Local News
Boston will get 500 new speed humps over the next three years to help reduce speeding on quieter side streets.
Boston neighborhoods will see 500 new speed humps built over the next three years as part of a new city project to reduce speeding in residential areas.
Unlike typical speed bumps, the city’s new speed “humps” are gradual mounds of asphalt built into the pavement. They’re about 13 feet long and three inches tall, and are easily driven over at 20 miles per hour or under. The speed humps will be marked by yellow signs to make drivers aware of their presence.
City officials say the project will help address the issue of speeding vehicles to make neighborhoods safer for people who live, walk, and bike on the roadways.
The project will result in the installation of between 40 and 50 miles of “traffic-calmed” streets each year — mainly on smaller side streets, as speed humps aren’t appropriate for wider, busier streets or for streets with MBTA routes. They don’t impede street sweeping, snow plowing, or street parking, according to city officials.
“We always build speed humps in a series. On any given street, drivers will encounter a speed hump every 150 to 250 feet. Because they can see the next speed hump ahead, people are more likely to drive a consistent, slower speed,” city officials said in a news release. “We build speed humps on a group of streets at once. This prevents drivers from simply taking a street one block further away to avoid speed humps.”
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