Councilor Wants to Redefine the Term 'Boston Driver'

If you laugh at this, you’d be forgiven, but  is serious: “I want the term ‘Boston driver’ to become synonymous with safety and civility,” he said Wednesday.

O’Malley asked for, and received, approval from his fellow councilors to hold a public hearing to follow up on one scheduled at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Council Chamber to talk about traffic-calming measures.

Massachusetts currently has the 10th highest rating in the nation for pedestrian deaths for those over 60 years of age, O’Malley told his colleagues — which he said is a high rating that the state should not be proud of.

Some of that can be blamed on Boston’s infrastructure, he suggested, which suffers from poor street design and insufficient or inadequate signaling infrastructure.

To reduce that death rate, he wants the city to institute traffic-calming measures such as more left-turn lanes, coordinated and lengthened crosswalk signals and other ideas proposed at the follow-up meeting, which has not yet been scheduled.

City could enhance “Shot Spotter” system

The council voted Wednesday to accept a $15 million Department of Homeland Security grant as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative.

Councilor Michael Ross said that the city could use the money for a number of initiatives to improve local security, including enhancing the city’s Shot Spotter system.

The system uses a series of microphones to locate gunshots, and Ross said further investment in the system could include a network of cameras.

Other uses for the funds, Ross said, could include improving local rapid response plans and improving local agencies ability to coordinate and share information with each other.

 is widely recognized for bringing Shot Spotter to Boston, as BPD has caught suspects within minutes of gunfire due to the system.