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
- Raised two-way bike lanes with concrete barriersResident asks for two-lane raised bike lanes separated by cement barriers in Allston and Brighton.2026–27Brighton
- Protected raised bike lane on Brooks StreetResident asks for a protected, raised bike lane on Brooks Street in Brighton.2026–27Brighton
- Raised separated bike lanes on Lincoln StreetResident asks for raised, separated bike lanes on Lincoln Street in Allston and Brighton.2026–27Allston
- Fix bike lanes and make them saferThe resident asks for bike lanes to be fixed and made safer for bikers.2026–27City-wide
- Fix bike lanes to reduce accidentsThe resident asks for bike lanes to be fixed because there are too many bike accidents.2026–27City-wide
- 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 at Andrew station over Southampton StreetThe resident asks for a pedestrian overpass so people can safely cross Southampton Street to reach Andrew station, benefiting residents and commuters.2026–27South Boston
- 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
- Commonwealth Ave cycle track, crossings and Newbury closuresResident asks for permanent light exhibitions, a two-way cycle track in the median and safer crossings on Commonwealth Avenue, plus weekend and holiday car closures of Newbury Street.2026–27Back Bay
- Pedestrian safety treatments at high-crash intersectionsResident asks to spend $2M on raised crosswalks, daylighting and curb extensions at 30-40 high-crash intersections, citing injury-reduction evidence.2026–27City-wide
- 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
- Hire more crossing guards near schools and parksResident asks the City to hire more crossing guards to keep streets safe, especially near schools, youth programs, and parks.2026–27City-wide
- Signage and speed bumps near Nubian SquareResident asks for signage and speed bumps near schools, senior housing and community centers by Nubian Square, where heavy traffic and potholes make pedestrians afraid to walk.2026–27Roxbury
- Pilot plazas on Comm Ave carriage lanesResident asks to fund a pilot converting carriage lanes on Commonwealth Ave near Harvard Ave into plazas with seating, planters and art for pedestrians in Allston-Brighton.2026–27Allston
- Connected protected bike lane network citywideResident asks for a connected network of protected bike lanes within a short walk of every home, citing lower crash rates and inequitable harm from traffic violence.2026–27City-wide
- ADA-accessible Comm Ave Mall crossingsResident asks to reduce vehicle crossings of the Comm Ave Mall and add raised crosswalks so the park path is accessible to all pedestrians and ADA compliant.2026–27Back Bay
- Protected bike lanesResident asks for protected bike lanes so everyone can travel around the city safely.2026–27City-wide
- Annual Open Streets event in every neighborhoodResident asks for at least one Open Streets event per neighborhood each year on a predictable schedule so neighbors can connect in safe, shared street space.2026–27City-wide