Councilor Flynn to hold hearing on pedestrian crossing signals & traffic calming

See press release below

BOSTON – Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn will hold a hearing to discuss the City of Boston’s pedestrian crossing signals and traffic calming measures that would improve safety for all to help achieve Vision Zero – the goal of no serious or fatal crashes in the City of Boston. The hearing will be held Monday, November 18th, 1pm in the Iannella Chamber at Boston City Hall with the Committee on Planning, Transportation and Development. The hearing will focus on ways to improve pedestrian crossing signals and traffic calming infrastructure improvements, slower speeds, and enforcement.

Residents have called attention to pedestrian signals that allow for crossing the street at the same time that vehicles have a signal to turn at an intersection, which could potentially be unsafe for pedestrians crossing a busy intersection.

Residents have also called for infrastructure improvements to our built environment – such as speed humps, raised crosswalks, curb extensions, road diets and rapid flash beacons – that would aid in traffic calming. As the city and our neighborhoods become more densely populated due to development, this increase in vehicular and pedestrian foot traffic continue to change our traffic patterns, and a discussion on measures to enhance pedestrian and traffic safety is warranted.

“Pedestrian safety is a top priority for me, and must be a top priority for the City of Boston,” said Councilor Flynn. “I look forward to having this discussion with the Boston Transportation Dept, Boston Police Dept, relevant agencies and concerned residents about how we can continue to work on infrastructure improvements, slower speeds and enforcement.”

The hearing will be open to the public and interested parties are encouraged to testify. For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 or [email protected].