Passacantilli: Traffic Congestion in East Boston is Unacceptable

Stephen Passacantilli, a local civic leader and Boston Public Schools parent running for Boston City Council District 1, has released a detailed plan to address East Boston’s traffic crisis.

Passacantilli said, “Traffic congestion could very well be the most pressing and pervasive quality of life issue facing East Boston today. I hear concerns about traffic from East Boston residents and businesses every single day.  Mounting traffic pressures on East Boston have created constant gridlock and heavy traffic, even at traditionally off-peak traffic times. The inability to move about freely has adversely affected East Boston residents’ quality of life and threatens its economic well-being. Residents should not have to go grocery shopping at dawn or late in the evening to escape traffic. Existing and prospective businesses should not be concerned that their customers cannot reach them.”

He continued, “As a former operations specialist for the Boston Transportation Department, I have the experience to address the traffic problems East Boston faces in a meaningful way. As your City Councilor, I will support emergency measures that will alleviate current traffic congestion. As a start, I propose the following measures, and look forward to hearing from East Boston residents as to how we can work collaboratively to fix this unacceptable situation.”

Traffic Mitigation Measures

Passacantilli proposed the following measures to combat this issue:

  • Working with City and State officials to expedite redesign of the Sumner/Callahan Tunnel intersection.
  • Prohibiting tour buses, delivery trucks and the car carriers on residential streets during peak traffic hours.
  • Strictly enforcing “do not block the box” to stop gridlock.
  • Increasing traffic details during peak traffic times, synchronizing and calibrating traffic signals as needed.
  • Assigning a traffic consultant exclusively to East Boston to focus on the redesign of our 10 most problematic intersections.
  • Opposing irresponsible development in the community that adds to increased congestion.
  • Holding construction contractors accountable with penalties for delays written into their contracts.
  • Bringing the community to the table in the negotiation of these contracts.  No one knows the issues East Boston faces like you do. We need a seat at the table.
  • Pilot water transportation service to connect East Boston with Downtown, the Seaport, Charlestown, and the North End.

Proper management of traffic in East Boston is critical to our quality of life and economic well-being and its importance cannot be understated. Please contact me on my cell phone at (617) 594-6158 and share with me any ideas you have to help tackle this important issue.

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