Traffic isn’t anything new in Worcester. I guarantee that you yourself at least once a week have to go through some traffic to where you want to go. Undoubtedly, traffic is one of the largest problems in Worcester. All throughout Worcester, the city has begun to start implementing new plans to cool some of this traffic down. Has Worcester really hit the mark for the future of the city’s traffic, or has this all gone to waste? How does the traffic in Worcester truly affect us?
The Issue
Worcester has always had a turbulent history with traffic. Kelley Square was infamous for being the top crash location in Massachusetts. Only recently was it refurbished into the exponentially safer roundabout we know it as now. That isn’t the case for some other streets in Worcester however. Billings Square, a roundabout connecting Hamilton Street and Grafton Street is known for being a bottleneck for cars in the early morning and the afternoon. It’s hard to not talk about the chaotic highways as well. If you’ve ever driven on a highway in Worcester, you should know how bad it gets during work-time rush hour.
Here at North High, traffic is a decent sized issue as well. Ask any student or teacher. On the way in and out, traffic always seems to be an issue. Ms Juliemy, when asked about the traffic at North would say “As someone who monitors the AM buses coming into school, the traffic can be clustered and bottlenecked in the morning.” As well as Dr. FanFan in with “Traffic at North can be challenging at times.” It’s clear something needs to be done at not only North High for traffic, but the whole city.
Safe streets have always been a high priority issue for the City of Worcester. In 2024, there were over 2,800 crashes reported. 51 of them left people either in critical condition or dead. Over 90 of them involved pedestrians and cyclists. For many drivers in Worcester, crashes are a somewhat common risk, whether it be with another motor vehicle, or a pedestrian walking or biking. Additionally, community members of Worcester reported that pedestrians are the main topic of concern when driving. It is clear that Worcester needs to make changes in the way the city runs, or else these statistics are only going to get worse.
The Solution
Luckily, the City of Worcester has proposed a plan to get rid of, and keep the traffic safer in the city. In February, the city of Worcester adopted the Vision Zero Network, a coordinated strategy to identify and improve the safety of Worcester’s streets. The commitment to this plan is a big one to Worcester, and they’ve made it clear that they want the community’s engagement in executing Vision Zero. Along with this plan, they intend to prioritize renovations on some of the most dangerous street segments and intersections in the city, with short-term and long-term actions to actively improve road safety in Worcester. The city is only going to continue to use Vision Zero to consider the future of road planning in Worcester to turn our city into a safer place for everyone.This is an amazing step in the right direction for Worcester.
Link to Vision Zero PDF
https://www.worcesterma.gov/mobility/document-center/vision-zero-plan.pdf
You might’ve noticed speed humps slowly becoming more frequent in your neighborhoods. Sometimes they’re there, and sometimes they aren’t. In 2021, Worcester began to test out the season speed hump program to calm traffic in areas with extensive traffic, speeders, and such. The speed hump program since has expanded considerably, with over 80 speed bumps, seasonally and permanently. The program only continues to grow more, and if you believe your neighborhood could use a speed hump, the Department of Transportation and Mobility urges you to petition to have a hump put into your own neighborhood.
Over on Grafton Street, the City of Worcester has proposed the idea for a no parking zone for the Southwest side of Grafton Street for Roosevelt Elementary. The proposed idea is to help traffic on Grafton Street calm down significantly, especially during school hours. Traffic congestion is a huge problem on Grafton Street when school starts, and when school ends due to the increasing amount of parents dropping off their kids. The same sentiment could be said for many other schools, like us at North High, or maybe the kids at Doherty with Highland Street. School is one of the many reasons for excessive traffic buildups in Worcester.
The Future
So what should the people of Worcester look out for? People should be aware of where they are driving, try not to speed during the day and night to reduce crashes with pedestrians and drivers. Pay attention to signs, be more aware of the areas they are driving, at roundabouts, school zones and much more. If you’re walking, stay vigilant and pay attention to the roadways around you, especially when crossing them.
Has Worcester really done their job with these new programs and proposed ideas? Many people think so. When asked about the speed humps all about Worcester, Dr Fan Fan said “Yes, speed bumps are effective in managing speed.” As time goes on, these programs are only going to keep growing, and you’re going to see them implemented in Worcester more often. In the next few years, we should be able to finally see these crash statistics take a drastic change for the good. Worcester, once infamous for their chaotic roads, finally seems to be making a change for the good. Time can only tell if these new initiatives really make the change they need to.
