Report Obstructions & Traffic Safety Issues

Sign or Sight Obstructions

The DPW - Transportation Division is responsible for investigating resident complaints concerning the placement and / or visibility of all traffic control and parking signs. Over time, it is not uncommon for tree limbs and other shrubbery adjacent to the roadway to obscure a sign from motorist's view. The division is also responsible for ensuring that obstructions such as vegetation or parked cars also do not interfere with the line of sight necessary to safely maneuver to and from driveways and other street intersections.

Reporting an Obstruction

To report a sight or sign obstruction, submit a request / comment form to the DPW - Transportation Division or call 617-879-4900. Reports of signs missing or knocked down should also be directed to the DPW - Highway Division. It is illegal for any private party to remove any traffic or parking sign that has been placed in a specific location by the Town of Brookline. Only the DPW - Highways crews are authorized to perform any sign work.

Speeding

In order to promote safety and access for all users of the public way, the Town has adopted a special Town-wide Statutory Speed Limit of 25 mph and has adopted special 20 mph Safety Zones on designated streets with high pedestrian generators such as schools, municipal offices, senior center, parks, and playgrounds.

Speeding Complaints

Complaints of vehicles speeding on Brookline street should be reported to the Brookline Police Department - Traffic Division, at (617) 730-2230.

Speed Limit Signs

Questions concerning the posted speed limit on a street should be submitted to the DPW - Transportation Division via email at [email protected].

Massachusetts General Laws establish speed limits and limit the ability of the town to determine our own speed limits. Therefore the DPW - Transportation Division will evaluate conditions and consider altering a speed limit if it is determined that unusual conditions on the section of the street are present and these changes meet state law.

Advanced Speed Monitor Board

The Town has acquired several temporary advanced speed monitor boards. This radar equipped board measures the oncoming vehicle's speed and flashes this speed on the illuminated board to alert motorists of their traveling speed. If you would like to have the speed monitor board placed in your neighborhood, contact the Brookline Police Department Traffic Division at 617-730-2230 or the DPW Transportation Division at 617-730-2177 to discuss its availability.

School Safety

The Transportation Board, DPW - Transportation Division and School Department place a high priority on the safety of students in the vicinity of the Brookline schools. We work closely with the Brookline Safe Routes To School Townwide Task Force and the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Program to increase safe walking, biking, scooting, and rolling among elementary and high school students.

As the number of parents who drop off and pick up their children at our schools has increased, so has the importance of school safety. The use and maintenance of school speed zones, sidewalks and crosswalks, safety improvement devices, designated arrival and dismissal zones, and crossing guards during school opening and closing are all intended to minimize conflicts and provide a safe environment in the vicinity of our schools.

If you believe that unsafe conditions exist in the vicinity of your school, please contact your Safe Routes to School coordinator at [email protected]