How to Stay Involved In 3 Big BTD Projects

Blue Hill Ave., where unprotected bike lanes sit in the door zone of parked cars and alongside two lanes of traffic

This Spring, Mayor Walsh announced new funding for critical bike infrastructure we’ve long championed. With a couple of those projects set to move forward, and with another major project just getting underway, we wanted to update you on where our campaigns stand, and how you can play a role in steering them to successful outcomes.

Mass Ave.
Perhaps the most exciting piece of Walsh’s announcement was that the city would extend bike lanes on Mass Ave. all the way to Dorchester. We must now stay engaged to demand those promised bike lanes come with physical separation. Due to overwhelming community support for protected bike lanes and the dire need for better infrastructure on “Mass Ave South,” we made this a signature campaign last year, and we remain dedicated to seeing it to completion in light of yet another pedestrian fatality in this area. The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) is beginning to draft plans and will hold community meetings later this year. We’ll share more info once it becomes available. In the meantime, you can sign up to receive project updates here.

Blue Hill Ave.
Boston is considering big changes to Blue Hill Ave., and the first step in that process is gathering feedback from people who live, work or travel in the area. This is a longer-term project with the potential to impact every aspect of this corridor, from traffic to greenspace, and we hope to see it result in protected bike lanes. (Today, unprotected bike lanes sit in the door zone and are often clogged with cars.) How do you feel when biking on Blue Hill Ave? What changes would make it better for bikes? Share your feedback! You can take BTD’s brief survey here, and sign up for email updates here.

Southwest Corridor
There are two projects involving this busy bike corridor: One for intersection improvements to the existing path, and another to extend the path to Downtown, Beacon Hill, and the West End. Both projects are just getting started, but you can get notified about any updates and meetings as they arise. For more info and to sign up for updates on the extension project, head here. For more info on the intersection improvements project, head here.