Boston City Council City Services Committee Hearing on Accessibility in Boston City Hall - August 31, 2026
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Boston City Council City Services Committee Hearing on Accessibility in Boston City Hall - August 31, 2026
On August 31, 2026, the Boston City Council Committee on City Services, chaired by Councilor Ed Flynn, held a hearing on Docket #0335 to discuss accessibility issues in and around Boston City Hall. The hearing began at 2:03 PM and included opening statements from councilors and testimony from two disability advocates, Cassandra Xavier and Bill Tog. Councilor Enrique Peppin (District 5) submitted a letter of absence. Key topics included concurrent street crossings, truncated domes, sidewalk infrastructure, public bathrooms, City Hall elevator and stair safety, snow removal, and audible pedestrian signals.
Discussion Items
- Concurrent Street Crossings: Cassandra Xavier described concurrent street crossings as "incredibly dangerous" for pedestrians, especially those with disabilities, as vehicles and pedestrians have the green light simultaneously. She called for a citywide ban, stating that safety should take priority over vehicle traffic. Councilors Fitzgerald, Braden, Louis Jean, Weber, and Flynn expressed support for eliminating concurrent crossings. Chair Flynn noted repeated requests to the Chief of Streets have been unsuccessful and suggested potential court action. Xavier and Bill Tog endorsed a pilot project or litigation.
- Truncated Domes & Sidewalk Infrastructure: Xavier highlighted broken or missing truncated domes, such as one near the Edward Brooke Courthouse, and argued for a standard yellow color for visibility. She also cited cracked sidewalks where canes and mobility aids can get caught. Bill Tog noted a federal settlement requires the city to fix 23,000 miles of sidewalks, but as of 2025, the city only fixes about 1,600 per year, and 2024 missed its goal.
- City Hall Accessibility: Chair Flynn outlined ongoing issues: broken escalators between the second and third floors (decommissioned and beyond repair), a non-code-compliant elevator that stops on a half-floor, and dangerous reflective stairs on the third floor. Bill Tog criticized the rectangular railings throughout City Hall, recommending round railings for better grip. He praised Commissioner McCosh for confirming that new elevators in City Hall will not use video monitors (button panels will remain). The third-floor lift requires security or volunteer assistance, which Tog noted as a barrier.
- Public Bathrooms: Bill Tog raised the lack of public bathrooms in Boston, stating the city's policy of directing people to hotels, fire stations, and police stations is inadequate, especially for international visitors and families with children. He cited a form letter from Commissioner McCosh's office suggesting hotels as public bathrooms.
- Snow Removal: Tog expressed concern about the upcoming winter and proposed a "snow brigade" paying youth to shovel sidewalks, but said no councilor had taken up his offer. Councilor Fitzgerald mentioned informal district-level programs.
- Audible Pedestrian Signals (APS): Xavier noted that many intersections on Commonwealth Avenue lack APS buttons, contributing to danger; she referenced a recent pedestrian fatality in the area.
- Interagency Coordination: Both advocates noted that city departments operate in silos, making it difficult to address accessibility comprehensively. Tog suggested the city better publicize resources and use open-source technology like the Open Mobility Foundation, citing Minneapolis as a model.
Public Comments & Testimony
No public testimony was taken at this hearing, as confirmed by Chair Flynn.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken. Councilors committed to continuing advocacy and exploring next steps.
- Chair Flynn reiterated openness to litigation against concurrent street crossings if the administration does not act.
- Councilor Louis Jean accepted Bill Tog's offer to walk her district to identify accessibility issues.
- Councilor Weber plans to visit the Carroll Center for the Blind in October and invited colleagues to join.
- Councilor Weber also offered to contact Minneapolis city council connections about their accessibility practices.
- An earlier March 2026 hearing had shown a video by Xavier; its recommendations remain under consideration.
- The city's Disability Commission, led by Commissioner McCosh, was praised for its work but noted to need more staff and budget.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Ed Flynn, District City Councilor. I'm the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on City Services. Today is August thirty first, twenty twenty-six. The exact time is two zero three.gov slash city council dash TV, broadcast on Xfinity Channel Eight, RCN eighty two FIOS, channel nine sixty-four. Written comments may be sent to the committee email at CCC.gov and will be made part of the record and available to all city councilors. Public testimony will be taken at the end of the hearing. Individuals will be called on in order in which they sign up and will have two minutes to testify.gov for the link, and your name will be added to the list. Before I begin, I do want to say thank you to Shane and Ethan for being here. City Council President Braden. At this time I do want to acknowledge a letter of absence I did receive from one of my colleagues. I'll read it into the record. Dear Chair Flynn, Mr. Clerk, City Council colleagues. I regret to inform you that I am unable to attend this morning's Committee on City Services on Docker 033135. Order for a hearing to discuss accessibility issues in Boston City Hall. I will follow up with additional questions upon reviewing my staff's notes and watching the recording. Please do not hesitate hesitate to contact my staff with any questions. Sincerely Enrique Peppin, Boston City Council at District 5. I have the honor of introducing two exceptionally well qualified advocates in the disability community and work with both of them for a number of years on accessibility issues. But before I ask both Cassandra Xavier and Bill Tog, before I ask them to give an opening statement, I do want to give an opportunity to my city council colleagues to provide an opening statement. I do want to give my colleagues as much time as necessary for their opening statement. I'm going to give I'm going to give five minutes. If you go over five minutes, that's okay. Continue going, and I will not cut you off. Let me start with Councillor Fitzgerald. Councillor Fitzgerald, you have the floor. Thank you very much, Chair. I do appreciate it. And I am happy to be here for this important hearing regarding accessibility in and around Boston City Hall, but also just the wider city in general. And I think how we show up for accessibility in and around the property that we manage here at City Hall should certainly be the forefront and the leader of how we provide accessibility to the rest of the city. If we can't do it in our own backyard, it's going to be pretty uh difficult for people to think we can do it elsewhere in their homes and in their neighborhood. So I look forward to learning a lot uh from both Cassandra and Bill. Uh thank you for being here today uh and for educating us on on what the problems that persist, uh what some of the new problems are uh and how we can best learn and uh react to what we're seeing out there and and um from you guys who uh are living it every day, uh putting us in your shoes and and telling us what you need and how best we can support you, uh I think is very important. So I thank you for taking the time to be here and chair, and I look forward to both working with the administration, uh, the advocates and my colleagues uh to make sure that we can see sure that some of these things are followed through on to make life a little bit easier for our residents. Thank you. Thank you, Council Fitzgerald, City Council President Braden. Council President Braden, you have the floor. Thank you. Uh Councilor Flynn, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, Bill and Cassandra. So nice to have you here. Um this is an important discussion just to evaluate where we're at in terms of accessibility uh in and around Boston City Hall. I know we have made incremental improvements over the years, and it's an ongoing project. We're not there yet. Uh so I'd love to hear your um impressions, your suggestions, and hopefully we can uh actualize uh some of your suggestions and make our city hall and city city hall plaza and the environs around uh here in government center uh more accessible to everyone and across the city. So thank you for being here. Thank you, Council President. Council Louis Jean, you have the floor.
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