A tragic trend is taking hold in Boston, bringing out raw emotion for some and frustration for local leaders who are trying to bring the issue to a stop.
“25 miles per hour is excessive,” said City Councilor Ed Flynn.
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“On residential streets that is still too fast,” said City Councilor Enrique Pepen.
Cars are speeding around Boston streets and in some cases injuring or killing pedestrians trying to cross. It was just days ago that a 4-year-old girl was killed in the Fort Point neighborhood and on Thursday, a pedestrian was hit by a truck and sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
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In fact, when you zoom out to the city overall, the data shows hundreds of pedestrian traffic incidents with 587 recorded in 2023 alone.
As a result, Flynn is calling for the 25-mile-per-hour speed limit on most residential streets to be dropped down to 20.
“It’s a speed that we cannot continue to participate in, it needs to be reduced in the interest of public safety,” said Councilor Flynn.
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That idea seems to have the support of his council colleagues.
“We as drivers, we need to be more aware of our surroundings, more aware of our speed,” said Councilor Pepen.
But changing the speed limit isn’t the only step the city is taking. New speed bumps have been popping around town, along with additional stop signs as Flynn and others hope to see more enforcement from Boston Police.
“They want to see strict enforcement of the speeding laws, traffic laws, by Boston Police. That is critical,” said Flynn.
The speed limit adjustment is headed into committee for further consideration.
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