Worcester is declaring a “Road Safety and Traffic Violence Crisis” following the three recent pedestrian crashes involving one toddler and two adolescents, City Manager Eric Batista and Mayor Joseph Petty announced last week.
“The best way to show our sympathy to the families impacted by these tragedies is through action,” the city officials wrote in an announcement. “We send them our strength and our pledge to end traffic violence now and we invite every resident and road user in the City of Worcester to join us in this mission.”
Following a tragic streak of crashes, the announcement is intended to “draw attention to the serious and worsening problem of traffic violence and rally the community behind actions to address it,” the city officials said.
In late June, a 13-year-old girl was fatally hit by a car on Belmont Street in Worcester. A 1-year-old child was hit the same month on Lincoln Street and was seriously injured but survived.
In 2024, there have been over 2,800 vehicle crashes in Worcester, the city officials said in a release. Over 90 involved pedestrians and cyclists. Fifty-one resulted in serious injuries or deaths.
These sort of crashes are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in Americans 24 or younger and second leading cause for all ages, the release cited.
The city officials outlined several steps to “prioritize the safety of our street network,” including accelerating a “Vision Zero Safety Action Plan” through the Department of Transportation and Mobility.
In collaboration with other departments, consultants and community partners, city officials said, the plan aims to “ultimately eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries” by identifying the most dangerous street segments and intersections, developing actions to increase road safety and monitoring progress in the long terms. The plan will come out in late fall, but officials will release study findings and initial actions in the meantime.
The two key proposal before the City Council are reducing the speed limit citywide from 30 mph to 25 mph and enabling establishment of 20 mph Safety Zones. The officials also noted they are seeking assessments and short- and long-term improvement plans for Belmont and Shrewsbury Streets within 60 days.
City officials cited the role of traffic enforcement, stating that police have issued 3,180 citations for traffic infractions and conducted public awareness campaigns over the last 12 months.
“Making streets safer and more accommodating for all users requires more than government actions alone,” Petty and Batista said. “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.”
