City is testing lower speed limits

City is testing speed limits to protect children at 3 parks - The Boston Globe: "The speed limit for streets surrounding three city parks has dropped to 20 miles per hour, as city officials test whether doing so will make it safer for pedestrians, particularly the younger patrons of the playgrounds.

The pilot program was set up around Almont Park in Mattapan, Hobart Park in Brighton, and West Street Playground in Hyde Park in response to studies of speeding in the area conducted by the city's Transportation Department. The studies found that many motorists pass by at high rates of speed, posing a concern heightened by the youthful nature of the park's primary patrons.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino's administration has been lobbying for legislation to lower the speed limits throughout the city, which on most streets is 30 miles per hour, to 25 miles per hour, said Acting Boston Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin , but it's been difficult to gain the needed support.

- Who is not providing the "needed support"? Even if the speed limit gets lowered, it won't mean much without enforcement. On dangerous streets like Lincoln Street there are often drivers going far faster than the speed limit but no enforcement of the existing limits.