CLOSED #BCS-00327954

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<div>Resubmitted as case 101006753286 and sent to Transportation Department.</div>
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Opened
5h ago
Closed
4h ago
Description
I am writing as a resident of Spring Park Avenue to request urgent traffic-calming measures on our street. Speeding on Spring Park Avenue was already a documented neighborhood concern before the recent repaving, with multiple residents raising speeding and pedestrian-safety concerns in 2025. Since the roadway was repaved and completed approximately two months ago, however, the problem has become substantially worse. The new, smooth road surface appears to encourage drivers to accelerate, and vehicles are now traveling through this residential stretch at speeds that are increasingly dangerous. The newly paved surface has also made approaching vehicles noticeably quieter. When walking along or crossing the street, it is often difficult to hear a vehicle approaching until it is already very close. Over just the past two months, we have observed repeated roadkill along this stretch. Residents walking dogs have experienced frightening near-misses, and we personally encounter this danger when walking in our neighborhood. This is a residential street lined with homes, including families with young children and people regularly walking pets. Nearby residential streets have traffic-calming measures, while Spring Park Avenue — despite its documented history of speeding concerns — does not. Given that the road was recently reconstructed, we are also concerned that an opportunity to incorporate traffic calming at the time of repaving was missed. We understand that the engineering review, approval, and permanent installation of a series of speed humps may take time. However, the immediate safety risk should not have to wait months for a long-term project to be completed. We are therefore asking the City to implement interim traffic-safety measures within the next one to two weeks, before someone is seriously injured or killed. Specifically, we respectfully request: • Immediate installation of highly visible temporary or permanent “SLOW” / residential safety signage and additional posted speed-limit signs along Spring Park Avenue. • Deployment of a portable radar speed-feedback sign that displays a driver’s actual speed and clearly warns drivers when they are exceeding the posted limit. • Short-term speed monitoring or a traffic study as soon as possible to document current vehicle speeds following the recent repaving. • Rapid evaluation of temporary traffic-calming measures that could physically discourage speeding while permanent improvements are being designed. • Expedited engineering review and installation of a series of permanent speed humps along Spring Park Avenue. Based on the length and residential nature of this corridor, we believe multiple speed humps — potentially three or more, as determined by BTD engineering — are necessary to meaningfully reduce vehicle speeds rather than simply moving the speeding problem from one portion of the street to another. There is an important distinction between the immediate and long-term requests. We recognize that permanent infrastructure may require planning and engineering review. What we do not believe should take months is placing warning signs, speed-feedback equipment, and other temporary interventions on a street where residents have already documented a speeding problem and where conditions have worsened following repaving. This is not a request based on inconvenience or noise. It is a preventable public-safety issue. The repeated animal deaths, near-misses involving pedestrians and dogs, presence of young children, and longstanding resident concerns are warning signs. We should not have to wait until a pedestrian, child, cyclist, pet, or driver is seriously injured or killed before meaningful action is taken. We are therefore asking for two things: an immediate safety intervention within the next one to two weeks, and a concrete plan and timeline for permanent traffic calming on Spring Park Avenue.
Location
46 Spring Park Ave, Boston
42.316722, -71.1099315

Activity

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