WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - City officials on Thursday said the level of crashes involving pedestrians in Worcester is at a crisis level, declaring a “road safety and traffic violence crisis” and highlighting a pair of proposals including a decreased city-wide speed limit.
City Manager Eric Batista and Mayor Joseph Petty in a statement said they made their declaration after a trio of recent “tragic pedestrian crashes,” including one involving a child.
“The intent of this declaration is to draw attention to the serious and worsening problem of traffic violence and rally the community behind actions to address it,” officials said.
On Monday, Worcester police said a pedestrian was taken to a hospital after being hit while crossing Shrewsbury Street near 4 p.m. Police said the person suffered serious injuries.
Earlier this month, on July 19, a person riding an electric scooter was also seriously injured when he was hit on June Street. Worcester police said the driver of the car that hit the scooter fled the scene and had not been located as of Wednesday.
Late last month, a 13-year-old girl died after she was hit by a car while crossing Belmont Street.
Days before the Belmont Street crash, police said a “small child” was hit on Lincoln Street.
In early June, a woman was taken to an area hospital after she was hit near an I-290 ramp off Belmont Street.
Erica George, who works near the site of Monday’s Shrewsbury Street crash, told 7NEWS she often sees cars speeding down the street.
“They’re flying,” she said.
Batista and Petty this week said authorities had documented more than 2,800 motor vehicle crashes to date in 2024. There were 51 crashes involving serious injuries or deaths and 90 crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists.
“Injuries and deaths from traffic violence have surged nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Worcester is no exception,” officials said.
Officials said police issued nearly 3,200 traffic citations over the past year. Police are also conducting educational campaigns on topics including distracted driving, bike safety, crosswalk awareness, and impaired driving, according to Batista and Petty.
But officials said enforcement alone cannot solve the “culture of speeding and traffic violence.”
City leaders said Worcester’s Department of Transportation and Mobility is working with consultants and other stakeholders to develop a plan that will lay out “a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to improve the safety of our streets.”
Batista and Petty said the full plan will be released later this year and will identify dangerous street sections and intersections within Worcester. The plan will then lay out actions to improve roadway safety.
While officials work to finalize the plan, Batista and Petty said they will release key findings and initial actions in the coming weeks, including a proposal to cut Worcester’s statutory citywide speed limit from 30 miles-per-hour to 25 miles-per-hour.
Batista and Petty said officials have also called on the Department of Transportation and Mobility to assess traffic safety on Belmont Street and Shrewsbury Street. Batista and Petty said the department will have 60 days to complete its “quick response” assessments. The department will then have one year to finish “quick build changes” to improve safety.
“Making streets safer and more accommodating for all users requires more than government actions alone,” officials said. “As a community, we need to work together to ensure our collective safety and well-being.”
“The best way to show our sympathy to the families impacted by these tragedies is through action,” officials continued. “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.”
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