions to officials.

Pat Bibbins, a South Medford resident who is also president of Bike to the Sea, said he wants to see the city’s streets be a lot safer.

“We’ve made some real improvements with bicycle and pedestrian safety in Medford, but there’s more we can do,” he said, adding some areas, such as College Avenue, are just getting much needed bike lanes and sidewalk updates.

Bibbins said when his son was younger, he was struck by a car while walking on a side street in the Hillside area that didn’t have a crosswalk. While his son was fine, Bibbins said the accident could have been so much worse.

Looking at I-93 across from City Hall, Bibbins said the highway affects so many people, especially as people are trying to get into Medford Square.

Linda Foote said she doesn’t even bother crossing the rotary, even though she and husband Wesley live off Franklin Street.

“I don’t like to walk to Medford Square, especially since you have to cross both an exit off 93 and onto 93,” Foote said. “I remember what this area was like before 93 and it was a different city.”

Asked whether Medford is walkable, Foote shook her head.

“No, it’s not,” she said. “It’s terrible.”

She added she wasn’t sure what can be done, other than to stop the traffic getting on and off I-93.

“Medford has become a pass-through city,” Foote said. “I know we can’t go back, but people who drive through here just don’t listen.”

Buckley added the truth is there are just more vehicles on the road — and drivers are more distracted than ever.

“When you couple that with more people walking or using bikes, you get these collisions,” Buckley said. “We need help keeping up with public safety on the roadways. If you stand on any corner, you can see people on their phones.”

Future of Salem Street rotary

Officials are determined to make changes to dangerous areas across the city, whether via flashing lights, raised crosswalks or other deterrents.

Fallon said MassDOT is also on board, looking at ways to slow the traffic in the rotary off Medford Square.

Some possible changes are narrowing the roadway on and off the highway, forcing traffic to slow down. Widening the sidewalks, adding better lighting and installing flashing crosswalk lights that spotlight a waiting pedestrian in a white LED light that makes drivers aware of their presence and targeting speed limits are all on the table, Fallon added.

“We want to slow it down,” he said, of the traffic. “We are trying to take away the speed by making some big changes.”

Klein said it’s important drivers understand the distinction between the highway and the city of Medford.

“The highway is up there,” she said, pointing to I-93. “This is Medford. This is where people live, where people go to school, where people do business and people need to be aware of that fact.”