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spaces depending on the development. The report’s main focus, Arterial roads, which make up only 20.9% of the City’s road network,
however, was on the cost of those parking minimums. Building new accounted for 81.8% of all VRU fatalities or serious injuries. Areas of the
parking can be enormously expensive—sometimes tens of thousands City that were historically redlined were found to be four times likelier to
of dollars per space—and holding developers to a common parking contain a severe crash than those areas classified as “best.” Ultimately,
standard can often increase costs, decrease the size of what is being the report explains the significant cost of pedestrian crashes, including
built, and pass those costs onto the final consumers. This report ends the likelihood that any increases in danger may make vulnerable road
with questions to consider, including what might happen if Worcester users less likely to walk and bike to their destinations; moreover, the
eliminated parking minimums citywide and how it could better promote report lays out the immense lifetime economic costs of these crashes. In
municipal garage usage. 2019 alone, it was estimated that Worcester’s VRU crashes could have
a lifetime cost of $493,644,552 in 2024 dollars.
Finally, in August 2024, the Bureau released Toward Safer Streets
– Identifying Risk Factors for Non-Motorists in Worcester, as the Environmental (In)Justice: An Evaluation of Climate
next edition in the transportation series with support from the Barr Impacts on Worcester Neighborhoods was recognized
Foundation. This report used extensive statistical analysis to examine by the Governmental Research Association with its
street risk factors and crashes involving vulnerable road users – 2024 Award for Most Distinguished Research: Local
pedestrians, bicyclists, and others not inside of vehicles themselves Government Issue.
– between 2012 and 2019. Toward Safer Streets found that during this
time period, pedestrians accounted for 61.5% of all VRU crashes, and
91.4% of casualties. Crashes involving residents over 65 were often fatal, MAP 5: PEDESTRIAN CRASH LOCATIONS IN WORCESTER
although crashes with victims under 19 happened with more frequency. (2012–2019)

MAP 3: ALL GARAGES AND LOTS DOWNTOWN AND IN CANAL
DISTRICT

Source: MassDOT Person Level Crash Details, 2012–2019

SCAN FOR MORE:

Toward Safer Streets –
Identifying Risk Factors for
Non-Motorists in Worcester

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