BOSTON — When Catherine Birdwell pushes her young child along West Broadway in Boston, she will take the long way to avoid crossing the busy road in certain spots.
“I avoid [crossing] it if I have a child in the stroller,” Birdwell said. “I think speed is an issue and there are blind spots here.”
There has been a series of pedestrian-involved crashes along West Broadway between E and F streets in recent months. According to the City of Boston’s online crash data, at least five pedestrians have been struck by vehicles since Feb. 2023, including a 57-year-old Southie woman who suffered a fractured vertebra in March. That woman’s daughter told Boston 25 News West Broadway is a dangerous road for walkers.
“The current configuration of the roadway is unsafe with lanes that are 17 feet wide, encourage speeding, and make it difficult for pedestrians to cross safely,” a Boston Transportation Dept. spokesperson said.
The Transportation Dept. is in the process of implementing the South Boston Transportation Action Plan, a proposal the city says will improve overall safety by updating crosswalk striping, reducing blind spots, and adding signage.
“The current proposal recommends rightsizing the travel lanes to a width that allows the smooth flow of traffic without unnecessary risk to people on foot,” the spokesperson said.
The city will provide an update on the traffic safety proposal during a public hearing on Apr. 10 at the James F. Condon School in Southie.
“I think it’s tight streets, there’s a lot of people and there’s a lot of bars on the street,” Southie resident Brett Southworth said. “You’ve got to check both ways before you cross the street.”
Birdwell says drivers need to slow down.
“It seems like people don’t really realize this is a residential area and there’s lots of families in this area,” Birdwell said.
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