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
- Protected bike lanes and bus lane on Meridian StreetThe resident asks for protected bike lanes on Meridian and Border Streets and a dedicated bus lane on Meridian to give commuters from Chelsea safe, on-time travel.2026–27East Boston
- Narrow streets and widen sidewalks on retail corridorsThe resident asks to narrow streets and widen sidewalks on main retail corridors to slow cars, increase foot traffic, allow outdoor dining, and price curb space by demand.2026–27City-wide
- Redesign Sullivan Square streetscape for pedestriansThe resident asks for a full redesign of the area around Sullivan Square station to make walking safe, put transit riders first, and support a neighborhood with businesses and housing.2026–27Charlestown
- Speed bumps on Maryknoll Street in MattapanThe resident asks for speed bumps on Maryknoll Street in Mattapan, presumably to slow traffic.2026–27Downtown
- Pedestrianize city and neighborhood centers with SuperGreenBlocksResident asks to permanently reclaim street space from cars in the historic center and neighborhood centers, creating pedestrian-first 'SuperGreenBlocks' as in Barcelona and Paris.2026–27City-wide
- Elevated bike and pedestrian bridges at dangerous intersectionsResident proposes building elevated bike and pedestrian bridges at the busiest, most dangerous intersections to separate people from traffic and encourage walking and biking.2026–27City-wide
- Speed bumps or raised crosswalks on Meridian StreetResident asks for speed bumps or raised crosswalks on Meridian Street in East Boston because cars speed at night, endangering pedestrian families.2026–27East Boston
- Bike safety campaign and better bike lane signageResident asks for public info campaigns on bike safety and better bike lane signs in West Roxbury, where motor vehicles use bike lanes and car doors open into them.2026–27City-wide
- Landscaped median on Dorchester Street, South BostonResident asks for a tree-landscaped median on Dorchester Street in South Boston to give pedestrians a safe refuge and let them cross one direction of traffic at a time.2026–27South Boston
- 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
- More bike lanes alongside sidewalksThe resident asks for more bike lanes next to sidewalks.2026–27RoxburySubmitted in Korean
- Expand Open Streets and year-round festivalsResident asks to expand Open Streets and hold festivals regularly rather than once a decade, to celebrate Boston's diversity.2026–27City-wide
- Temporary curb extensions at busy intersectionsResident asks for temporary curb extensions and heavy planters at high-traffic intersections to slow turning cars and shorten crossings for pedestrians, seniors and wheelchair users.2026–27City-wide
- Wider sidewalks and bike lanes togetherResident asks for extended sidewalks alongside bike lanes.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- Make Hanover Street pedestrian-onlyThe resident asks for Hanover Street to be made pedestrian only.2026–27North EndSubmitted in Korean
- Barriers and signals for bike lanesThe resident asks for barriers on bike lanes and possibly bike stop lights and stop signs to keep streets safe.2026–27City-wide
- Raised bike lanes along Washington Street, Oak SquareResident asks for raised, separated bike lanes on Washington Street from Oak Square to Corey Road.2026–27Allston
- Raised separated bike lanes on Faneuil StreetResident asks for sidewalk-height bike lanes separated by a cement barrier on Faneuil Street in Brighton.2026–27Brighton
- Raised bike lanes on Cambridge StreetResident asks for raised, concrete-barrier bike lanes at sidewalk level on Cambridge Street.2026–27Allston
- Raised bike lanes on busy Allston-Brighton streetsResident asks for raised bike lanes on busy Allston-Brighton streets, listing Washington St, Warren Ave, Cambridge St, Commonwealth Ave, Beacon St and others.2026–27Brighton