By Dan Murphy
The city intends to remove a dedicated bus lane on Boylston Street only months after its installation while also pledging to undertake a study to evaluate existing bike lanes.
The Boylston Street Better Bus and Bike Lane project, which got underway last June, created a new bus lane from Ring Road to Arlington Street, along with a one-way, separated bike lane on Boylston Street between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue.
“Based on observational analysis reinforcing community feedback following the permanent installation in July 2024, the dedicated bus lane has not functioned as intended to justify the space allocation,” Mayor Michelle Wu wrote in a letter last week to Back Bay leaders. “In addition to buses often not having a clear path of travel, the bus lane is regularly used for driving and parking on parts of the street that are very constrained serving area businesses, hotels, and the Boston Public Library.”
As a result of these findings, the city intends to commence with the removal of the bus lane in the coming weeks, weather permitting, and to “work with local stakeholders to reallocate the space to improve overall flow (including for MBTA buses) and address loading needs,” according to Mayor Wu.
Moreover, the city “will also ramp up enforcement to address traffic caused by ongoing double-parking related to food delivery pickups and construction, especially in the block between Dartmouth and Clarendon,” added Mayor Wu.
In response to concerns surrounding the new bike lanes that have popped up around the Back Bay and in other parts of the city, Michael Brohel, the city’s superintendent of Basic City Services, will “lead the review of roadway changes implemented in recent years and engage with local stakeholders and our engineering teams to identify recommendations for adjustments, with the first set to be returned to me within 30 days,” according to Mayor Wu.
“We will also convene an advisory group focused on the transition from temporary to permanent infrastructure that matches the form, function and history of our neighborhoods,” wrote Mayor Wu.