Access Boston 2000-2010: Boston Citywide Transportation Plan: Pedestrian Safety Guidelines for Residential Streets

Author(s):

City of Boston, Boston Transportation Department

Organization:

City of Boston, Boston Transportation Department

Edition:

First

Publisher/Date:

City of Boston, Boston Transportation Department, Boston, 2001

Rating:

Limited Usefulness

Abstract:

The Pedestrian Safety Guidelines for Residential Streets report is a component of Boston' citywide transportation plan, Access Boston 2000-2010. It contains guidelines to implement operational and design strategies in residential neighborhoods that enhance pedestrian safety, calm traffic, and improve quality of life.

The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) seeks to improve pedestrian safety on residential streets by implementing measures that slow vehicles down and limit cut-through traffic on those streets. The BTD has developed these guidelines to provide a policy framework for the implementation of measures to improve safety. The guidelines also provide an overview of the program for the public, community leaders, and elected officials. It is anticipated that safety improvement measures will evolve over time, therefore, this report is a "living" document and policies will be reevaluated periodically.

This report is a companion document to the BTD's Streetscape Guidelines for Boston's Major Roads, which was issued in 1999. That document provides guidelines for developing appropriate streetscapes when constructing or reconstructing a "major road" in Boston. They were prepared to address public safety for all users and the equitable sharing of the public right-of-way for pedestrians, automobiles, bicycles, and public transportation vehicles.

The transportation safety guidelines in this document are intended for application to Boston's residential streets. The goals of this initiative are to:

• Describe the City's approach to improve safety on residential streets in a manner that recognizes, addresses, and balances the needs of all users.
• Enhance public safety on Boston's streets by fostering a clearly delineated and well-regulated public right-of-way.
• Prioritize projects related to schools, senior citizen facilities, parks and community centers, and residentially located MBTA stations.
• Provide a guide to assist communities throughout the city seeking to develop transportation safety projects.
• Implement improvements in a fiscally responsible manner.

Together, guidelines for major roads and residential streets contribute to the criteria of a safe and pedestrian friendly environment. Transportation safety projects are primarily intended to influence driver, bicycle, and pedestrian behavior on behalf of neighborhood residents.

It is important to note that engineering judgment and specific conditions require that each transportation safety case be evaluated individually. While education, enforcement, regulatory, and physical modifications provide many options for public officials, public consensus must be gained and maintained before any transportation safety measure is implemented. Using a comprehensive planning process and designs completed by a qualified engineering professional, the quality of life in a neighborhood can be improved and the use of non-motorized transportation modes encouraged.

Number of Pages:

16

Link:

Access Boston 2000-2010 : Boston Citywide Transportation Plan Pedestrian Safety Guidelines for Residential Streets (PDF) (http://www.cityofboston.gov/accessBoston/pdfs/pedestrian_safety_guidelines.pdf)

Table of Contents?

Yes

Index?

No

Illustrations?

Yes

Material Type:

Guidelines

Key Document?

No

Categories:

Local guidelines, Planning, Concept/schematic Design

Keywords:

Boston - Local, Pedestrian Safety Guidelines, Residential Streets

Strengths:

• Progressive on support for lower road speeds (25MPH from 30MPH) and red-light camera legislation.
• Outlines a robust "community & interagency process" to identify and evaluate potential projects.
• Breaks down solutions into "Stage One", meaning ones that can be quickly implemented, and "Stage Two", ones that involve physical changes to the street or public right-of-way.
• Includes higher prioritization for: Schools, hospitals, community centers, parks and playgrounds, senior citizen facilities, and residentially located MBTA stations are all priority land uses.
• Provides concrete examples of "Stage Two" alternatives.
• Identifies 13 pilot sites in the city primarily for "Stage Two" alternatives.
• Describes an implementation process.
• Requires an "after" study to evaluate effectiveness.

Weaknesses:

• Poorly identifies actual funding sources, and specific policy recommendations to ensure the program is actually imlemented.
• Poorly identifies funding for the execution of the program itself, and single contact person for the community.
• Poor guidance and support for community and neighborhood groups to put together a proposal for an improvement project.
• Poorly identifies how these projects will be prioritized with all other road maintenance and reconstruction projects.
• Does not include an evaluation of the program itself, and a timeline at which point it will be evaluated.
• Does not directly address issues specific to persons with disabilities (though it references the "Street Scape Guidelines" which does address persons with disabilities.)

Record Last Updated:

July 2006