Construction work will begin Sunday night in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood on a project that will reduce some parts of Boylston Street down to one lane of traffic while making room for a bus and bike lane. Work is scheduled to begin at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and will expand eastward toward Arlington Street over the duration of the project, city officials said. The end result will be a bicycle lane on one side of Boylston Street that will run from Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Street, as well as a bus lane on the other side of Boylston that will be bus only in one stretch on weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m.”There are many people who ride bicycles right now who are facing a dangerous circumstance where they’re trying to navigate through traffic so anything we can do to protect bikers is important, as well as pedestrians,” Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Segun Idowu, told WCVB’s On The Record. “It’s important for the mayor that as we are thinking of a liveable city — a 15-minute city — that we’re doing everything we can to make that possible.” Meg Mainzer-Cohe, president of the Back Bay Association, previously expressed concern about the plan. She said that 16,000 pedestrians and 14,000 vehicles travel on Boylston Street every day compared to 500 bicycle riders.”They are showing preference for some users to the detriment of others,” she said in May.Mainzer-Cohen also said 90 to 95 parking spaces on Boylston will be lost as a result of the bike and bus lanes, which business owners fear will drive customers away.”The changes on Boylston Street will make the roadway safer for all who live in, work in, and visit the Back Bay, and improve speed and reliability for the more than 13,000 people per day who ride on the bus in this area,” reads a statement from a city spokesperson in the mayor’s office. “The city has worked with local residents and business owners to gather feedback on the plan, which will improve pedestrian safety, update curb regulations, and reduce conflicts between the thousands of pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, and bus riders who travel on Boylston on a typical weekday.”During the project, parking restrictions may be implemented to accommodate the work but city officials said sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians. Striping, thermoplastic markings and flexpost installation will be done during overnight hours while signal work and sign installation will be done during the day, as weather permits. The entire project is expected to be finished in about three weeks.
Construction work will begin Sunday night in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood on a project that will reduce some parts of Boylston Street down to one lane of traffic while making room for a bus and bike lane.
Work is scheduled to begin at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and will expand eastward toward Arlington Street over the duration of the project, city officials said.
The end result will be a bicycle lane on one side of Boylston Street that will run from Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Street, as well as a bus lane on the other side of Boylston that will be bus only in one stretch on weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m.
“There are many people who ride bicycles right now who are facing a dangerous circumstance where they’re trying to navigate through traffic so anything we can do to protect bikers is important, as well as pedestrians,” Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Segun Idowu, told WCVB’s On The Record. “It’s important for the mayor that as we are thinking of a liveable city — a 15-minute city — that we’re doing everything we can to make that possible.”
Meg Mainzer-Cohe, president of the Back Bay Association, previously expressed concern about the plan. She said that 16,000 pedestrians and 14,000 vehicles travel on Boylston Street every day compared to 500 bicycle riders.
“They are showing preference for some users to the detriment of others,” she said in May.
Mainzer-Cohen also said 90 to 95 parking spaces on Boylston will be lost as a result of the bike and bus lanes, which business owners fear will drive customers away.
“The changes on Boylston Street will make the roadway safer for all who live in, work in, and visit the Back Bay, and improve speed and reliability for the more than 13,000 people per day who ride on the bus in this area,” reads a statement from a city spokesperson in the mayor’s office. “The city has worked with local residents and business owners to gather feedback on the plan, which will improve pedestrian safety, update curb regulations, and reduce conflicts between the thousands of pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, and bus riders who travel on Boylston on a typical weekday.”
During the project, parking restrictions may be implemented to accommodate the work but city officials said sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians. Striping, thermoplastic markings and flexpost installation will be done during overnight hours while signal work and sign installation will be done during the day, as weather permits.
The entire project is expected to be finished in about three weeks.
