MBTA Bus Narrowly Avoids Pedestrian

Cambridge Police, Traffic & Parking;

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority;

Citizens of the City of Cambridge,

            Good Morning. I have written before on the issue of traffic safety in Cambridge, and specifically in Inman Square. Despite the heavy Police presence in the area, numerous traffic violations continue to occur which greatly endanger the lives of our community and most often these acts go unpunished.

            Yesterday, October 20, right about 4:16pm, a city bus driving route 83 took the often-dangerous turn from Hampshire onto Prospect with multiple pedestrians walking in the crosswalk going in both directions. This is not uncommon. Our bus drivers are far too impatient to make the light, at this intersection and also in Central Square, and fail to sufficiently consider the safety and well-being of the community. On this occasion, however, Bus #0717 narrowly avoided hitting a woman in the crosswalk while making the turn. She was already in the crosswalk before the bus made the turn, as, again, was at least one other pedestrian, going the other way, and this woman came within an inch of being slammed into by the full force of this giant vehicle, or so it appeared from fifteen feet away as I approached the same crosswalk with my children.

            And I honestly didn’t know what to do about it. This driver should absolutely have their license revoked; we do not want this person driving a bus or commercial vehicle anywhere. They must be dismissed by the MBTA. And they should face some sort of legal penalty. But who do I call? What evidence do I have, other than my own testimony? The woman herself seemed happy enough to be alive and unharmed, and while the incident clearly upset her, I do not know whether she is going to report it. Should I have dialed the CPD? And asked to be transferred to Traffic? Should I report the incident to the MBTA, or will they, with no corroborating evidence, choose to protect their own? Should I reach out to progressive members of the City Council and local newspapers, or are they only concerned with the safety of bicyclists these days?

            Seriously: What should I have done, as a concerned citizen? I call the CPD when I feel it is necessary to report something important: they always ask for my name and phone number. Why? Is there a record on me so they can say, “Hey, this guy cries, ‘Wolf!’ every time someone disturbs the peace or breaks some law that nobody cares to enforce anyhow, so why should we listen to him now, just because it affects public safety?” I do not wish to sound cynical; I just want to know how we, as members of the community, can work together with law enforcement and other branches of the city government to create a better Cambridge (or Somerville, or wherever you live.)  And of course, we need to instill in our entire community the fact that we need the police, to protect us and enforce the laws that are meant to keep us safe; at the same time, we need to feel a sense of personal responsibility and vestment in our neighborhoods, and do our part to help. This is difficult when we have so many short-term residents, people who did not grow up here, who are not going to raise their children here, or even if they do, not send them to Cambridge Public Schools, etc., but this is the city we have and we all need to work together and share that responsibility.

            This was no isolated incident. I only highlight it because of its egregiousness and because I happen to have the bus # and exact time and, maybe someone can look into this. Perhaps the bus itself has a camera that may have captured this. I don’t know. I do know about a half an hour earlier, at the same intersection, some woman was trying to run a red light in her car but was blocked by another vehicle and proceeded to honk her horn at him! Why are you honking when you have a red light?

            Please, let’s do something about this. I know the police cannot be everywhere, all the time. I strongly believe, however, that traffic safety should be at the top of priorities for law enforcement in the City of Cambridge. I don’t think I am alone in holding these sentiments.