The South Boston MOMS Club is hoping to have East Broadway between I and L streets closed during the annual Trick or Treating on Broadway. The primary reason for this request is pedestrian safety in addition to Covid Safety. Trick or Treating on West Broadway would be business as normal due to wider sidewalks.

See the letter below sent to our local elected officials

Dear Congressman Lynch, Senator Collins, Mayor Janey, Representative Biele and City Councilors,

I am writing to request that East Broadway be closed to traffic between I and L streets for the duration of the annual Trick-or-Treat event on Broadway due to numerous safety concerns.

We are very grateful that the businesses that we love & support help make Halloween special for our children every year with the Broadway Trick-Or-Treat. Halloween is an important and much anticipated holiday for children and families in this community.

As the popularity of this wonderful event increases, so do the numbers of trick-or-treaters on the narrow East Broadway sidewalks. As wonderful and reassuring as the police presence has been during the event, the issue of limited space remains. A large number of families with infants, toddlers, children, strollers, wagons, and dogs share a narrow sidewalk next to a very busy main street. Closing Broadway to traffic would enable the crowds to spread out and minimize Covid concerns and provide additional space for pedestrians to safely walk.

The alarming frequency with which pedestrian and motor vehicle crashes occur in our neighborhood is the primary concern for South Boston families. In October 2020, after three vehicles drove onto sidewalks and crashed into buildings, all within the span of a week, Councilor Flynn declared the unsafe streets of South Boston a public health emergency. Most recently, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle at Emerson & East Broadway on Wednesday, September 22. This is an amazing opportunity to be proactive and put additional safety measures in place to ensure that celebrating Halloween on Broadway is a fun and safe experience for all.

Please see the Broadway Trick-or-Treat Proposal attached for additional details. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter. If any of you would like to discuss my concerns further, I can be reached via email or on my cell at (857) 272-7255.

Best,

Taryn Powers

To:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Stephen Lynch, Congressman

Nick Collins, Senator

Kim Janey, Mayor of Boston

Annissa Essaibi-George, City Councilor At-Large

Ed Flynn, City Councilor, District 2

Michael Flaherty, City Councilor At-Large

Michelle Wu, City Councilor At-Large

David Biele, State Representative

Below is the street closure proposal:

What do you think? You’re encouraged to reach out to our elected officials to share your thoughts.