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
324 ideas
2024–25: 157 · 2025–26: 53 · 2026–27: 114
- Separated bike lanes and e-bikes in Dorchester, MattapanBuild more bollard-protected bike lanes in Dorchester and Mattapan, including one to downtown, and expand e-bike access so people can bike to work safely.2024–25City-wide
- Protected crosswalks on Washington Street, RoslindaleMake Washington Street in Roslindale safer for pedestrians by adding protected crosswalks.2024–25Roslindale
- Protected southbound bike lane on Arlington or ClarendonResident asks for a protected bike lane on Arlington or Clarendon Street for southbound travel from Back Bay, since no equally safe route exists compared with Berkeley Street.2024–25Back Bay
- Protected bike lanes on every city streetResident asks for lane-separated, barrier-protected bike lanes on every city street so people can travel safely through every neighborhood.2024–25City-wide
- Citywide biking infrastructureResident asks for biking infrastructure throughout Boston to keep cyclists safe and give people without cars a connected, equitable way to get around.2024–25City-wide
- Expand Downtown Crossing pedestrian zoneResident asks to expand the Downtown pedestrian zone to State/Court and Boylston/Essex and nearby side streets to create more shared space for people to gather.2024–25Downtown
- Speed humps on Fuller StreetResident asks for speed humps on Fuller Street because drivers speed, parked cars are hit, and children and elders are endangered.2024–25Dorchester
- Two-way bike lane on Aggaziz RoadResident asks for a two-way bike lane on the wide one-way Aggaziz Road, since the shared sidewalks are too crowded with pedestrians for biking.2024–25Fenway
- Pedestrianize Newbury Street like Montreal's Mont-RoyalResident proposes turning Newbury Street into a pedestrian street, modeled on Avenue Mont-Royal in Montreal.2024–25Back Bay
- Enforce red light and stop sign violationsResident asks for enforcement of moving violations, especially running red lights and stop signs, so people walking, biking and taking transit can cross streets safely.2024–25City-wide
- Speed bumps and tables on residential roadsResident asks for speed bumps and speed tables on primarily residential roads, especially long straight ones, because fast cars make walking and biking feel unsafe.2024–25City-wide
- Bike and walking path linking Belle Isle to Revere BeachResident asks for more robust pedestrian and bike routes connecting Belle Isle Marsh, Constitution Beach and possibly Revere Beach, giving residents safer access to the outdoors.2024–25East Boston
- Pedestrian overpass near the Museum of ScienceResident asks for a pedestrian overpass near the Museum of Science, on either the Cambridge or Boston side, to improve safe access for families and workers without cars.2024–25West End
- Pedestrian-only Church Street block near Statler ParkMake Church Street between Stuart Street and Columbus Ave pedestrian-only, for outdoor dining or an expansion of Statler Park.2024–25Downtown
- Make Davis Square pedestrian onlyClose Davis Square to cars so pedestrians are not hit by vehicles.2024–25Unspecified
- "Sharing the road" safety education campaignCreate outreach materials and presentations teaching people who bike, scoot, skate, drive and ride transit how to safely share streets and bike lanes, to reduce collisions.2024–25City-wide
- Speed humps and speed limit signs on Easton StreetAdd speed humps and posted speed limit signs on Easton Street in Allston, where cars speed down a small one-way street.2024–25Allston
- More pedestrian-only areas downtown and Newbury StreetMake Downtown Crossing and much of Newbury Street pedestrian-only because sidewalks cannot handle the foot traffic, especially on weekends.2024–25City-wide
- Sensor-activated stop light on Eatonia StreetInstall a sensor-triggered stop light on Eatonia Street so cars leaving the Mellone Park and library parking areas toward North Harvard Street can exit safely.2024–25Allston
- Speed bumps near Mildred Ave community center and schoolResident asks for speed bumps near the Mildred Avenue community center and school.2024–25Mattapan