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
16 ideas
2024–25: 6 · 2025–26: 6 · 2026–27: 4 (of 324 in this theme)
- Bike lanes on Centre and South StreetsResident asks for investment in bike lane infrastructure along Centre Street and South Street, in memory of a planner, for safer streets and transit equity.2026–27Jamaica Plain
- Improve street safety at Forest HillsAsks for street safety improvements at Forest Hills.2026–27Jamaica Plain
- Repaint crosswalk at Heath Street stopAsks for the crosswalk at the Heath Street stop to be repainted because it is dangerous.2026–27Jamaica Plain
- Fund Centre and South St. redesign in Jamaica PlainResident asks to use $2 million to fund the Centre and South St. redesign to make the streets safer for pedestrians and bikers and the 39 bus more reliable.2026–27Jamaica Plain
- Improve Arnold Arboretum crosswalk near Walter StreetResident asks to improve the busy crosswalk between Flora Way Gate and Peter's Hill Gate at the Arnold Arboretum, on the JP-Roslindale border, for safety.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Car-free Centre Street in JP on summer weekendsResident asks to make Centre Street in Jamaica Plain car-free on summer weekends as an extension of Open Streets, keeping buses and emergency vehicles able to pass.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Raised crosswalks along Southwest Corridor bike pathResident asks for raised crosswalks at all street intersections along the Southwest Corridor path to make biking feel safer, especially for lower-income residents without cars.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Safer crosswalks at Flora and Walter StreetsResident asks for improvements to crosswalks near the Arboretum at Flora and Walter Streets, where cars ignore crossings and many people, including schoolchildren, cross.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Shade awnings at street cornersResident asks for awnings or shade structures at intersections where pedestrians face long waits for the walk signal, to protect them from the elements.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Redesign Centre Street with bike lanes and sidewalksResident asks to redesign Centre Street in Jamaica Plain like Inman Square in Cambridge, with protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, parklets and seating while keeping two-way traffic.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Protected bike path from Roslindale to Forest HillsResident asks for a protected extension of the Southwest Corridor into Roslindale so cyclists can ride to Forest Hills safely, giving more clean transit options.2024–25Jamaica Plain
- Make blind path crossing safer with raised crossingResident says a path crossing is blind for west-bound drivers and south-bound bikes, the new speed bump is misplaced, and asks for a raised crossing, possibly one-way Minton, and a mirror.2024–25Jamaica Plain
- New crosswalk on Amory StreetResident asks for a new crosswalk on Amory Street aligned with the Southwest Corridor Park entrance and the south side of Cornwall.2024–25Jamaica Plain
- Safer bike connection toward Jamaica Plain at the pondResident asks to fix a gap where bikes heading toward JP can only use an unprotected painted lane on a road with speeding cars because bikes are prohibited at the pond.2024–25Jamaica Plain
- Separated bike lanes around Jamaica PondResident asks for separated bike lanes on Prince St and Francis Parkman Dr so people can bike around the JP Pond.2024–25Jamaica Plain
- Safer dangerous intersections near the Emerald NecklaceResident asks for better crosswalks, signals, stop signs or pedestrian bridges at dangerous intersections in Fenway, Longwood, Brookline, JP and the Arboretum, where traffic cuts up the Emerald Necklace.2024–25Jamaica Plain