Boston's speed hump program has stalled, Streetsblog reports. A council records request from August and three hearing orders are still open

Boston's push to put speed humps on neighborhood side streets has largely stopped, StreetsblogMASS reported Monday. The "Safety Surge," which Mayor Michelle Wu launched in 2023, set a goal of up to 500 new speed humps a year on high-priority streets. Streetsblog reports that installations slowed in early 2025 during a 30-day review of the Transportation Department, and that only five streets, about a mile in total, got speed humps in 2026.

Speed humps are one of the most common requests residents bring to councilors. The council has three hearing orders and an information request on the subject that are still open.

What Streetsblog reported

• The city installed hundreds of speed humps in the program's first year, including in the Fenway, Fields Corner, South Boston and Jamaica Plain. More followed in 2024 in Dorchester and Roxbury.
• In February 2025, the mayor's office had about a dozen speed humps removed from Allandale Street in Jamaica Plain. Streetsblog reports that a city traffic engineer objected in an internal email at the time.
• At a September neighborhood meeting, a mayor's neighborhood liaison said that "speed humps are not happening right now," according to Streetsblog. Chief of Streets Chris Osgood told the outlet that the city will build traffic calming into capital projects such as the annual repaving program. He and the press office could not say how many speed humps were installed in 2026, or where.
• City Councilor Benjamin Weber told Streetsblog he has about a dozen cut-through streets in his district, and asked, "So what do I tell my constituents?" He said speed humps went in on four Jamaica Plain streets, with a West Roxbury street expected next. He also said Osgood is expected to announce a process for street safety requests before next construction season.

What our records add

What the council was told in April. At an April 22 Planning, Development and Transportation hearing, then-Chief of Streets Nick Gove said the city had installed more than 1,400 speed humps citywide. "Next month," he said, the city would "install over 100 new speed humps," as well as put back speed humps on streets repaved the year before (watch at 18:20). He said the next phase would reassess which streets are eligible.

An accounting request from August. On Aug. 26 the council passed, without objection, a Section 17F order from Council President Liz Breadon asking for a full accounting of Safety Surge speed humps (docket 1605). The order says the fiscal 2027 capital plan lists more than $13 million in existing funding for speed humps, marked "In Construction." It also says the city has not made clear how many were installed in 2025 and 2026. It asks for the number installed to date, their locations and planned future locations. That was 70 days ago. We have not found a response from the administration on council agendas since, including today's.

In July, Breadon said residents in Allston-Brighton had been asking her for years when they would see speed humps from the Safety Surge, and "I don't have an answer for them" (watch at 1:23:02). On Oct. 21 she said she would keep pushing to "expand the safety surge" (watch at 2:48:40).

Hearing orders still in committee:

• Weber's order on making neighborhood streets safer after the 30-day review (docket 0204), filed in January and heard April 22.
• City Councilor Sharon Durkan's order on the city's transportation approach and project status (docket 0588), also heard April 22.
• Breadon's order on state and federal transportation funding (docket 0589), also heard April 22.

An ordinance waiting since July. City Councilor Enrique Pepén's ordinance requiring annual reporting on streets projects (docket 1415) has 10 sponsors, including Breadon and Weber. It has been in the Government Operations Committee for 105 days. When it was introduced on July 22, Breadon said it "doesn't mandate that any new projects be built" (watch at 1:23:02).

What's next

• The Planning, Development and Transportation Committee has a hearing on the city's bike network plan and truck safety scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5 (our preview).
• The administration has not said when it will answer Breadon's request. Our records show many 17F requests go months without a reply (our Oct. 24 story).