Pedestrian advocates and residents packed a Boston City Council hearing April 23 seekeing answers from the Michelle Wu administration on the status of road safety projects across Boston, according to reporting from the Boston Globe and Universal Hub.

About 50 people testified during the lengthy hearing, with many citing the mayor's reported policy requiring her personal approval for nearly all street projects involving major redesigns, including lane removals, parking changes and traffic flow adjustments — a change first reported by the Boston Globe last month.

Among the projects of direct concern to South End residents, the city's spring construction list released the morning of the hearing included plans to redesign Harrison Avenue between Herald Street and East Berkeley Street.

City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who chaired the hearing, said pedestrian deaths are rising and that Boston is falling behind its Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities. She noted that eight pedestrians were killed in Boston last year and said the number of serious crashes has stopped declining.

The administration's Neighborhood Services director told councilors that "nothing is on pause," arguing that projects were still moving through review rather than being canceled. That characterization drew sharp pushback from advocates and residents.

Reggie Ramos, executive director of Transportation for Massachusetts, called it "the most inaccurate and disingenuous" statement he had heard.

The hearing underscored growing frustration over whether Boston's Vision Zero commitments are translating into visible street safety improvements, particularly in neighborhoods like the South End where residents say dangerous intersections remain unresolved.