Centre Street in West Roxbury is now at the center of a debate on public safety. Everyone agrees change needs to happen in order to make the street safer, but the city’s plan to reduce lanes is dividing the community.
According to the city of Boston, roughly 15,000 people a day drive on Centre Street and most of them go over the speed limit. There have been a number of accidents involving pedestrians including a woman who was hit and killed in a crosswalk back in 2019.
The city recently unveiled a plan called a road diet. It would slim Centre Street down between LaGrange Street and West Roxbury Parkway from four lanes to three. There would be one lane in each direction and a flex lane in the middle. There would also be parking-protected bike lanes.
“We can make it slower, but smoother with a lot less cars weaving in and out,” the city’s chief of streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge said.
Franklin-Hodge said he understands there are concerns, but after studying the impact, this was the most effective plan to improve safety.
“Too many people have been injured and there’s far too much risk every single day to people who use this street,” Franklin-Hodge said.
Some welcome the road diet plan after seeing a number of accidents and close calls on the street.
“It’s definitely dangerous with no bike lane. It’s hard to share the road with cars so I support a bike lane,” Hayes Cashman of Boston said.
Not everyone sees the plan as the right solution. At Atlas True Value Hardware, they do not know how they’ll get deliveries without causing a backup.
“If there was only one lane there, that would mean no traffic could move for a half hour,” manager Thomas Meranda said.
At Maria’s Kitchen, they are worried more traffic will deter customers.
“Maybe signs, more police, speed bumps or something else would work, but not the road diet,” owner Dimitri Meletlidis said.
The group that opposes the plan is hosting a road diet stand out later this week. They have also printed yard signs that are displayed at some homes and businesses.
Franklin-Hodge said they are still working out the design details such as where they would place loading zones and bike lanes, but they do plan to go forward with the project. Construction is set to start in the fall.
