Laws and Policies

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts sets traffic laws.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles’ driver’s manual explains them.

Pedestrian-related laws for motorists and bicyclists include:

• Yield to pedestrians entering or using a crosswalk in your path of travel.
• Do not let your vehicle block a crosswalk.
• Yield to pedestrians if your traffic signal is RED.
• Never pass another vehicle that has stopped or is slowing down for a pedestrian.

Laws for pedestrians include:

• Obey the orange DON’T WALK and white WALK signals.
• Use a crosswalk if one is available.
• At crosswalks with pedestrian signals, if there is a push button, use it and wait for the WALK signal. Signalized intersections without a push button will give you a WALK signal automatically. 

For More Information

For more information, contact the Environmental and Transportation Planning Division at 617/349-4600.