Earlier this month, a meeting to discuss a potential bus lane on North Washington St. was held by the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) and the MBTA. This newly proposed lane would stretch from Sudbury St. to Causeway St. on the outbound side of this busy, often congested street.
The new lane, marked in red above, would serve MBTA buses, emergency vehicles, and Boston Public Schools buses. According to BTD and the MBTA, it is not expected to impact parking or the existing bike lane.
This potential bus lane is part of the Healthy Streets program, focused on making changes to Boston’s streets to support a healthy reopening and an equitable recovery following the COVID-19 shutdown. Expanded bus stops and bus-only lanes are aimed at improving social distancing on transit services.
An inbound bus/bike lane was implemented in Fall 2019 (indicated in pink in the image above). A NorthEndWaterfront.com poll from mid-September showed 53% of poll participants thought the lane was improving traffic flow, while 35% thought it was not helping (11.5% said they were unsure).
Do you support an outbound bus lane on N. Washington St.? Vote in our poll and add your comments in the section below.
Web polls are unscientific and reflect only those who choose to participate. NorthEndWaterfront.com polls do not have any official significance and are only intended for the interest of our readers.
If N. Washington was cut down by a lane to have a dedicated bus lane, I would be concerned that the increase of traffic on Endicott St. by those trying to take a short-cut would be significant and troublesome.