Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn announced his support for Mayor Walsh’s initiative to implement a 20-mph speed limit within the neighborhoods of Boston. Last year, Councilor Flynn and Councilor Frank Baker held a hearing to examine the merits of lowering the speed limit in the City of Boston to 20 mph, unless otherwise posted, as well as a discussion on other traffic calming measures to improve road safety for all. The speed limit in the city was most recently lowered from 30 mph to 25 mph on January 9, 2017 as part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative, no serious or fatal crashes in Boston by 2030.
“I’d like to thank Mayor Walsh for his progressive leadership on this issue. Councilor Baker and I wanted to open up a dialogue with public safety advocates to ensure we’re doing all we can to try to save lives and realize Vision Zero. We know that infrastructure changes, like speed humps and raised crosswalks, are necessary for traffic calming; however, a combination of these physical changes to our built environment, enforcement, and a lower speed limit within our neighborhoods will improve safety for pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists,” said Flynn.
“Data from the city’s website and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety indicated that the chances of a serious or fatal crash at 30 MPH are 50%, while at 20 MPH the chances significantly drop to 18%. We thank Mayor Walsh and his staff for their strong leadership on Vision Zero and efforts to make Boston safer for all.”
For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 & Ed.Flynn@Boston.Gov.
