Work to change Centre Street in West Roxbury from four to three lanes could begin in October, Wu, other officials tell residents

I walk Centre St. multiple times each week and cross only at a traffic signal. I wouldn’t use a crosswalk if my life depended on it (which it does).Yesterday on my way to the meeting, I saw a car make a U-turn in the middle of rush hour right in front of the hardware store — cutting through a crosswalk. I support the road reconfiguration and anything else needed to bring safe access to people who walk, drive, and shop there.

if BPD actually enforced existing laws.

I mean, they actually are correct in this. There is ZERO enforcement of anything on Centre street, including the parts of the road LITERALLY RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE POLICE STATION. BPD doesn't give a single shit about speeding, running lights, double parking (which also significantly contributes to the lane weaving), or pedestrians.

I'm in full favor of the redesign but it's pathetic that the city has so washed its hands of the very CONCEPT that police may in fact be here to enforce laws as opposed to collect overtime illegally that we have to default to rebuilding roads to accomplish the same end. And Bonilla is right - people can in fact speed on a single lane the same way they speed on a double lane. This plan will help with the weaving, the double parking, and the two-car pedestrian roulette, but it's not going to help with the hellish race from light to light.

This morning in my way to work I saw two cars run red lights on Centre. Like I do most mornings. Like Monday when a Boston COP ran the light at Centre and LaGrange. The street is not designed well for safety and these changes are needed but the E5 have to step up. When this redesign happens MORE cars will run the lights out of frustration. Where? Are? You?

fix the T so people can reliably use it (without it causing PTSD.)

fix the roads so traffic density drops and its safer for everyone.

yes, it will cost money. yes, it will suck during the implementation process. but these measures are the solution to a giant swath of the issues facing Massachusetts. toll the shit out of the the southern entrances to boston. also toll the shit out of the entrances to MA from NH. that will help pay for it. metro west and the north shore are sick of being the only toll payers to get into the city.

before the naysayers pile on:

1) Boston (and the MBTA service area) subsidizes the rest of the state, so don't whine about the cost.

2) yes, some bike riders do blow through red lights and weave through traffic. that said, they still represent a tiny fraction of people using our roadways. lets fix the issues which put so many extra cars on the road before we start tackling the smaller issues.

It’s interesting that Brian Kenneally, a local realtor, is opposed to this. You would think that a safer and walkable community would benefit him in regard to selling homes.

Anon HATES his life. Lol.

I'd rather have traffic congestion that dead pedestrians.

Your article is being totally dishonest. That was not my argument or even an argument at all. Only having a minute to voice your concerns is not enough time to express your concerns. You know exactly what one of my concerns is. What you are calling an argument was more of a statement. I asked the “City Streets Chief,” Jascha Franklin-Hodge to be more honest and stop misleading people on that particular incident.

Let’s start with the Boston Transportation Department’s own data. The city has done a traffic study on Centre Street and their data show that approximately 16,000 cars use Centre St per day. The Boston Transportation Department also states, that if 20,000 cars or more used Centre St per day then a road diet (reducing the travel lanes) would NOT be used or recommended.

So, if 20,000 cars or more used Centre St, then the Boston Transportation Department would obviously have to come up with a safety plan that does not include a road diet and does not reduce the travel lanes on Centre Street. However, the City and the Boston Transportation Department keep saying that there can be no safety plan to address safety along Centre St unless there is a road diet and travel lanes are reduced. The two just don’t add up. You can’t say that there is no alternative to safety unless there is a reduction of travel lanes but then at the same time, say, if there were over 20,000 cars using Centre St, then we could not and would not recommend a reduction of travel lanes along Centre St.
Obviously if there were 20,000 cars or more using Centre St then the City would provide the residents of our neighborhood a safety plan that does not include a road diet or a reduction of the travel lanes. From the very beginning (over four years ago), all I have asked is that the City and the Boston Transportation Department provide at least one safety plan that does not reduce the travel lanes along Centre St and then let the residents decide which they would prefer.

My main concerns (about a reduction of travel lanes) and solutions (for adding safety) along Centre St are:

⁃ Safety In Our Residential Neighborhoods. Whenever you add more cars or traffic to a street, it is more dangerous. By reducing the travel lanes along Centre St, (which is a commercial district) more cars will be cutting through our residential neighborhoods making the residential neighborhoods less safe (even with the addition of speed bumps or stop signs).
⁃ On-Demand Traffic Signals. These traffic signals only turn red when a pedestrian presses the button to cross the street at a crosswalk (they stay green the rest of the time in order to keep traffic flowing). The Boston Transportation Department states, that these would cause more traffic. But how could they cause more traffic? With or without on-demand traffic signals, cars still must stop when someone is crossing the street. Crossing the street with a red light is much safer than without a red light. And this is exactly why the City added a traffic signal by the Lyndon School and YMCA on Centre Street. The Boston Transportation Department knows that crossing any street with a red light to assist a pedestrian is the safest method.

⁃ Adding on-demand traffic signals at three or four locations along Centre Street would basically solve all pedestrian safety along Centre St.
⁃ The locations where on-demand traffic signals are needed are:
⁃ 1. Esther Rd Crosswalk by the Roche Center and 7-Eleven
⁃ 2. Maple Street by the Post Office
⁃ 3. Hastings Street by Sugar Bakery
⁃ 4. Quinn Way by Metro Bank that leads to Billings Field

⁃ The Boston Transportation Department studied Centre St over four years ago. And they have stated how dangerous it is for any pedestrian along Centre Street. Yet, for over four years they have failed to enact basically any safety measures along Centre St. This is an absolute disgrace! How could they allow this for over four years?
⁃ It is an absolute disgrace that the Boston Transportation Department has not added painted on bike symbols /lanes on the current road configuration along Centre Street to help inform and educate drivers on how to better share the road with cyclists. And that they haven’t added signage along Centre St to help educate and inform drivers on how to better share the road with cyclists. Unfortunately, I have noticed that the City does not have a good track record at keeping such painted-on symbols and lanes well-maintained. These painted-on symbols and lanes wear out all the time and the Boston Transportation Department in many instances is very slow to repaint the symbols and lanes.
⁃ Adding on-demand traffic signals and painted-on bike lanes/symbols and signage to the current road configuration would be the most cost-effective.

For the Boston Transportation Department’s “City Streets Chief” Jascha Franklin-Hodge to state that a woman was killed inside a crosswalk while crossing Centre Street is an absolute disgrace and brings into question his credibility and honesty. The head of homicide that investigated that accident has clearly stated that the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk and sun glare was a major factor in that accident. One death or any any injury along Centre St is too many. For the city to have ignored Centre St for over four years is unfathomable. The Boston Transportation Department has done quite a bit of research and “City Streets Chief” Joshua Franklin Hodge had to have known that the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk. Why he would say that baffles me. The residents of West Roxbury deserve to see multiple safety plans that address safety along Centre St. We deserve to see a plan that does not include a reduction of travel lanes along Centre St as well as a plan that does. And the residents of West Roxbury should have the most input on any such plan because it will be our residential neighborhoods that will be affected with more traffic thus making the residential neighborhoods more dangerous.

I don't live in WR, but I did go to school there, and spent plenty of time on Centre st. over the years. It's been a while, but I don't remember any particular problems while either driving or walking the street. Was it covid, or something? I read down the comments, and you people really sound deranged. Where do they send all the dead bodies after all these auto homicides? Did people really forget how to cross a street? I'm a regular pedestrian, and I've had some close calls in crosswalks, but I don't recall living in a combat zone like West Roxbury seems to have become. Can't we all just get along?