Committee approves 20 mph school zones for Worcester Cultural Academy streets

The Traffic & Parking Committee approved establishing 20 miles‑per‑hour school zones on three streets that surround Worcester Cultural Academy after parents and school officials urged the step to protect children who walk between school buildings.

Parent Jess Karen and Pamela Boisvert, chair of the school’s board, told the committee the school community uses cross-streets frequently and that a lower posted school-zone speed would materially reduce the risk to small children. Karen cited survival and injury-risk statistics to argue that a 20 mph limit meaningfully lowers severe-injury risk for pedestrians compared with higher speeds.

DTM staff recommended approval of school-zone designations and associated passive signage; the committee voted to accept that recommendation. Members stressed that passive signing must be paired with enforcement and public outreach to change driver behavior. One parent said a recently installed flashing pedestrian light on Hamilton Street had already improved safety for students traveling between campus buildings.

Next steps: The committee approved the three 20 mph school-zone designations (Plantation Street, Crome Street, Caroline Street) and directed DTM to install signage and coordinate enforcement with the Worcester Police Department.