/school-desire-lines

Newton MA residential desire lines to schools

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Newton MA School Desire Line Map

https://schools.newtonmoves.org/

This map shows shortest-path pedestian desire lines from Newton, Massachusetts residential addresses to their assigned elementary, middle, and high schools.

Notes

  • Data comes from OpenStreetMap (OSM) walking routes and Newton GIS.

  • Orange lines are streets that are part of routes between homes and schools. The thickness of the lines indicates the number of residences using this route as a shortest path.

  • Blue circles are intersections. The size of each circle indicates how many routes cross through the intersection.

  • Mousing over a line segment or a blue circle will show an "activity" number, which approximates a daily route count for that location. Activity numbers should be considered relative to each other and will not reflect actual trip numbers.

  • Buffer zones between schools, where some addresses go to one school and some to another, include both routes.

  • Routes are limited by length, depending on mode of travel:

    • Walk:
      • Elementary Schools: 0.75 miles or 1.2 km
      • Middle Schools: 1 mile or 1.6 km
      • High Schools: 1.25 miles or 2km
    • Walk and Bike:
      • Elementary Schools: 1 mile or 1.6 km
      • Middle Schools: 2.5 miles or 4 km
      • High Schools 3.5 miles or 5.6 km

  • If distance circles are turned on, they show distances of 0.5 miles and 1 mile from the school.

  • This map only represents potential routes and desire lines. It includes no information about where students actually live, or whether particular streets are good for walking or biking.

  • In particular, the map does not necessarily show safe routes. It does not take into account crosswalks, crossing guards, the existence of sidewalks, or universal accessibility. For off-road paths, it does not account for snow clearance in winter.

  • Residences in Chestnut Hill may not be correctly represented.

  • Apartment and other multi-family dwellings are generally treated as single addresses. This is a limitation of Newton's GIS data.

  • Additional entrances to schools may not be shown correctly on the map. Please report any additional access points to (m @ halle.us) so they can be added to the map.