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Beverly advisory committee outlines Vision Zero plan, cites falling pedestrian and bicycle incidents
Summary
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee told the Beverly City Council it will return in November with data-driven recommendations after a series of walk audits and intersection counters; the committee emphasized low-cost safety actions and coordination with police, schools and engineering.
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee presented an update to the Beverly City Council on Monday, outlining six quarters of work that the volunteers say has produced usable incident and usage data and a framework for a local Vision Zero initiative.
Kyle, introducing the group, said the committee analyzed incident data from 2020 through 2025 and found that the city experiences a pedestrian incident about "every 3 and a half weeks" and a bicyclist issue roughly "every 6 to 6 and a half weeks." He said the committee has integrated the city's 2019 40-mile conceptual bike map with the multiyear paving plan and expects the map to be about 80% complete by year's end.
Paul Gentile, who the committee described as the Vision Zero lead, said the committee's strategic framework is drawn from the Boston-region Metropolitan Planning Organization's Vision Zero materials and centers on five guiding principles: safety over speed, acceptance of inevitable human error, use of data, equity and accessibility, and shared responsibility. "The vision is 0 traffic fatalities and serious injuries," Gentile said, adding that success is measured by sustained downward trends rather than an immediate elimination of incidents.
The committee described near-term, low-cost actions it favors: unprotected paint-on-pavement bike lanes, targeted use of high-impact pavement colors and signage, installation of counters at key intersections to measure usage, and expanded walk audits focused on schools. Committee members said they are not advocating for protected bike lanes at this time and plan to return to the council in November with recommendations informed by school-based walk audits scheduled May 1—6June 15 and the counter data.
On funding, the committee said it will work with city staff to prepare state grant applications for higher-cost treatments (for example, colored pavement and pedestrian beacons) and noted participation in regional collaborations that may make some programs, such as regional bike-share, more viable when neighboring communities participate. The committee also said it has provided a draft of its Vision Zero document to the city's traffic safety sergeant for review.
Councilors asked about the committee's relationship with the parking and traffic commission and about enforcement and education for micromobility devices such as e-bikes and scooters. Paul Gentile and Kyle said they have met with police and the traffic safety sergeant and highlighted the need for enforcement and public education alongside infrastructure changes.
Next steps: the committee will continue school walk audits and usage-count collection, coordinate with city engineering and police, and return to the council in November with specific, data-driven recommendations and cost estimates.
