Dedham Addresses Traffic Concerns, Speeding

DEDHAM, MA - In an effort to curb speeding complaints that have arisen over the past several months in the area surrounding Dedham Square, the Dedham Police Traffic Unit issued 21 speeding citations Tuesday on some of the main roads leading into the business district.

According to a tweet posted by Dedham police Tuesday afternoon, traffic unit officers targeted the area of High and Westfield streets heading into Dedham Square as well as Needham Street near St. Susanna's Church and Washington Street.

Earlier this month, Dedham was selected for a Massachusetts Department of Transportation grant as part of its Local Bottleneck Reduction Program. The program seeks to improve traffic flow and negate congestion issues through improved signal timing. Proposed modifications, which will be implemented by MassDOT and completed this summer, are expected to cost $100,000.

Speeding in Dedham has been a concern voiced at meetings on the proposed $18 million reconstruction of the East Street Bridge by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. The Select Board held a listening session on March 30 about the project, where speeding was one of the issues raised. Between July 2019 and November 2020, eight major collisions occurred under the bridge, according to the town's website, because of trucks that could not fit under its height of 12 feet 3 inches.

Traffic and pedestrian safety concerned residents during a series of meetings beginning in late 2020 regarding a study on the transportation and safety needs along the VFW Parkway/Providence Highway corridor between West Roxbury and Dedham by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. While that roadway is designed for higher traffic, there are virtually no accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists or those using public transit.