BOSTON-  At this week’s Boston City Council meeting, Councilor Ed Flynn will re-file a hearing order to discuss pedestrian safety, traffic-calming, and expanding the Safety Surge program in the city. He will also file a resolution in support of the replacement of concurrent pedestrian phasing traffic signals in Boston. This legislation follows a tragic and fatal car crash at Andrew Square in South Boston this week.

Pedestrian safety has long been a top priority for Councilor Flynn. In 2018, he recommended a 12-Point pedestrian safety plan to the city that called for the use of speed humps, raised crosswalks, pedestrian islands with rapid flash beacons, and curb extensions among other traffic-calming infrastructure. In 2019, after two pedestrians were struck by a van at the intersection of Melcher and Summer Streets in Fort Point at the site of a concurrent phasing traffic signal, one of them passed away due to their injuries. At that time, Councilor Flynn called for and held a Council hearing on concurrent pedestrian phasing traffic signals. He has consistently voiced opposition to giving cars a green arrow at the same time as, and in conflict with, pedestrian crossing signals.

Pedestrian safety is a critical component of public safety and overall quality of life for residents. The City of Boston is committed to pedestrian safety as part of Vision Zero – the goal of having zero serious and fatal traffic crashes. With this, the city lowered its default speed limit on neighborhood streets from 30 mph to 25 mph in 2017, with calls from City Councilors to lower it further to 20 mph.

In 2023, the Safety Surge Program and installation of speed humps was welcomed by many residents as a way to slow down cars; however, speed humps are currently limited to being installed on neighborhood side streets. Councilor Flynn has advocated for years that raised infrastructure be placed where the majority of vehicular and pedestrian foot traffic actually come into conflict- on main streets, commercial roads, high traffic corridors, and bus routes. It is a natural fit to have traffic-calming infrastructure in these areas of high foot traffic, and force speeding cars to slow down to allow for pedestrians, our seniors, persons with disabilities, and young families to cross the street more safely.

Moreover, residents throughout the city continue to call attention to the potential for a dangerous situation when it comes to concurrent pedestrian phasing traffic signals- where pedestrians have a signal to cross the street at the very same time that vehicles have a signal to turn at an intersection, with the expectation that the motor vehicle will always yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk.

In 2020, Councilor Flynn also called for declaring speeding cars as a Public Health Emergency. In 2021, he called for a portion of the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funding for the city to be dedicated to address long-standing pedestrian safety needs with improved traffic-calming infrastructure. This City Council Resolution will aim to replace concurrent phasing traffic signals.

“Pedestrian safety continues to be one of the top issues we face in the City of Boston- but it can no longer be a one-size fits all approach. I continue to advocate for traffic-calming infrastructure like raised crosswalks, speed humps, pedestrian islands with rapid flash beacons and curb extensions and that they be installed where the majority of vehicular traffic and pedestrians are- our main streets, commercial roads, high-traffic corridors, and bus routes,” said Councilor Flynn. “We also need to prioritize pedestrian safety crossing signals at our intersections. In my opinion, speeding cars and distracted driving are a public health emergency. Allowing pedestrians and cars to proceed at the same time is a recipe for disaster at many intersections across the city.”

For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 or [email protected].