Speed limit might go to 20 mph on Boston city streets

BOSTON — Ever tried to drive 20 mph on Boston streets? FOX25 did.

Mayor Marty Walsh is weighing a bill that would lower the speed limits on city streets from 30 to 20.

Last week, City Council unanimously approved a proposal to lower the speed limit to 20 on many city streets. Advocates note that motorists now zip along at speeds that make a mockery of the 30 mile per hour limit, endangering pedestrians, cyclists and one another.

FOX25’s Sharman Sacchetti decided to try driving 20 mph on city streets, starting on Commonwealth Avenue. Her vehicle was repeatedly passed and cut off.

“Speeding is probably my most commonly heard complaint,” said City Councilor Frank Baker.

Baker hopes the mayor signs his bill to lower the speed limit on city streets from 30 to 20. It already passed the city council, and would need state approval.

Baker said side streets in densely packed neighborhoods are where he really wants to lower the limit. He said too many people are getting struck and killed, and it's time Boston have the freedom to set its own limits.

“That two minutes you might be saving if you hit somebody - that's going change your life,” he said.

The mayor's office told FOX25 they're revising the final bill the council passed, but he has supported lower speed limits.

It still needs the approval of Beacon Hill.

Cox Media Group