Boston city councilors to consider traffic cameras, full-time traffic cops to reduce road mayhem

Please go away with this.

They can start when those cyclists start actually injuring or killing people. Until then, I suggest they focus attention on dangerous motorists.

Can we get some double parking cameras?

Das Leben der Anderen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others

Let's make the traffic squad but also how about we just have our local PD patrol Jamaica Way, Morriseey, SW Corridor, etc...? Storrow is a different thing to me as it is very clearly separated from the main street grid of the city.

I don't think we need to become like some of the suburbs where they rake in revenue from ticketing perfectly safe driving by ticketing people for a couple mph over the speed limit or not coming to an absolute complete stop at a stop sign.

But Boston pretty much does no traffic enforcement. Especially as a cyclist, I see absolutely ridiculous unsafe driving, often right in front of a cop, and I can't recall the last time I saw someone being pulled over (other than when they suddenly turn the lights on in gridlock and go after someone whose plate they've clearly run). They could make so much money ticketing stuff like wrong way on one-way streets, driving like a complete maniac in residential areas, driving without lights on, driving in bike lanes, etc. Parking too -- I've sent the city helmet cam footage of cars parked in bike lanes, or stills taken while walking, and suggested to them that had they had one of their people cycling my route, they could have issued 45 tickets in that two-mile stretch.

The state law actually allows them to issue parking tickets based on photos, but AFAIK Boston isn't doing this. I couldn't get them to do anything even when I sent them a photo of a van that destroyed a flex post and then left itself parked in the bike lane with the post mangled in its wheel! They responded and said the van wasn't there any more when they went by the next day. They're ignoring tons of revenue just sitting there and a huge safety problem, but they don't care.

O-FISH-L and I agree on something.

A traffic division would be great. One cop 2-4 hours a day at rush hour going between Atlantic and Essex and Atlantic and Summer could probably yield enough "block the box" tickets to justify her entire salary.

I've wondered ever since moving here why Boston doesn't do that at any key choke points.

They do in a few places. I regularly see them at rush hour on Congress St in PO Square, and on 28 in front of the MoS.

At Coolidge Corner and a few other spots, they routinely have a couple of cops manually handling traffic during rush hour so no one is blocking intersections. It's great. I had one day when I went through where the Fenway heads to Storrow, was stuck in the intersections near the fire department building for 30 minutes because people wouldn't stop blocking the intersection, then went through Coolidge Corner, same amount of heavy traffic, and made it right through because the cops were directing traffic.

No it has not.

Implementing traffic cameras would require changes to state law, which is why it is always shot down every time it's proposed.

As a Boston native, and someone who both regularly drives and walks and takes the T, I feel free license to say that we have the worst drivers in the world operating here in what is effectively a free fire zone.

At the risk of going off topic, I suggest you check out Florida, and in particular, Miami.

- MA native, Somerville/Medford/Boston living for +/- 24 years also regular pedestrian, driver (car + moto), T-taker

Personally, I'd like to see more traffic enforcement before we have cameras. And even raised crossings at intersections. And no concurrent signals. I believe vehicles should be stopped in all directions when pedestrian signals are on for walking.

As Bill Burr has joked, "I don't mind the fact that Boston drivers are bad...because they're aggressively bad. You know they're going to be out of your way quickly."

yes tables, and cameras but also can we have some enforcement.
Enforcement for pedestrians and cyclists as well.
walk the financial district and see cars blow red lights yes, but also pedestrians ignore no walk lights cross the middle of the street and some don't even look before stepping out. That goes for bicycles. Sit at tremont and boylston and count how many cyclist blow the light and how many pedestrians jaywalk. never in 25 years seen a cop there giving tickets or stopping anyone.

I don't think we need to ticket people who cross against a light when it is totally clear. Tickets are to change behavior that detracts from public safety. I'd be in favor of ticketing people who endanger themselves and others by just walking out against the bigredhand™ when there's traffic or in the middle of a block when there's a crosswalk within 300 feet or whatever the law is.

If you budget the department with traffic units, it would be cops enforcing it (any other way you would also need to change the law, as Chapter 90 is pretty clear as to whom can enforce traffic laws)

Providence outsourced their cameras to a company that then started shorting lights and sending out errant tickets, etc.