Private cars would still be allowed on Western Avenue, but they would be restricted to a single one-way lane, running eastbound only east of Everett Street, and westbound only west of Telford, with a one-block segment allowing two-way traffic in between (see map at left). Regional car traffic would be directed to the parallel Soldier's Field Road, or to use transit instead. The new street would be wider overall, but the space between curbs for motor vehicle traffic would generally be narrower.Īn overview map of proposed traffic rules and routing for the proposed Western Avenue transitway, which would allow only local access for non-transit and non-emergency motor vehicles along the corridor. The street's curbs would also be adjusted to provide wider sidewalks, larger bus stops, and sidewalk-level bike lanes. Under the city's transitway proposal, which would be phased in over the course of several years in conjunction with new development along Western Avenue, the street would be reconfigured to provide two lanes for buses and a single one-way lane for general motor vehicle traffic. The current Western Avenue, which generally features two general travel lanes, an intermittent painted bike lane, and on-street parking, is already frequently congested, which causes significant delays on the MBTA's route 86 and route 70 buses. In order to handle all of the trips associated with those new developments, Allston's streets will need to get much more efficient at moving people and goods. The BPDA anticipates roughly 10 million square feet of new development along Western Avenue in Allston in the coming years, plus another 7 million square feet of development in surrounding neighborhoods, like the area around the new Boston Landing regional rail stop. The idea has come out of a zoning and infrastructure study being conducted by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) in conjunction with transit planners at the Boston Transportation Department. Now, citing those climate goals and the anticipated travel needs from large development proposals for the area, City of Boston planners and community advocates are pushing to redesign Western Avenue in Allston to a bus-priority "transitway" that would limit private vehicle traffic to just one lane for most of the street's length between Barry's Corner and the Charles River. Boston has ambitious climate goals that call for the city to cut car traffic in half by 2030, by shifting thousands of daily trips to transit and other more sustainable modes of transport.īut so far, there have been precious few examples of places where those goals have been reflected in redesigns for the city's major streets, where public space remains overwhelmingly devoted to single-occupant motor vehicles.
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