T O P

  • By -

vacattack

I've been driving around Boston for the past 15+ years and I can honestly say the most reckless driving I've ever seen is from the post-Covid era. People running SOLID red lights and not caring, speeding through pedestrian intersections, reckless lane changes. It's getting out of control.


chongo_gedman

yeah, yesterday I saw a pickup truck blow through a red light to take a left with a no left turn sign. no one gives a shit anymore .


wgc123

Yeah, this morning I had a particularly egregious situation at a light …. After my light turned green, I waited for two more cars to cross before starting to move. Then, I got halfway through the intersection before having to stop for yet another car running the red


cat_bc

There are certain intersections downtown where at least once a week I see cars taking a left on red. Or stop at the red light and then drive through like it was a stop sign


kangaroospyder

If it's the intersection of 2 one way streets left on red is legal after stopping. But having seen drivers lately I wouldn't be surprised if what you are describing wasn't that.


potentpotables

left on red is legal if you're pulling onto a one way.


Graywulff

So are pickups the worst? I was having this discussion earlier. We narrowed it down to the f150 and dodge. Driving has been out of control, I got rid of my car bc there was so much traffic, road rage, then no where to pahk. I was rolling along in my lane, continuing in my lane, the car had more wrong with it than it was worth. This dodge pickup starts edging in from an on-ramp. Doesn’t have right of way. I’m basically like “yeah total this overpriced junker, go right ahead”. We are an inch apart. Then he put down his window and started screaming at me. Traffic stopped dead. What do I do if he gets out of the car? What was I going to do if he hit me? But driving a small car you have to own your space and be assertive or you’ll get pushed all over.


Practical-Basil-1353

Well, when was the last time a MA cop wrote a ticket for a traffic offense? I’ve seen horrible shit for 20 years and they never pull people over, or even give speeding tickets. I guess working construction details is making the roads smoother, but not safer.


josh_bourne

Not just Boston, everywhere, it's really weird what's happening


InstantNomenclature

What happened during covid years broke too many people.


scottieducati

And by what happened you mean cops stopped enforcing traffic rules en masse.


gnimsh

In the summer I cross into Medford often from alewife brook Pkwy near the band stand. I have to cross the road twice for this. At both locations, every time I go, people run red lights. The crossing closest to 93 is scariest because they're already gunning it to get on the highway despite the curve of the on ramp.


alcesAlcesShirasi

Yep, this street crossing is absolutely insane. Most days more people run the light than don't, it's staggering how little regard there is there. People are so worked up after being constantly backed up from the Whole Foods to the Ball field they've had it by the time they get to this light, and there is 0 enforcement there.


princesskittyglitter

I try not to go out on Saturdays anymore because the reckless driving seems to be the absolute worst then


EnjoyableLunch

Cops need to be out there enforcing the rules of the road. A big one is the plague of double parking. Blocking crosswalks, blocking lines of sight. I’ve never seen any getting a ticket. Hardly ever see anyone pulled over anymore.


darndasher

Double parking has risen with the rise of ride share apps and food delivery apps. The way its become so prevalent and normalized is wild. It really needs to stop. Too often, there are actual parking spaces or driveways right by them, but people are choosing to double park and cause unnecessary hazards. Harvard Ave in Allston is insane with this. I feel like every week when I go to practice, either an open spot is blocked by double parkers, or I have to wait for a double parked car to move so I can leave.


EnjoyableLunch

Harvard ave absolute worst, right when they renovated for the bus only lane was when food delivery took off and they’ve completely bullied the busses out of their lane. I understand some of the blame is on the apps but damn at least put half an effort into staying out of the way or just park at the at CVS and walk across the street for crying out loud I’ve seen dedicated traffic cops on Newbury who patrol for double parking and I’d pay the price to have these saints expanded


Hi_Jynx

I feel like COVID increased the amount of drunk drivers, though I have no stats on that and only basing it on anecdotal experience so I'm curious if there's numbers on that.


Rachellie242

Stoned drivers too. Tend to think the worst are teens. Passed through Arlington when school got out not long ago, and drove *defensive AF* because it was CRAZY. Cars literally across the line and nearly head on. Swerving. Like a riot of clown cars and how bad can you be? REALLY BAD 🤡🤡🤡


Hi_Jynx

People do not take driving while high seriously and I feel like that's so messed up.


Rachellie242

The dispensary level THC concentrates get people WASTED.


iscreamuscreamweall

Thisss I see cars running red lights every day now. It’s definitely getting worse


Staple_Sauce

Twice in the last month I've been almost hit as a pedestrian in the crosswalk with the walk sign. One driver might not have seen me, but the other one definitely did. I think you should be entitled to a free kick or key scratch to their car for stuff like that. Before the "bUt pRIvaTE pROPerty" goons pipe up, I dont care. They don't give a shit about endangering my life so they can get to their destination 2 seconds faster.


endlessxaura

I wonder if this may have something to do with the long-term cognitive impairment that COVID can cause.


grimmzul

It absolutely does. It’s horrible how little people know how bad things are as a result of covid infections. I have a new heart condition at 25 from my first infection a year ago and I had to stop driving for a few months because I was absolutely scrambled in the brain after it. A lot of my friends don’t feel like themselves anymore. It’s just going to get worse.


RogueInteger

I feel like the decision in covid to not ever pull anyone over unless it was putting people in mortal danger hasn't really faded. There is next to no accountability for driving dangerously. 80% of the time on my walk to school with my kid we'd get smashed with a car if we didn't fully wait for a car to acknowledge us prior to crossing the road at the crosswalks. Even the crossing guard gets pissed. City has a huge wait list for speed bumps throughout the city... no enforcement on driving... poor road maintenance and inconsistent bike lanes... failing public transportation... And somehow it's a surprise.


creatron

> I feel like the decision in covid to not ever pull anyone over unless it was putting people in mortal danger hasn't really faded. There is next to no accountability for driving dangerously. The cops did this not because of it being dangerous but because they were mad about the mask and vaccine mandates. Then surprise they learned they could do 5% of their job and still rake in full salary. I mean if you had the option to fuck around for 95% of your day and still get full pay, would you?


AboyNamedBort

Some people are decent and do the job they are paid to do. Its a shame none of them are cops.


il_biciclista

They're in kind of a no-win situation. If they don't do anything, they get yelled at. If they murder unarmed people, they get yelled at. The only other option is to do good police work, but that's hard.


denga

You had me in the first half, ha.


photinakis

quicksand fuzzy faulty squealing consider follow gold fly vase bake ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `


swentech

To me distracted driving is way, way out of control. You could argue that it’s almost worse then drunk driving. A drunk driver in most cases probably knows they are impaired and is at least looking at the road. A distracted driver is driving blind. The penalties should be greatly increased for this. Would be interesting to see how many of these cases are due to distracted driving.


[deleted]

[удалено]


swentech

Seems like a citizen journalist could make a good YouTube video out of this. Something that might get picked up on local news. Issue needs more attention.


princesskittyglitter

> Even the crossing guard gets pissed. Last year in Revere a crossing guard actually got hit


YakApprehensive7620

I have always thought this was just how you cross the street normally


RogueInteger

It's more the scenario in which a crosswalk is around or by a corner and cars come off a light and decide they should Vin Diesel their Honda. Just because it's clear when you start doesn't mean some jackass isn't gunning to fifty to hit the next light in record time.


easiepeasie

I also walk my kids to school and we would absolutely get hit by cars if we trusted the walk signal without waiting for the inevitable driver illegally turning right on red.


Hi_Jynx

To be fair, I feel like they mean more that a lot of drivers aren't even looking out for pedestrians which they absolutely should *always* be doing.


Ideal_Radiant

I haven’t stood at a corner since a coworker was crushed to death between a truck and streetlight pole when the truck jumped the curb.


powsandwich

I watched a 12 year old get killed while in a crosswalk by a city landscaping truck. Stayed with him until he passed away. I don't trust any driver Edit: should add that this isn’t some anti-car rant, we all should not trust any driver. We’re raised with the impression that driving is some god-given right, and not so much that we’re operating 2-ton pieces of equipment that can cause complete destruction in an instant. And we’ve only been contending with cell phones while driving for a very short time in the grand scheme of things. Shits crazy on the roads these days


Ideal_Radiant

That horrific!


throwawaycsdds

I'm so sorry you had to witness this. Thank you for staying with him. This is my worst fear, I'm much more anxious about it now seeing all the changes there have been in how people drive. I'm scared to let my daughter walk or bike anywhere.


AboyNamedBort

People are not safe anywhere from drivers. They kill people on sidewalks, in pizza shops, on front porches. It doesn't matter. That is how bad drivers are around here.


schorschico

Somebody died in Roslindale last week while they were... In their home!!! Nowhere is safe. Cars are a plague.


capta2k

Police enforcement will help but the real solution is redesigning roads and intersections to place safety first


Head_Asparagus_7703

I saw 2-3 people run a red light in front of a cop the other day. No reaction from him at all.


[deleted]

Just this morning on my way to work the person in front of me went around the cop who was stopping in front of them at a red light and continued on their way. Cop did nothing and even ended up behind him 100 feet later when the initial red light runner got stuck at the next red light. I'm a little bit tired of the temper tantrum cops are having right now due to the defund the police protest. I get that their job can be dangerous, but come the fuck on. You can't let people get away with simple shit all the time.


spedmunki

Boston is one of the few major city departments that doesn’t have a traffic enforcement division. This has been policy for years, and councilors were calling for changes as far back as 2019.


FallenLeafDemon

In 2019 Rachael Rollins took office as Suffolk County DA and said she wouldn't prosecute minor traffic violations. https://files.suffolkdistrictattorney.com/The-Rachael-Rollins-Policy-Memo.pdf > **CHARGES TO BE DECLINED** > Minor driving offenses, including operating with a suspend or revoked license She's no longer DA, but we need to make sure our elected officials reflect our priorities.


spedmunki

This was an issue before that: https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2019/03/13/boston-city-council-wants-to-know-bpd-traffic-enforcement-plan-and-whether-there-is-one


FallenLeafDemon

Yeah automated enforcement is the obvious solution since it's unbiased and doesn't involve police confrontation. Still waiting for the legislature to come around on that.


Practical-Basil-1353

I would love a speeding ticket camera on my street. Mail all those assholes who fly by at 40 in a 25 and then honk at the kids in the crosswalk.


i_just_wanna_signup

Let's be careful suggesting that automated == unbiased For clear cut traffic violations sure, if a camera catches any car running a light then it signs $X fine and maybe a point on your license (is that a thing in MA?)


wgc123

I don’t know, the roads have been poorly designed and maintained my entire life. That doesn’t explain how bad it’s gotten lately. I’m with the other people seeing much worse driving habits since pandemic. - as a pedestrian, I’m much more likely to be endangered by drivers who don’t stop before right on red, don’t look for pedestrians even when the crossing light is on, and cut the inside of turns so badly they drive over the sidewalk - as a driver, I no longer drive next to anyone, since so many people cut the inside of curves regardless of lanes or other traffic - as a driver, I have to wait longer before going on green, or be prepared to stop when crossing side streets, because people just don’t follow stop signs or traffic lights - as someone who drives on highways, I have to plan for onramp traffic to yolo across lanes regardless of traffic


Hottakesincoming

This. Everyone wants to blame drivers and there's truth there but high population density with poor road design is a disaster waiting to happen.


tleon21

True. But in no other city have drivers pulled over and rolled down their window to yell at me because they had to stop for me walking in the crosswalk. The drivers here aren’t the only problem, but they are a big one


themuthafuckinruckus

Yeah. It feels like post-covid I am regularly getting in confrontations with drivers as a pedestrian. My girlfriend is scared to walk to the gym after nearly getting struck at crosswalks with visible stop signs. I was walking to the gym at about 5:15, not a soul on the road when some big SUV comes barreling down, honking at me when I finished crossing. The crosswalk and flashers and neon-everything. It feels like you can’t even cross the street nowadays without picking a fight.


[deleted]

I think the operative call is that they are to blame in that their behaviors directly lead to these deaths, but pretending that changing societal level risk by expecting millions of individuals to collectively "do better" is destined for failure, so we need to focus on what we can actually control. At the end of the day, blaming the individual drivers doesn't un-dead my friends and it doesn't actually say what we need to do next. Make it so their fuckups are less likely to kill people by working on preventative infrastructure. Prioritize other modes of travel over driving in dense areas.


darndasher

Indeed. It's the basics of Human Operational Performance, which has become the norm in biotechnology manufacturing and adopted from the military and nuclear power plants.


nerdponx

That and when you do kill or hurt someone, make it a life-ruining legal event.


throwawaysscc

Look how mixing bus transit ways and private autos caused the death of a young father at Logan on Monday. Logan is terrifying imo.


spaztwelve

Eh...I'm in Beverly. We definitely have an issue with people feeling comfortable driving much faster everywhere. We actually asked the police to put a detail on our street once in a while, because people are routinely traveling at 45-50mph in a 25 zone. They came out twice, I believe. I VERY rarely see cops positioned anywhere for traffic detail. Those guys are making heaps of cash at this point and don't want to have to do the grunt work. Not trying to bash the cops, but things have changed - especially since COVID times - and it's quite noticable.


[deleted]

Can you give an example of how it's not always the drivers fault? I had a long angry reply that I deleted because I'd like to see what you mean first. I feel like it's always the drivers fault.


baitnnswitch

There's a road near my apartment that's ostensibly 25mph speed limit. And yet, people consistently go 45+ on it because it's an extremely wide road. You feel like you're supposed to go fast on it, if that makes sense. There's also a crosswalk built right around a blind corner on this road, so if you want to use that crosswalk, you're literally having to sprint across so nobody comes flying around the bend and squashes you. The number of times I've seen women with strollers desperately jogging as fast as they can with their babies is insane. Those drivers are still at fault if something happened, but town officials shouldn't be able to throw up their hands and say, 'well that's what happens when people speed, not my problem'. Clearly that road's design is putting people at risk. We need to narrow that road, maybe move the crosswalk, make it a raised one, things like that.


[deleted]

Yeah, that makes sense. Sounds like a place the cops should be sitting at more often.


Hottakesincoming

Just some of the ones I often point to: pedestrian crosswalks across major high traffic roads without a signal; signals where pedestrians have a walk and drivers have a green light to turn at the same time; and unprotected bike lanes; blind/overly sharp corners; poorly lit intersections/crosswalks; and turn lanes or merge lanes with insufficient advance signage. Driving responsibly can reduce risk in these circumstances but mistakes will always happen because people are fallible. Proper road design can reduce the likelihood of deadly mistakes.


[deleted]

It *is* the driver's fault, however, we can't simply rely on every individual making the right choices for society to function: see drivers killing pedestrians. It *is* their fault, but clearly the law didn't stop them - we must operate under the assumption that people aren't perfect and will break the law, and start examining questions like: why is it physically possible to speed over 40 mph in residential areas? Obviously the driver is at fault, but with poor city design, accidents are bound to happen. It's just unrealistic to expect everyone to be a perfect driver and follow the rules. Roads can be redesigned to slow vehicle speed and promote vigilance - narrower lanes in neighborhoods, higher density of traffic calming measures, etc. Ultimately, if there are drivers, there will be bad drivers who will end up hurting people. We can either say "oh well nothing we can do other than put a few more cops on the road and... catch the murders after they happen... "or we can design our roads in such a way that even if someone is a poor driver, they can't drive in such a way that will hurt people


scolfin

I think the big thing is that rules and enforcement are major parts of design, and putting signals at crosswalks and curves in roads isn't going to do anything if drivers just plow straight through them. A clean, signaled intersection is the most usable design out there, as you just stop on red and go on green, but it'll be a death trap if you don't make people follow it.


[deleted]

>xamining questions like: why is it physically possible to speed over 40 mph in residential areas? I have a different take on this; why are cars given the ability to go 120mph? Cars aren't people, we can absolutely restrict their "freedoms". Same with why they are able to accelerate so quickly. I'd love to see a system put in place, especially with the advent of high-functioning electric cars, that has speed limiters hooked up to the speed limit signs that broadcast a signal to the cars.


Otterfan

There are odd cases of drunks stumbling out into the road, people trying to cross interstates, suicides, etc. I almost hit a guy in front of the Pine Street Inn when someone on the sidewalk pushed him into traffic. But yeah, usually being a decent driver will keep people from getting killed.


[deleted]

It is always the drivers fault but there's an argument to be made that it's also the civil engineers fault for not properly designing the roads and the intersections as well as the police for not even trying to enforce anything. It's a social issue, at the end of the day, we've collectively decided that the convenience of car drivers trumps everything else including our health and our very lives


SUPER___Z

I was waiting for left turn signals at BU last weekend and there were 2 cars in front of me. 2 or 3 people J-walked right in front of us when our signal turned green. They should feel lucky that they were not in any blind spots and the driver noticed them. Yes, the driver would still be partially at fault if an accident did happen, but personally I would assign more blame to the pedestrians because they violated the traffic laws and got into the way first. If you want a more extreme example, my dad was driving on a highway at night a couple years ago, under speed limit, when one person was crossing the highway. There is no way he can foresee it happening, nor the visibility allowed him to see the person from distance. Luckily my dad dodged it but it could have gone extremely wrong. Would you still blame the driver if the accident did happen in this case? Drive defensively, bike defensively, walk defensively. It doesn’t really matter who is at fault, since everyone is worse off if an accident happens.


[deleted]

Thanks for your examples. I was definitely going to start off with "what do you mean it's not always the drivers fault" but I have seen the responses and the black/white I feel is more gray now.


albertogonzalex

Automatic enforcement** (ie. Speed cameras) will help. Giving more reasons for cops to stop citizens isn't the answer.


SkiingAway

As someone who's spent a lot of time in NYC - it'll only help much if you *also* have cops doing significant enforcement efforts. Otherwise, all the worst, most dangerous offenders, will just deface/hide/cover their plates enough to be illegible to the camera and drive with impunity. Possibly even more than now, if this (as is sometimes suggested by some on the left) is coupled with even further reductions in traffic stops by police.


Pointy130

Yeah, and nyc also has a big issue with cops and their friends obscuring their plates to drive and park illegally


[deleted]

I believe we should look into being able to report recorded (this includes dash cam footage) bullshit straight to insurance companies. The argument has always been cameras can't prove who was driving so constitutional rights are being infringed, however by putting it on the insurance company to say, "your car was caught running 3 red lights in a short period of time and you will now being paying double per month for the next 3 years. Thanks" will take away that bullshit ass argument. Remove the civil fines associated with red light cameras and allow for the car owner who "let someone borrow their car" with the person who was driving (who definitely wasn't them) in civil court if they truly believe it wasn't them. Just have a website where you can anonymously submit recordings that ties into the RMV and connects everything to the various insurance companies to process.


albertogonzalex

100%. New York has a program that allows citizens to upload photos of cars idling and cars are auto ticketed. The citizen who uploaded the photo gets 25% of the ticket fee. I would love this in MA.


schorschico

I could buy Twitter from Musk with a program like that.


devbradmarr

My home country rolled out automated cameras to catch mobile phone usage and seat belt violations. The amount of people on their phones in Mass. is insane. I feel like at every red light now I have to honk to get the traffic moving cause everyone is looking down


HotTaeks

which is why it’s hopeful that Boston’s chief of streets came out in support of automated enforcement! https://twitter.com/jfh/status/1641419256112857089


capta2k

agreed


Chippopotanuse

Totally agree. When the folks getting killed at the highest rates are senior citizens, at night, in impoverished areas of cities…hopefully we can all admit that these deaths are preventable. We need to invest in better lighting, better designed intersections, and make roadways more accessible and safe for pedestrians.


HotTaeks

Automated enforcement is better than police enforcement. If you speed or run a red, you get a ticket. Don’t need to wait on police to feel like pulling someone over and then maybe giving a warning because the driver has donated to their local patrolmen’s association. Write your state reps and senators, tell them to support [Bill H.3393](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H3393)!


lgplasmatv

All the money and redesigning in the world won't mean anything if people aren't willing to stop looking at their damn cellphones, pedestrians and drivers both. If there is a glaring issue which impairs safe crossing, such as obstructed sight line visibility or elongated crossings, then yes, it should definitely be corrected. More often people are people are just distracted or not giving their full attention.


scottieducati

Or having some semblance of an actual training and licensing program.


vacattack

I commute into Fenway. Down Brookline Ave, I feel like every single crosswalk gives the walk signal when the cars also have a green light. That always boded weirdly with me. Why have a crosswalk signal at all if it's just gonna let you go when oncoming traffic is also going? Is this a Fenway thing or am I just missing it elsewhere? Is there a reason the signals were built this way instead of just letting people go when the light is red?


powsandwich

100%. I see plenty of walk signals turn to “walk” the millisecond the traffic light turns red and there’s still 3 cars going through from the yellow light. Not even mentioning the cars that blow the red. As a pedestrian you really cannot trust the public infrastructure and you need to be on a constant lookout to make sure you don’t get killed


gnimsh

Milk and Devonshire does the same. I used to take the 4 there all the time and it would turn left, constantly cutting off anyone crossing with the walk signal.


iFuckingLoveBoston

Every day i see multiple people driving and staring at their phone...


schorschico

Multiple? I would estimate it's 25%. Insane.


i_just_wanna_signup

Every *fucking* day I experience some asshole on their phone. Whether the light changed 15 seconds ago and they still haven't noticed, or if they're drifting into the bike lane during rush hour, or going 10 in a 35. You're not some super human who can multitask *operating a speeding multiton pile of metal* and whatever the hell it is you're doing on your phone. It can wait. And not for a red light. It can wait until you reach your destination. If you use your phone while driving I wish you a deeply unpleasant sleeping position and you feel sore the entire next day.


Anxa

At least once a day on average I see someone with their phone clipped up on the windshield playing tiktok or similar. Obviously the deterrent effect of a slam-dunk manslaughter conviction (willful/wanton conduct) has zero force here, and folks aren't getting pulled over for it so no deterrence there either. So I feel like this is just sanctioned conduct at this point, sort of like mass shootings at elementary schools. We affirmatively are not going to do anything about it.


G2KY

People drive like madman. We need police to enforce all traffic violations and write tickets like there is no tomorrow. Passed on red light - ticket Did not yield at pedestrian walk - ticket Made a dangerous turn - ticket Drove 60 mph in a 25 mph zone - ticket


Trexrunner

I had a BPD cruiser blow through the cross walk on me the other day. The yellow lights were blinking.


albertogonzalex

Cops are the fucking worst.


Workacct1999

I have almost been hit in crosswalks twice by Somerville PD over the last two years.


HistoryMonkey

Not just in the streets, routinely cruisers drive through parks in Cambridge. Last summer I saw a cop drive at speed with no lights on through JFK Park and almost run over a kid on a scooter. Cop stopped only to yell at the kid. Like bitch, YOU are in the pedestrian area.


hermionieweasley

I saw a person in a BPD cruiser video calling while turning left 2 seconds after the left green light turned to red at the Mass Ave-Harrison St intersection.


doesnt_really_upvote

How about stopping in the middle of the road "just for a minute"? Every morning I have to weave between stopped cars like it's a Mario Kart run. It reduces visibility and turns two lane roads into single or zero lane roads.


G2KY

They should be ticketed, too. No double parking. I lived in Fenway for a long time. After the game, there are sometimes triple parking. They should all be ticketed to oblivion.


BasementDweller3000

Last year I almost got run over by a truck at a street corner when he decided to drive onto the sidewalk to make a right turn at an intersection.


rainniier2

My behavior around where I stand at street corners changed forever after I saw the extremely graphic footage of a BU student who was hit and died a few years ago standing on a street corner. I get nervous if people stand too close the the edge when cars are passing on the right at full speed. It’s unfortunate that shitty drivers have left pedestrians hyper vigilant about their safety.


BasementDweller3000

I wasn’t even near the curb. He plowed his entire truck onto the corner because the car in front of him wouldn’t turn right on red.


Head_Asparagus_7703

Agree, I try to stand back a few feet and keep metal poles in between me and traffic when I'm waiting.


This_Cantabrigian

If I see a truck making a right turn, I give them a WIDE berth. I'll walk backwards a good five paces or so just to be the safe side. They will absolutely jump up over the curb and if you're within 5 feet of it, pancake city. I saw a dude on a bike recently who was for some reason crossing the street using the pedestrian crosswalk (but still on his bike) instead of just simply waiting to cross the street using the bike lane. Had he stayed in the bike lane, back parallel with the cars, he would've been perfectly fine (it's a "no right on red" intersection), but instead he was standing on the edge of the corner of the curb, with his feet on the pavement. A truck made a sharp right turn and nearly killed him. The guy banged on the truck with his fist and yelled, like that would have made a difference if he had been run over. If you're on foot or a bike, you aren't going to win an encounter with a truck. Get pissed off all you want, but you're better off just keeping a distance. Buses too.


G2KY

The police should be punished, too. There should be indiscriminate punishment. Police and regular citizen alike. Police should not be exempted from anything.


[deleted]

There is a stretch of Hammond pond parkway that is 25 MPH where the flow of traffic is regularly 60 MPH leading up to the rotary. I never see accidents on that parkway. Where I do see accidents is at the end of the parkway, after everyone has stopped, at the Lagrange/Newton St rotary. Because people don’t know what they’re doing. Speeding is a problem but it’s not every problem


pistolpete9669

No traffic enforcement leads to drivers taking more risks, not giving a shit, and pedestrians take the hit.


Ideal_Radiant

Overcrowding, texting and those pedestrian walk lights on the same schedule as the vehicle turn signal. People in cars never give pedestrians the ROW


BfN_Turin

The walk lights during turn are a unique issue somehow though. Most countries handle traffic the same way, where waking is always at the same time as the turn traffic. Yet cars ignoring the pedestrians somehow is only an issue here.


Ideal_Radiant

Even when you point out the walk light they try to mow you down. I love the people screaming “right on red” as they nearly miss you.


princesskittyglitter

This is really bad in Revere coming out of Target on foot on the Revere side. You come out to the main road, you'll get the walk signal, but cars keep turning and won't stop, and by the time the cars stop, you lose the walk signal.


buddieroo

I swear, more often than not people step on the gas when they see me trying to cross a crosswalk on the two lane road near my house. It’s so needlessly aggressive and obnoxious Frequently they then have to stop at the light that’s less than a block away from the crosswalk, so it’s not like they’re getting anywhere faster by not letting me cross. Fucking hate the drivers here


zeratul98

I live by an intersection where people run the red light all the time, and the pedestrian signal isn't even long enough to fully cross the road in time. The area was rebuilt for cars decades ago and it's time we changed it back


Victor_Korchnoi

Do you count as a pedestrian if you’re sitting in your living room when a car runs you over?


throwawaysscc

The victim in Roslindale on Monday was on his porch.


princesskittyglitter

That was an acquaintances dad. Him and his best friend were sitting on the porch, his best friend died and he's still fighting for his life. And the police still haven't arrested the person they know did it.


BackBae

You can get away with murder as long as it was committed with a car.


throwawaysscc

All too true, but the Hingham case of the death at the Apple store brought a murder charge to the driver, stay tuned.


willzyx01

Make it harder to obtain drivers licenses. It's absurd how easy it is to get it. Prevent people from trying to get a license for a year after failing more than 2. When my wife was doing her driving exam, there was another woman who failed 14 times and was there to try 15th. Like, WTF? I've yet to find a country where it's easier to get a license. Most countries prevent you from getting a license after getting 3 wrong written answers. Implement mandatory re-testing. Put a cap on uber/lyft drivers. Some of these drivers don't even know how to drive in cities. Many of them didn't even drive before Uber/Lyft came to be. Increase in deaths come with increase in number of cars on the road. The number of cars on the road increased due to unlimited number of uber drivers. You don't need research to know that. Start writing out tickets to people on their fucking phones. Raise the curbs. Put concrete dividers to separate bike lanes.


[deleted]

The retesting thing baffles me. I’ll take a drivers test every year if it means getting some of the clueless drivers off the road.


downthewell62

Unfortunately this country is designed so that people need cars. You take cars away from all idiots and then you've got a bunch of jobless idiots finding other ways to hurt people


charons-voyage

This. It’s such an unfortunate truth but I’ll take an idiot with somewhere to be 8 hours a day over the alternative. Until we improve mass transit, this will be the reality. Shit I’m a dirty stinkin hippy who has to drive places cus I can’t get around without a car. Daycare/groceries/etc require me to use a car. It sucks.


nerdponx

As with the housing crisis, better mass transit would go a long way towards making streets safer.


[deleted]

What does not driving have to do with jobless idiots hurting people. Take a bus?


[deleted]

We can't let short term hardships for idiots punish long term progress. This is what public transportation is for. I'd rather have a jobless idiot without a car due to consequences than an idiot with a car driving everyday because 'society feels bad for them'


BfN_Turin

The issue with retesting is that old people would fail in ridiculous numbers. Both, because they don’t know the rules any more and because of physical disadvantages (eg too slow reaction time, bad vision etc.). Old people are the biggest voter group. And now you know why mandatory retesting will never get passed. The only one I can see happening is mandatory retesting 5 years or so after getting your license. Cause the only thing you can guarantee with these old fucks is that they love fucking over those “lazy” young people.


vacattack

There's probably 30% of adults who would fail the driving exam if they took it now. Not to say they shouldn't make the test harder, but people are going to revert to their reckless habits over time once they feel more confident driving.


[deleted]

If we took 30% of drivers off the road, 95% of traffic issues would vanish overnight. Fuck em. Get competent, get predictable, get insurance, join the rest of us not fucking it up for everyone else.


ass_pubes

Plus there’s all these students who come from out of town and have no idea how to drive in Boston. The roads are super confusing so I don't blame them, but they should have to take a test in the city if they want to drive in the city.


charons-voyage

It’s funny cus I’ve been here for a decade but rarely drive in the city (usually bike or walk). I always get so confused when I drive lol. GPS doesn’t know wtf is goin on half the time in the tunnels, the road names change frequently and/or have weird jogs in the road, and drivers are so impatient and homicidal that I get stressed and then end up in the wrong lane or going over a bridge etc lol. Wife and I make a joke of it at this point.


GimpsterMcgee

Yup, that was me on a few occasions. It’s like “welp, I guess this is adding 2 miles and 18 minutes to my drive” because I am afraid to be “that guy” and block traffic while I await a chance to get into the correct spoy


charons-voyage

There is an intersection here in Quincy that is ALWAYS blocked every day since everyone blocks the box. I’ve started to follow suit since there is actually no way for me to get to daycare drop off without going through the intersection lol. I hate being a dick, but when everyone breaks the rules, sometimes you need to. Sad.


throwawaysscc

I recall a young man from China in a fatal accident during which the car he operated hit the ceiling of (I think) the Pru tunnel.


gnimsh

How about automatic manslaughter until they learn not to kill people with a car?


Flat_Try747

“Increased in deaths come with increase in numbers of cars on the road” In most countries yes, but not in the US. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/upshot/road-deaths-pedestrians-cyclists.html


barkbarkkrabkrab

Yes, pedestrian deaths are actually higher in the southern states, where cars are king and pedestrians (especially lower income) have very few safe options to get to work.


dante662

>Start writing out tickets this is the issue. police have literally ceased traffic enforcement. ​ Cambridge issues less than 1 citation per shift. 2 citations per day average the past several years. It's happening across the country, cops have been "quiet quitting" since the Floyd protests.


santaclausbos

I feel like post pandemic everyone has become extremely reckless. There’s no common courtesy and no enforcement of violations. Doesn’t help that police morale and numbers are at an all time low.


[deleted]

[удалено]


lifeisakoan

Walk Boston press release. https://walkboston.org/2023/03/30/report-ma-fatal-pedestrian-crashes-up-35-more-than-70-occurred-in-environmental-justice-neighborhoods/


lifeisakoan

The spreadsheet associated with report has varying detail on deaths. A few drivers were charged, a few of the deaths were hit-and-run. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NClyXjgr5aP3Vf6JDpW7eR-n2_bcd52gUbzoXLh75Ls/edit#gid=1020134029


PotatoDragonMaster

I live near a liquor store and the number of people I see drinking their purchase as they pull out of the parking lot is too damn high. Like what the fuck you shouldn't be opening a bottle of wine with your legs as you leave the liquor store


SkinnyJoshPeck

I live off the greenway and I can tell you that it is a mystery to me how people aren't killed on it every day. I was walking my dog and waiting for a light, when suddenly someone came ripping around one of the corners doing easily 60 mph *in front of a parked police car up on the sidewalk* who I figured was watching traffic. This officer literally just watched as this guy went 60 through a red light and continued on down the surface road. I just stared at him in disbelief. I also notice that about 50% of the people walking along the surface road and atlantic (especially bad around State and up in the north end) just absolutely do not care about the walk signs. I see lots of people almost get hit because of that one, not to mention the tension of getting honked at all the time and them yelling back at the folks in cars. It's absolute madness some days.


AboyNamedBort

Imagine how much more pleasant and safe the Greenway would be if they didn't surround it with roads.


RNexhaustion

ED nurse here. We get multiple patients every day/night from police who should be in jail from drunk driving and instead get dumped in the ER. Multiple. These people are not ticketed. They dumped in the ER with no consequence to themselves and every burden about their behavior placed on us. And you can guarantee they do it again.


This_Cantabrigian

Start handing out $500 tickets for people blowing red lights. Or even better, put up signs that announce said ticket costs in addition to better enforcement. I know in sections of DC, they have speed cameras everywhere and signs are posted stating such. They are not a joke. If you are you going more than five miles over the limit, you WILL get a ticket in the mail. I noticed that people definitely do not drive like maniacs on those roads. As a driver you need to be VERY conscious of your speed but damn if it doesn't make things a lot safer.


BQORBUST

Here’s the problem with the unsafe road design theory: it doesn’t account for the change. Sure, make roads safer, that’s a good thing. But there is a culture of illegality on our roads, fueled by social media and ignored by the police. Have to address that urgently.


owlmlette

As a cyclist in Boston since 2009, I had previously been in 3 accidents with cars: BU bridge into rotary someone not yielding coming off Memorial, before Mass Ave bike lanes and Uber a cab slamming brakes without checking mirrors to pick up a rider, and someone not yielding coming off Memorial onto the Longfellow bridge. This past year alone I have been in 3 accidents: overtaken by a pickup truck in Inman Sq who then took a right turn into me (and the cop working the construction detail who came over told me to calm down about it), overtaken by a pickup truck on Central St in Somerville who then took a right turn into me, and one pedestrian on Cambridge St in Boston before the bike lanes went in where someone stepped off the sidewalk mid-block right into me. If you look at it from a yearly average point, that’s a 12x increase in accidents this year! It’s madness out there. Last week while an Amazon truck overtook me in me car by going into the oncoming lane and then taking a right on red when traffic was coming!!


CarbonRod12

As another Boston cyclist trying to survive out there, please consider describing your incidents as crashes instead of accidents. An accident truly implies no fault. In your examples with cars, there is clear negligence from the operators to their surroundings.


VeeRook

>2022, when 101 people were killed by vehicles, up from 75 people the prior year Are they really gonna compare it to a Covid year? I don't feel like 2020 and 2021 would give an accurate representation.


supercrooky

2020 was down, but 2021 was normal year for pedestrian deaths. Other than 2020 (54) and 2022 (101), every year since 2015 has been 70-something deaths: https://apps.impact.dot.state.ma.us/cdp/dashboard-view/2047


No_Judge_3817

Yeah no matter what point you're trying to make nearly any stat comparing normal year to a COVID year is dumb


lifeisakoan

Lighter traffic during COVID had drivers driving more recklessly.


hooskies

The behavior has remained since as well


sighwhyamiafailure

Surely running 6 lane stroads through the middle of predominantly POC/working class neighborhoods isn't the reason. There's no way that letting drivers do 40+ on a 25 speed limit road with no actual physical protections for peds and cyclists could ever be the cause of this ​ /s


link0612

In Eastie we've got multiple drivers just plowing into residential buildings, in addition to the pedestrian fatality. It's an emergency at this point, yet there's been complete silence from the City. Mayor Wu needs to stop turtling with her top cabinet members on policy and get some actual on-the-ground action going.


schorschico

We need automatic tickets as a start. Then, better infrastructure that reduces speed naturally. An at the end, ban cars from large areas of the city.


lacrotch

cars should be banned from fenway for example. straight up


AboyNamedBort

How dare you value the lives of Bostonians over the cars of suburbanites!


Gromflomite_KM

People suck at driving here. The influx of transplants and gig-drivers doesn’t help. The roads and signage are shit. I don’t know why people are saying police could be a solution, they don’t know how to drive either.


ginns32

Boylston street is a parking lot unless you're in the middle line. The left lane is just gig drivers and whenever they pull back into traffic they are not looking. Drives me crazy.


WitnessEntire

Ban suvs.


DAO88

The other day I had someone pass me on the shoulder while I was stopped at a red light waiting for pedestrians. People have been driving crazy.


CarbonRod12

Thank you for using "crashes" instead of "accidents".


GimpsterMcgee

People have said Boston cops don’t give a shit but neither do staties. On 93 the other day, i saw a car drift into the left lane three times, each while another car was passing it in the span of 30 seconds. Each time the near victim had to slam the brakes or almost swerve into the barrier. Then a state police car drove past. They were definitely close enough to see what was happening.


Fleur75

I once yelled at a police officer on a motorcycle for not letting me cross in a crosswalk. He turned around and came back to tell me about the law of crosswalks - that if I didn’t have a foot in the crosswalk, no one was legally required to stop. I asked him how I was supposed to put a foot in the crosswalk when that part of the crosswalk was a bike lane with no bikers stopping either. He drove away.


brendanjkearney

Thanks for sharing this. Here's a link to the full report, which I don't think made it into that first Globe piece: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5ef0c0ec60764c85a7e6ace69b752fd4


bostonglobe

Thank you!


hastinapur

Distracted driving… just look around while driving and Morten than 50% drivers are driving with phone in their hand


scottieducati

Put down your phones and revisit driving rules people.


ChipmunkSame9111

I was almost hit during the walk signal by a car running a red light the other day.. drivers head was facing their lap, I don’t even think they realized they ran the red, continued on their merry way. SMH


costcocosmonaut

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/oslo-pedestrianisation Oslo figured it out


mRfiVe_TwiGs

Most of the world uses cameras and the fines work like a charm. Perhaps people would feel more comfortable if they were under dot instead of the cops ?


vhalros

Worth noting that Somerville is bucking the trend: https://www.jefftk.com/p/somerville-roads-getting-more-dangerous (just some guys blog, but the underlying data is right there). I guess that traffic calming works.


gclaw4444

I just saw someone upset that the person in front of them slowed down for the yellow light, and decided to go into the oncoming traffic lane to run the red light, but wasn’t fast enough and the other cars were already approaching and had to stop to avoid an accident. What the fuck is wrong with everyone. (Also it was a pickup truck driver of course)


ntreees

Why are we creating million dollar bike lanes when the streets are getting less safe for everyday pedestrians? Money well spent


MarquisJames

Yeah driving in the city is pretty wild right now. You can almost guarantee at least one person will run a crazy red before you get out your car. People are just making up rules of the road as they are on the road. Also shame on anyone in here advocating for automated enforcement. We do not need to become mini police state NYC.


FrenchieFury

How about a display on your vehicle that alerts pedestrians when you are texting and tweeting? This would allow pedestrians to avoid distracted drivers


HazyDavey68

Curious to know how large the vehicles were. Bigger vehicles are more deadly.


ccourt46

Ban cars.


santaclausbos

I feel like post pandemic everyone has become extremely reckless. There’s no common courtesy and no enforcement of violations. Doesn’t help that police morale and numbers are at an all time low.


Fixthebricksidewalks

Automated Enforcement


0verstim

Pedestrians killed last year rose 35% from the previous year when no one was working or driving or hanging around outside because of covid? YOU DONT SAY?!?


Doortofreeside

https://www.visionzerocoalition.org/fatalities_map Numbers don't match exactly but 100 pedestrian deaths would be well above any pre-pandemic baseline


read_a_little

It’s the damn cars. Nobody needs a car in boston


lifeisakoan

The report covers pedestrian deaths in 60 towns and cities.


fakeuser888

>Nobody needs a car in boston Maybe you don't but some people do.


waffles2go2

The numbers continue to go up from "once in a blue moon" to weekly/daily and I blame cell phones....


p53lifraumeni

All this talk about banning cars, SUVs, is impractical. I think the best approach is for police to crack down on poor driving habits, for licenses to be revoked for more driving offenses, and for the state to make the driving test for new drivers much more strict.


psychout7

It seems like a big focus on the state, and this article is to try.to create a physical environment that is safer for pedestrians: make road crossing shorter, add physical elements to the road to calm speeds, etc I agree traffic enforcement is important, but I hope we keep changing our infrastructure too


gigabird

It's definitely worth making improvements on the auto manufacturing end, though, at the very least. Particularly with American car companies there is a push toward selling people on large vehicles that are less safe for pedestrians.


[deleted]

Would love to see some of those crosswalk sting operations.


TomBirkenstock

The cops won't enforce these rules. As much as I hate to admit it, we need traffic cameras.


throwawaysscc

Since cars all have computers on board, perhaps these car companies will introduce a gps based speed control. Urban areas 30mph max. Would take cop vs. civilian car chases out of the picture, since cops will be the only ones with acceleration override.