Boston Council Grills Streets Chief on Speed Hump Priorities, Signal Safety

BOSTON — June 9, 2025 — Boston City Council committee scrutinizes speed hump expansion and pedestrian signal policy at three-hour hearing. The Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation, chaired by Councilor Sharon Durkan, heard testimony Monday on two dockets covering the city's Safety Surge program and speed hump effectiveness, adjourning both without a vote. Chief of Streets Franklin Hodge told councilors the city installed more than 600 speed humps in 2024 — up from 300 in its first six years — and cited data showing the share of speeding drivers on Poplar Street in Roslindale fell from one in five to one in 125 after installation. Councilor Edward M. Flynn clashed repeatedly with Hodge over the city's refusal to place raised crosswalks or humps on arterial streets and over concurrent pedestrian-vehicle signals, insisting "someone has to give" and calling for immediate changes; Hodge warned that wholesale elimination of concurrent signals could produce gridlock. Councilor Liz Breadon pressed officials on why Allston-Brighton has received only two speed humps despite years of requests, and Councilor Enrique J. Pepén named three specific schools in Hyde Park he wants prioritized. BTD Commissioner Nick Gove confirmed the city plans to submit supportive comments on pending state legislation that would authorize speed cameras following a joint legislative committee hearing earlier in the week.