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A Health Impact Assessment of a Proposed Bill to Decrease Speed Limits on Local Roads in Massachusetts (U.S.A.)

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  • Peter James

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
    Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
    Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, USA)

  • Kate Ito

    (Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, USA)

  • Rachel F. Banay

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
    Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, USA)

  • Jonathan J. Buonocore

    (Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA)

  • Benjamin Wood

    (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Prevention and Wellness, 250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108, USA)

  • Mariana C. Arcaya

    (Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, USA
    Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, 9 Bow Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA)

Abstract

Decreasing traffic speeds increases the amount of time drivers have to react to road hazards, potentially averting collisions, and makes crashes that do happen less severe. Boston’s regional planning agency, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) that examined the potential health impacts of a proposed bill in the state legislature to lower the default speed limits on local roads from 30 miles per hour (mph) to 25 mph. The aim was to reduce vehicle speeds on local roads to a limit that is safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and children. The passage of this proposed legislation could have had far-reaching and potentially important public health impacts. Lower default speed limits may prevent around 18 fatalities and 1200 serious injuries to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians each year, as well as promote active transportation by making local roads feel more hospitable to cyclists and pedestrians. While a lower speed limit would increase congestion and slightly worsen air quality, the benefits outweigh the costs from both a health and economic perspective and would save the state approximately $62 million annually from prevented fatalities and injuries.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter James & Kate Ito & Rachel F. Banay & Jonathan J. Buonocore & Benjamin Wood & Mariana C. Arcaya, 2014. "A Health Impact Assessment of a Proposed Bill to Decrease Speed Limits on Local Roads in Massachusetts (U.S.A.)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:11:y:2014:i:10:p:10269-10291:d:40901
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jeffery Spickett & Dianne Katscherian & Helen Brown & Krassi Rumchev, 2015. "Health Impact Assessment: Improving Its Effectiveness in the Enhancement of Health and Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-6, April.
    2. Michelle Del Rio & William L. Hargrove & Joe Tomaka & Marcelo Korc, 2017. "Transportation Matters: A Health Impact Assessment in Rural New Mexico," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, June.

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