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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston city officials announced the new "Safety Surge" initiative on Monday to make the streets safer for pedestrians, drivers, and bicyclists alike.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the program aims to cut down speeding and crash cases by adding speed humps on eligible neighborhood roads with redesigns coming for intersections and guidelines for traffic lights to slow down residential traffic.
“As our City grows, we must act with urgency to make our streets safe for everyone. All across the City, residents are worried about speeding cars that make it unsafe for kids to play in front yards or seniors to cross the street. By redesigning intersections and roadways, and improving traffic signals, we will help people get around while making sure our community members are safe,” Wu said.
Speed humps were already installed on a number of streets in Mattapan, with more humps coming across a planned ten zones each year. Those zones will be prioritized based on crash incident history and resident demographics.
"Because we know, according to the numbers, our residents of color experience more traffic-related fatalities," Wu said.
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Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge says the city will be redesigning at least 25 intersections a year to make them safer for everyone who uses them.
"We want intersections that not only help people on foot or on bike feel safe, but also reduce stress and risk for drivers by improving visibility, better separating different road users, and simplifying confusing intersections," Franklin-Hodge said.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports.
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