Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Street Design

The "Grand Junction" rail line near the MIT campus photographed in June 2019. The corridor is being redesigned to include a new dedicated bike and pedestrian pathway and a possible new rapid transit line.

Cambridge Has Grand Plans for the Grand Junction Rail Line

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 24, 2019 | 1 Comment

The City of Cambridge has kicked off a public design process to build several key segments of a new bike and pedestrian pathway that would cross the city from the BU Bridge to the Somerville city line along the Grand Junction rail line. The Grand Junction today is a little-used freight rail line, but with […]

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has painted new bike lanes on Fenway near Simmons University. The lanes have been criticized for their lack of physical protection, and for their poor design at intersections. During the morning rush hour on July 11, 2019, dozens of safety advocates lined the new bike lanes to create a "people-protected" barrier.

Photos: ‘People-Protected’ Bike Lane on Fenway

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 11, 2019 | 1 Comment

A crowd of over 100 street safety advocates spent a pleasant morning in one of Boston’s Olmsted parks (albeit one that’s largely been paved over to give drivers more places to get stuck in traffic) as they created a “people-protected bike lane” on Fenway and Brookline Avenue during the morning rush hour. As reported previously, […]

The Minuteman bike path in East Arlington, pictured in May 2019.

New MassTrails Program Funds 71 Trail Projects on a Shoestring

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 9, 2019 | 1 Comment

A new statewide grant program has released its first round of awards, stretching $5 million in state and federal funds to advance dozens of trail projects across the state. MassTrails, a relatively new collaboration between the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and MassDOT, aims to fill gaps in the state’s growing network of […]

A presentation board showing the Department of Conservation and Recreation's conceptual cross-sections for Memorial Drive in Cambridge, photographed at a public meeting held on June 25, 2019.

State’s Memorial Drive Concept Conserves Cambridge Waterfront… for Cars

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 26, 2019 | 2 Comments

On Tuesday evening in Cambridge, several dozen neighbors, local politicians and transportation advocates turned out to hear the state’s conceptual improvement plans for the “Memorial Drive Phase III” project, which would rebuild the roadways and paths on Cambridge’s riverfront from Eliot Bridge near Mount Auburn Hospital to the rotary at the foot of the Boston […]

Centre Street in West Roxbury on the evening of June 20, 2019.

City Proposes Road Diet, Protected Bike Lanes for West Roxbury’s Centre Street

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 24, 2019 | 2 Comments

City staff propose taking away a car lane, shortening pedestrian crossings and adding protected bike lanes to West Roxbury's main street.

A group photograph of West Roxbury neighbors setting out on a safety audit of Centre Street on May 11, 2019. Courtesy of West Roxbury Walks.

Boston Kicks Off Redesign Process for West Roxbury’s Centre Street

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 17, 2019 | 1 Comment

West Roxbury Main Streets, the neighborhood business organization, has been asking the city for traffic calming improvements since 2016, when a survey identified Centre Street's pedestrian-hostile design as a major barrier to foot traffic.

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