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
- Diagonal crosswalks in Brighton CenterInstall diagonal crosswalks at Washington St, Chestnut Hill Ave and Market St in Brighton Center to make walking safer.2025–26Brighton
- More parking and speed bumps in busy areasResident asks for better parking availability and more speed bumps in high-traffic areas, noting difficulty parking close enough to home.2025–26City-wide
- Contraflow bike lane on Dartmouth StreetResident asks for a contraflow bike lane on Dartmouth from St James to the Southwest Corridor entrance, because no safe route currently connects Back Bay to the Corridor.2025–26Back Bay
- Safe temporary routes for walkers and cyclists at constructionResident asks the City to fund and regulate temporary travel lanes so pedestrians and cyclists can move safely around construction sites.2025–26City-wide
- Bicycle safety public service announcementsResident asks the City to run public service announcements on bike safety, such as opening car doors near bike lanes and using helmets and bright clothing.2025–26City-wide
- Speed bumps and expanded free Wi-FiThe resident asks for speed bumps on roads where cars speed and for expanded free Wi-Fi in areas near Washington St and Norwell St that lack it.2025–26City-wide
- Fix Leverett Circle and widen Causeway Street sidewalksThe resident says Leverett Circle is dangerous for pedestrians and Causeway Street sidewalks are too narrow, and also describes a West End community and cultural center honoring neighborhood heritage.2025–26West End
- Protected bike lanes in East BostonResident asks for protected bike lanes on Sumner Street, Meridian Street and Marginal Street to reduce car congestion during the tunnel closure and make biking feel safer.2024–25East Boston
- Two-way protected bike lane on Charles StreetResident asks for a two-way protected bike lane on Charles Street, noting there is no safe way to bike between the Common and Longfellow and the street has five car lanes.2024–25Beacon Hill
- Road diet and bike lane on Walworth StreetResident asks to replace a lane of underused parking on Walworth Street with an uphill protected bike lane to slow speeding and help nearby housing residents without cars bike to Roslindale Square.2024–25Roslindale
- Expand bike lanes to underserved neighborhoodsResident asks for bike lanes connecting lower-income communities and communities of color to existing networks in Downtown and Back Bay, offering a cheaper commute and more foot traffic.2024–25City-wide
- Make Boston more bike friendlyResident asks for a more bike-friendly Boston with fewer cars, noting biking can be faster than the train for their commute.2024–25City-wide
- Speed up bike path under Park AveResident asks the city to expedite the planned bike path extension under Park Ave to fix a dangerous intersection.2024–25Fenway
- Bike ramp from Esplanade to southbound Mass Ave BridgeResident asks for a ramp connecting the Esplanade to the southbound Mass Ave Bridge sidewalk so bikers avoid crowded sidewalks or crossing the busy road.2024–25Fenway
- App to report drivers endangering pedestriansResident proposes a BOS311-style app for submitting photos and videos of drivers endangering pedestrians so police can fine or charge them, citing unsafe crossings and road rage.2024–25City-wide
- Pilot sidewalk widening for outdoor diningResident proposes a pilot that removes a parking lane to widen the sidewalk for outdoor dining, possibly partnering with community-rooted restaurants.2024–25City-wide
- Safe walking and biking access to Stony Brook ReservationResident asks for crosswalks, traffic lights, street lights and sidewalks near Enneking Pkwy and Smithfield Rd so people without cars can safely reach Stony Brook Reservation.2024–25Hyde Park
- Free bike repair classes and bike recyclingResident asks for free or cheap bike repair classes and recycling of abandoned bikes for people who cannot afford a new bike, to encourage cycling.2024–25City-wide
- Safer crosswalks and driver education campaignResident asks for safer pedestrian crossings in business districts and a public education campaign telling drivers and cyclists to stop for pedestrians, since many do not.2024–25City-wide
- Curb extensions and speed humps near parksResident asks for curb extensions, daylighting and speed humps at crosswalks around parks so people can cross the street safely.2024–25City-wide