WORCESTER, Mass. — In Worcester, city officials say efforts to make its roads and transportation systems safer are paying off.
At Coe’s Pond on Worcester’s Mill Street, the beach was filled with people happy to escape the summer heat Wednesday afternoon.
The area is made more accessible, thanks to improvements on busy Mill Street.
Once a four-lane stretch of road that seemed to invite speeding and bad driving, today, newly installed narrow travel lanes, parking-protected bike lanes, and better signage have transformed Mill Street.
Residents are embracing the changes.
“I love it, I love it,” Joaquina Zayas told Boston 25.
“Actually, it’s really nice. I’m glad they did it. It keeps the traffic down, and people actually do slow down,” William Moreno said.
The changes at Mill Street are part of an extensive city-wide effort to improve transportation in Worcester by making it more efficient and safer for everyone.
City Transportation and Mobility Commissioner Stephen Rolle says that Worcester’s Mobility Action Plan is already showing positive results
“We’ve seen crashes go down, we’ve seen speeds drop by ten percent as well,” Commissioner Rolle said.
The changes to Mill Street were put into place when the DPW began a resurfacing project.
Other streets, like Burncoat, Grove, and Stafford streets, are also getting similar attention as they are resurfaced.
“(This is) really a comprehensive focus on trying to improve the safety of our transportation network,” Rolle said.
A more detailed report about the results of the traffic changes is due in two weeks when the Vision Zero Annual Report is released.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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