World Day Of Remembrance In Worcester Calls For End To Traffic Deaths
WORCESTER, MA — Local residents and advocates will gather this weekend to remember the lives lost in roadway crashes and build support for safer streets.
WalkBike Worcester, the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, and City Council Etel Haxhiaj will host the event as part of World Day of Remembrance on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. in front of the First Unitarian Church at 90 Main St. People will speak about their experience on Worcester streets at the event.
World Day of Remembrance began in 2005 and honors the 1.35 million people killed and millions more injured on the world’s roads annually. The event is intended to prevent such tragedies and organizers committed to zero roadway deaths.
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“This local event seeks to raise awareness about traffic deaths and near-misses in the City of Worcester, increase driver awareness of pedestrian safety, and rally our community, elected leaders, community advocates and residents to continue supporting efforts to decrease pedestrian deaths and injuries, and design safe roads for all,” according to a statement.
In Worcester, there were eight pedestrian deaths in traffic incidents in 2022 alone. In the last decade, there have been 85 traffic deaths, including 33 pedestrians.
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Last month, the city took a step toward reducing that number as part of the Vision Zero plan, a campaign to end traffic deaths by making roadways safe for all users. The Department of Transportation and Mobility began accepting bids from planning and engineering firms to create a Vision Zero plan for Worcester.
The bid opening follows a federal grant given to Worcester earlier this year to pay for the plan.
Patch has received information that newly appointed Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits Nutt will be at the event. Prior to her appointment, Tibbits-Nutt served as undersecretary of MassDOT. Her areas of specialty include regional and transportation planning, urban design, and transit equity, according to her state bio.
See related: Worcester Begins ‘Vision Zero’ Plan To Eliminate Traffic Deaths
A Call To End Traffic Deaths In Worcester On World Day Of Remembrance
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