Dear Needham Neighbors,

By now, many of you have seen the Needham Police Department's post about the child struck by a vehicle on Great Plain Avenue this week. We are relieved to know they are expected to make a full recovery, and our hearts go out to their family.

This incident is a painful reminder of what many of us feel when we drive, walk, or bike through Needham Center: our town's main street doesn't yet feel safe for everyone who uses it. 

In the post, NPD reports that they will increase traffic enforcement measures in the downtown for the duration of the summer. Enforcement can improve behavior in the short term, but we clearly need more fundamental solutions.

We do not want to assign blame; everyone makes mistakes on our roads. This means that roads should be designed to protect us from our own human error, not depend on us never making any. Enforcement can remind people to be more careful, but it cannot forgive a moment of inattention. Only design can do that. A road that is only safe when every driver, cyclist, and pedestrian behaves perfectly is not safe at all.

We need to be proactive about transportation safety and ensure that improvements aren’t written in blood. We believe this moment calls for conversation about the future of our downtown. 

If you can, please email the Select Board about this collision, or attend the next meeting on June 23rd and leave public comment. 

• selectboard@needhamma.gov

Warm regards,
Aidan Boni
Safe Streets Needham