Please take a moment to sign and share for Cherokee Street. The speed limit needs to decrease 30mph to 20mph. Clearly posted. Children at play signs, East.

EMERGENCY PETITION TO THE TRAFFIC COMMISSION
CITY OF NEW BEDFORD
51 ELM STREET, NEW BEDFORD, MA 02740
DATE: June 11, 2026
TO THE HONORABLE TRAFFIC COMMISSION & CITY COUNCIL:
The undersigned residents of New Bedford write to you with a sense of profound grief, anger, and absolute urgency. Following the catastrophic tragedy on Cherokee Street, where a young child riding a bicycle was struck and killed by a vehicle, we demand immediate, sweeping changes to the speed regulations and traffic enforcement on our street.
The current posted speed limit of 30 mph on our residential streets is fundamentally unsafe and has now proven fatal. A 30 mph speed limit allows vehicles to travel at speeds that make it impossible to react to a child on a bicycle or a pedestrian in the roadway.
We respectfully, but firmly, demand that the City of New Bedford take the following emergency actions:

●Designate a 20 mph Safety Zone: Utilizing Massachusetts General Law (MGL) Chapter 90 § 18B to instantly lower the speed limit due to high child and pedestrian activity. 

●Demanding the immediate placement of physical traffic-calming measures and permanent radar feedback signs rather than waiting for a prolonged state speed study. 

Our neighborhood cannot and will not wait for another tragedy. We look forward to your immediate response and a public hearing regarding this urgent matter.