Police: Motorcyclist who crashed on controversial Mill Street was driving erratically

WORCESTER — A preliminary investigation of a motorcycle crashing into a parked vehicle on Mill Street Tuesday found the motorcycle driver was operating erratically, police said.

The male motorcycle driver, who was not named by police, was in critical condition at midday Wednesday, according to police.

The driver accelerated and attempted to pass a vehicle on the right when he crashed into a parked vehicle, a police spokesperson said. After hitting the parked vehicle, the motorcycle hit a moving vehicle and the driver was thrown from his bike to the ground, according to police.

The crash remains under investigation.

Photos showing the aftermath of the motorcycle crash circulated through social media Tuesday.

Last year, the Mill Street underwent a redesign that has elicited an extended back-and-forth about street safety from city residents and officials.

The design reconfigured one of the two driving lanes on each side of the 1.8-mile, four-lane portion of the street into bike lanes.

The city administration and city Department of Transportation and Mobility implemented the redesign. The city also received $2 million to make further improvements to Mill Street in line with a "complete streets" vision, a street design policy championed that attempts to enhance safe travel for residents whether they are in a vehicle, walking or on a bicycle.

The redesign came after years of Mill Street resident complaints about drivers speeding through the corridor. Mill Street was the site of several crashes prior to the reconfiguration.

Bike and walkability advocates have supported the redesign as a means of making the street safer for bicyclists and calming speeds. Other residents have called the redesign confusing and said eliminating the one lane felt like drivers were parking in the middle of the street.

District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, who represents Mill Street, has been a supporter of the redesign and larger city efforts to use street design measures to calm streets and prevent accidents.

In late February, 90-year-old Worcester resident Daniel Abraham got into a serious crash in which a moving vehicle collided with parked cars. He died March 5.

Following Abraham's death, city councilors said they had questions about the safety of the redesign. The City Council passed an order from Councilor-at-Large Morris Bergman requesting City Manager Eric D. Batista pause elimination of travel lanes on public streets with the creation of on-street parking spaces in a 9-2 vote.

City officials said they were also making changes to respond to feedback including making bicycle crossings green, using flex posts to draw attention to parking spaces and installing a right-turn pocket approaching June Street. Wednesday, green bicycle crossings were visible on the street.

A late March report from Interim Chief Paul Saucier stated the crash numbers in the area of the redesign are in line with the five-year average for crashes in that portion of Mill Street. Saucier wrote he expected the crash numbers to go down when residents got used to the redesign.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Police: Motorcyclist who crashed on controversial Mill Street was driving erratically