On February 18th, 2016, a mother and her 5 month old daughter were hit while trying to cross Humboldt Ave to a waiting vehicle, with the infant suffering fatal injuries. (While initial reports put it close to the bus stop, the crash occurred a bit further up the hill near Elbert Street). The Vision Zero Task Force visited the crash location on March 1st to make recommendations for any short and long term changes to the area that could improve safety.
Date of Crash
2/18/2016, approx. 8:45PM
Date of Site Visit
3/1/2016
Location
Near 77 Humboldt Ave, Roxbury
News coverage
WCVB - "5-month-old dies after mother, baby hit by car in Roxbury"
WBUR - "5-Month-Old Hit By Car In Roxbury Dies"
Present at Site Visit
Boston Transportation Department - Planning
Boston Police Department, including detectives that responded that evening to the crash
Boston Public Health Commission
WalkBoston
Boston Cyclists Union
Site audit this pm on Humboldt Ave, Roxbury w/ #VisionZeroBOS task force. A 5month old was struck/killed Feb 18th pic.twitter.com/tj9jNgCAuu
— WalkBoston (@WalkBoston) March 2, 2016
Photos from Site Visit 
Recommendations
Short term:
- Find ways to reduce vehicle speed: Paint bike lanes and/or stripe the parking lanes to visually narrow the road.
- Improve lighting: some sections between street lights were very dark.
Longer term:
- Create an island closer to the bus stop since there was no crosswalk at that location, either, and people cross to access the bus stop. An island in the road could help slow traffic and reduce crossing distance.
- Shift parking lane out to create protected bike lane next to existing curb.
Improvements Completed
As of 6/14/16, no changes have been made. Please send us photos/comments when you see changes so this page remains accurate.