Worcester declares “traffic violence crisis” after pedestrian crashes

Worcester officials declared what they called a “Road Safety and Traffic Violence Crisis” on Thursday following three serious recent crashes involving young pedestrians.

Last month, a 13-year-old girl was hit by a car and killed while crossing the street. A one-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle and sent to the hospital for head injuries on June 24. Another 13-year-old girl who was also crossing a street sustained serious injuries after being hit by a Buick on June 29.

City Manager Eric Batista and Mayor Joseph Petty said in a statement that the declaration will draw attention to the “serious and worsening” issue of traffic violence.

More than 2,800 motor vehicle crashes have occurred in Worcester just in 2024, the statement said, and 90 of those crashes involved pedestrians and cyclists. Fifty-one people were seriously injured or killed in crashes in Worcester so far this year.

Worcester Police Department’s Traffic Division has issued more than 3,000 citations in the past year, the statement said. The department also conducts “educational campaigns” on impaired driving, distracted driving, bike safety, and pedestrian awareness. 

Worcester’s Department of Transportation and Mobility announced the “Vision Zero Safety Action Plan” in February to improve street safety. The department is now “accelerating the project schedule,” Batista and Petty said in the statement.

The plan is scheduled to be complete in fall of 2024. Proposals involved with the Vision Zero Plan include reducing the speed limit citywide from 30 mph to 25 mph and establishing 20 mph “safety zones.” Both plans are pending before the City Council.

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