Local officials are looking to better pedestrian safety at the Bianculli Boulevard/Morrissey Boulevard intersection. This recent safety effort comes after a local resident, Savin Hill, posted a video about the ongoing dangers that pedestrians face at this intersection.
Passing traffic is not only threatening to pedestrians, but it’s threatening to all travelers of the area.
According to the Boston Globe, reps from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, elected area officials and state police visited the area, which is a gateway onto the University of Massachusetts Boston campus. This area was recent dubbed a “human frogger” game by one local blogger.
Our Boston personal injury lawyers understand that there were close to 250 pedestrians in the state of Massachusetts who sustained severe or incapacitating injuries in motor vehicle crashes in 2008. It’s important that our city is equipped with the devices that are needed to help to keep our walkers safe, especially because pedestrian traffic is so prominent in the area. According to the Boston Public Health Commission, about 10 percent of pedestrians actually wait for the “Walk” signal before crossing the street. About a third of all pedestrians jaywalk. What’s even worse is that only about 95 percent of drivers yield to pedestrians. Many of these dangers can be reduced, if not eliminated, if our roadways were more equipped for this kind of traffic.
At a recent meeting regarding the dangerous intersection at Morrissey Boulvard and Bianculli Boulevard was the City Councilor Frank Baker, state Senator Jack Hart and state Representative Marty Walsh. And they promised action.
Officials with the Department of Conservation and Recreation say that they’re going to be making some short-term improvements to the area and to the pedestrian traffic signals at that intersection to help to make sure that vehicular traffic will stop when pedestrians need to cross.
Hart says the he hopes that the action of local officials will help to alleviate the concerns regarding pedestrian safety in the area. Officials are also hoping to create and implement a long-term solution in the area soon. A completely new design for the intersection may be soon in the works.
Officials have already scheduled a follow-up meeting with officials of UMass Boston, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Massachusetts State Police.
According to the official census, about 600,000 people call the City of Boston home. When you add the workers and the visitors who come to the city each and every day, there is an estimated 2 million pedestrians. This is another reason why pedestrian safety is, and should be, an issue of critical importance. Drivers are asked to be cautious throughout the entire area to help to protect our most vulnerable travelers.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, contact Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case. Call (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Pedestrians concerned for safety on Morrissey Boulevard, near UMass, by Patrick Ross, Boston Globe
More Blog Entries:
One Killed, Others Injured in Witman Pedestrian Accident, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, September 14, 2012
Boston Pedestrian Deaths an Ongoing Public Safety Threat, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, August 6, 2012