Pedestrian & bike safety
Consistent prioritySafer streets for people walking and biking through traffic calming, crossings, signals and protected bike lanes.
Residents consistently ask for physically protected bike lanes, safer crossings and signals, slower residential streets, and more space for people walking.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
324 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 157 | 12.9% | 1 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 53 | 4.4% | 10 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 114 | 8.6% | 3 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Protected, separated bike lanes
Residents want bike lanes with real barriers or physical separation, on specific corridors and as a connected citywide network, instead of paint alone.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Safer crossings and better-timed signals
People ask for raised, well-marked or signalized crosswalks, longer walk times, and fixes at dangerous intersections such as Cleveland Circle and Union Square.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Speed bumps and traffic calming on local streets
Residents on residential streets report speeding, crashes and hit parked cars, and ask for speed humps, raised crosswalks and similar measures, often citing children and seniors.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Enforcement and safety education
Residents ask for enforcement against red-light running, texting and blocked lanes, plus campaigns teaching drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to share streets safely.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Pedestrian-priority streets and plazas
People ask to close or pedestrianize streets such as Newbury Street and Hanover Street, or give them more space for walking and gathering.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
The largest and most varied set of ideas, with many hyper-local speed bump requests (especially Norwell Street), many pedestrian overpass and underpass proposals across Hyde Park, Roslindale and Dorchester, and requests for bike connections.
2025–26
A smaller set of ideas focused on protected or raised bike lanes, longer pedestrian signal times and crosswalk fixes, with an equity framing about residents without cars and Black and brown neighborhoods.
2026–27
Dominated by requests for raised, concrete-protected bike lanes (especially in Allston-Brighton) and physical barriers in place of paint or flexposts, along with signal retiming and protection against illegal parking in bike lanes.
New in 2026–27
Newly prominent are requests for sidewalk-height raised bike lanes with concrete barriers, enforcement and 311 reporting of lane-blocking cars, more crossing guards, and quick-build temporary curb extensions and planters.
Funding so far
No winning resident-vote projects relate to this theme, so every recurring ask (protected bike lanes, safer crossings and signals, traffic calming, enforcement and education, pedestrian-priority streets) has yet to be addressed by a winning project.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
No winning project has addressed this theme yet.
Departments that often lead this work
- Boston Transportation Department
- Public Works
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Pedestrian & bike safety
37 ideas
2024–25: 24 · 2025–26: 4 · 2026–27: 9 (of 324 in this theme)
- Make Fields Corner more walkable and bikeableResident asks to redesign the Fields Corner shopping mall and reuse empty parking space for easier pedestrian and bike access, boosting foot traffic for local businesses.2026–27Dorchester
- Speed bumps on Welles AveResident asks for speed bumps on Welles Ave between Talbot Ave and Washington Street because cars travel about 40 mph on the wide street, a safety concern.2026–27Dorchester
- Better bike lanes on Dorchester AvenueAsks for improved bike lanes on Dot Ave.2026–27Dorchester
- Safer intersection at Dot Ave and Hoyt StreetResident asks for safety improvements for pedestrians and bikers at the Dot Ave, Hoyt St, Freeport St, Hancock and East St intersection, described as very dangerous in a working-class community.2026–27Dorchester
- Protected bike lanes on Dorchester AvenueThe resident asks for parking-protected bike lanes on Dorchester Ave. from Lower Mills to Andrew Station for safe biking without removing parking.2026–27Dorchester
- Protected bike lanes on Washington StreetThe resident asks for parking-protected bike lanes on Washington Street from Gallivan Boulevard to Nubian Station to keep bikers safe without losing parking.2026–27Dorchester
- Protected bike lanes on Talbot AvenueThe resident asks for parking-protected bike lanes on Talbot Ave. from Peabody Square to Blue Hill Ave. to make a dangerous road safer near schools and a Boys & Girls Club.2026–27Dorchester
- Pedestrian overpass to Moakley Park and Carson BeachThe resident asks for a pedestrian overpass so people, including schoolchildren and youth sports teams, can reach Moakley Park and Carson Beach without crossing dangerous crosswalks near JFK.2026–27Dorchester
- Preventive driving safety workshopsThe resident asks for educational workshops or programs on preventive street driving, to make drivers more careful and reduce accidents and deaths.2026–27DorchesterSubmitted in Spanish
- Flashing walk signals at K Circle crosswalksResident asks for flashing pedestrian signs at each crosswalk at K Circle, a dangerous busy intersection, without waiting for future development.2025–26Dorchester
- Beautify and make main streets walkableThe resident asks to beautify main streets such as Washington Street and make them walkable places.2025–26Dorchester
- Protected bike laneResident asks for a protected bike lane, without giving a location or further detail.2025–26Dorchester
- Protected bike lane on Dudley and StoughtonResident asks for a protected bike lane on Dudley and Stoughton streets because many people bike and scoot into the city from Dorchester and aggressive drivers make it dangerous.2025–26Dorchester
- Separated bike lane on Dorchester AvenueResident asks for a separated bike lane on Dorchester Avenue, giving a cheap, easy way to get around given unreliable transit and to reach city services.2024–25Dorchester
- Improve Mass Ave bike lane visibility at drivewaysResident supports improving the Mass Ave bike lane, with better ways for drivers to see bicycles at driveways and side streets, in addition to trees.2024–25Dorchester
- Connect protected bike lanes through Mass Ave and ColumbiaResident asks to extend protected bike lanes through the large Mass Ave intersection and down wide, poorly paved Columbia Street, bringing Dorchester similar quality to wealthier neighborhoods.2024–25Dorchester
- Better bike lanes on Columbia Road to the beachResident asks for improved, clearly marked bike lanes on Columbia, especially at the highway ramps junction, so residents west of 93 can safely reach the waterfront.2024–25Dorchester
- More crosswalk lights and accessible parking for seniorsResident asks for more crosswalk lights and more handicapped parking so seniors can get to stores safely.2024–25Dorchester
- Speed hump on Lyndhurst StreetResident asks for a speed hump on Lyndhurst St because speeding is a real problem.2024–25Dorchester
- Two to four speed bumps on Norwell StreetInstall two to four speed bumps on the curved Norwell Street because cars speed like on a racetrack and hit parked cars.2024–25Dorchester