Quincy neighbors say weekend closure not enough to stop speeding on winding roadway: "It's constant"

Residents along Wampatuck Road in Quincy, Massachusetts say speeding and late-night street racing have plagued their neighborhood for decades. Fast, loud cars have created safety concerns that they believe a new state pilot program will not fully address.

Neighbors tell WBZ-TV the long, winding roadway in the Blue Hills Reservation regularly becomes a destination for drivers traveling at high speeds, particularly overnight.

"They're flying by all the time," resident John Rizzi said. "Especially at night when they're backfiring at one, two, three in the morning."

Wampatuck and Chickatawbut Roads

Residents have documented speeding and crashes along the roadway for decades. Frank Terrio, who lives along Wampatuck, said he has witnessed multiple crashes on the road's sharp curves.

"I've seen numerous car crashes just within these first few curves here," he said.

Neighbors say the constant speeding has made the area dangerous for families, pedestrians and pet owners.

"It's constant, and it's a family neighborhood," Terrio said. "Aside from kids, there's all kinds of people walking the dogs."

State Rep. Bruce Ayers has proposed a pilot program aimed at reducing the problem by closing Wampatuck Road and nearby Chickatawbut Road on weekends.

Pilot program set to begin

Officials in a Department of Conservation and Recreation meeting Wednesday night said the pilot program is expected to begin in late July. Some residents, however, said the weekend-only closures will not address the full scope of the issue.

"It's not just the weekends. It's a seven days a week thing," Terrio said. 

Rizzi hoped to see other solutions implemented as well. "I suggested some type of a speed bump there, or something. Anything that would help," Rizzi said.

Officials plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program in the fall of 2026.