Worcester officials declare ‘Traffic Violence Crisis’ amid spike in pedestrian crashes

WORCESTER, Mass. — City Manager Eric D. Batista and Mayor Joseph M. Petty are declaring a “Road Safety and Traffic Violence Crisis” in light of three recent pedestrian crashes.

One of the crashes injured a child and two other collisions involved young adolescents struck by motor vehicles, according to authorities.

Officials say they are developing a comprehensive strategy, expected to launch in fall 2024, to improve street safety, “aiming ultimately to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries.”

Dubbed the “Vision Zero Safety Action Plan,” the program will identify Worcester’s most dangerous street segments and intersections. From there, both near-term and long-term actions will be implemented to improve and monitor roadway safety, according to a city spokesperson.

“For me, it can’t happen soon enough,” said Candy Mero-Carlson, city councilor for District 2.

Mero-Carlson says some of the most horrific crashes recently have been in her district.

“It’s really sad for these folks who, like this young girl who’s 13 years old, who you know, coming from an after-school program and still today is in a coma,” said Mero-Carlson. “We have a 20-month-old baby that’s still hospitalized from not too long ago.”

The goal is to have zero deadly or serious crashes in Worcester.

“We’ve had a number of instances that involve young people and I think that created a sense of urgency,” said Eric Batista, Worcester’s city manager.

A city spokesperson says Worcester has had more than 2,800 crashes so far this year, and 51 of them have seriously injured or killed someone, while 90 of them have involved pedestrians or cyclists.

The new plan starts with a proposal to lower the city’s speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph and even down to 20 mph in Safety Zones.

The city will also start studying the most dangerous streets and intersections, like Shrewsbury Street and Belmont Street in the coming weeks.

“We’re trying to accelerate that assessment to 60 days, so we can come up with some solutions and then be able to put some resources to address that,” said Batista.

The plan will include physical changes to these roads, but also more enforcement, and education, not only for drivers but also for pedestrians.

“Just because you’re walking in a crosswalk and because that yellow light is flashing doesn’t mean people are stopping,” said Mero-Carlson. “Don’t look once, look 10 times before you are crossing.”

On Monday, a young woman was seriously injured in a pedestrian crash on Shrewsbury Street.

As a result, both Belmont and Shrewsbury Street will undergo “quick response” assessments by the city’s Department of Transportation and Mobility, which will be completed within 60 days.

“These studies....will identify the most pressing safety issues in each corridor and identify ways to improve the safety of all users on these busy and densely populated corridors, emphasizing quick build changes that can be implemented within one year.”

In the interim, officials say two proposals are pending before the City Council, including reducing the statutory speed limit citywide from 30 mph to 25 mph and enabling the establishment of 20 mph Safety Zones.

“Making streets safer and more accommodating for all users requires more than government actions alone,” Mayor Petty and City Manager Batista said in a joint statement. “As a community, we need to work together to ensure our collective safety and well-being. We urge everyone to respect the rules of the road, slow down, watch for other road users, and exercise patience and restraint.”

Some of these proposals will need approval from city council soon, and this Vision Zero plan should be completed by the end of the fall.

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