O'Malley Aims to Curb Pedestrian Deaths; Hearing Set for Tuesday

If you laugh at this, you’d be forgiven, but City Councilor Matt O’Malley is serious:

“I want the term ‘Boston driver’ to become synonymous with safety and civility,” he said Wednesday.

O’Malley asked for, and received, approval from his fellow councilors to hold a public hearing at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Council Chamber on how the city can make its streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. O'Malley represents District 6, which includes Jamaica Plain. He also lives in JP.

Massachusetts currently has the 10th highest rating in the nation for pedestrian deaths, O’Malley told his colleagues—which he said is a high rating that the state should not be proud of.

A search of Web materials could not quickly confirm the rating. Indeed, Massachusetts seems to rank very low nationally in terms of pedestrian deaths. According to a 2011 study (attached as a PDF), the state ranked 42nd in "Pedestrian Danger Index."

O'Malley said some traffic deaths can be blamed on Boston’s infrastructure, he suggested, which suffers from poor street design and insufficient or inadequate signaling infrastructure.

To reduce that death rate, he wants the city to institute traffic-calming measures such as more left-turn lanes, coordinated and lengthened crosswalk signals and other ideas that may be proposed at Tuesday’s meeting.

City could enhance “Shot Spotter” system

The council voted Wednesday to accept a $15 million Department of Homeland Security grant as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative.

Councilor Michael Ross said that the city could use the money for a number of initiatives to improve local security, including enhancing the city’s Shot Spotter system.

The system uses a series of microphones to locate gunshots, and Ross said further investment in the system could include a network of cameras.

Other uses for the funds, Ross said, could include improving local rapid response plans and improving local agencies ability to coordinate and share information with each other.