BRPC Kicks Off Road Safety Action Plan with Public Information Sessions

10:30AM / Tuesday, June 18, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) federal funding program is bringing resources to Berkshire County to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on our roads, with the goal of reaching zero.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is kicking off this effort under the banner of their STEPS Initiative: the Safe Travel and Equity Plan for our Streets, and will soon begin the data gathering process.

To help answer the question of how we prevent more people from experiencing traffic crashes in the future, BRPC is inviting residents of Berkshire County to share their experiences that might not be found in a statewide database.

Input will help shape the priorities of the STEPS Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. This Action Plan will open the door for future funding for recommended construction or programs. The planning team will offer three opportunities to attend in-person or virtually this month (the meetings will be identical in content):

Thursday, June 20, North Adams: Terra Nova | 85 Main Street | 12:00 – 1:00pm
Thursday, June 20, Dalton: Dalton Public Library | 462 Main Street | 5:30 – 6:30pm
Friday, June 21, Great Barrington: State Road Firehouse | 37 State Road | 10:00 – 11:00am

Spanish language interpretation will be available on Zoom for the June 20 meeting at 5:30. To join any meeting via Zoom, you must pre-register for the one you wish to attend at: berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/ss4a/

At the meetings, the planning team will present the background and need for this study and the data gathered so far. Berkshire residents are invited to provide their perspectives and experiences on how they feel about road safety in their communities. Specifically, the planning team wants to know:

How has the real or perceived risk of injury affected the way you travel? Do you choose not to take a trip by foot or bike? Not travel after dark?
What neighborhoods have been historically underserved by our transportation system, and overly represented in injuries and fatalities?
Where have you seen risky situations or behavior that might not show up in statewide crash data?
How can we most effectively encourage safer behaviors on a regional scale?

Residents are also encouraged to participate in a 5-minute online survey that will help to build the Action Plan. Take the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/SS4A. The survey will remain open through the summer. Learn more about the STEPS Initiative project at berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/ss4a/.

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If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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