Washington Street between Forest Hills and Roslindale Square services nine MBTA routes and 19,000 bus riders every day. During the morning and evening rush hour, nearly 60% of the people moving along this corridor are traveling by bus, making it one of the busiest bus ways in the region.

 PROGRESS TO DATE

• During the 2017 Fall and 2018 Spring pilots we led Street Ambassador deployments at bus stops throughout Roslindale to talk with community members about the potential for a bus priority pilot on Washington Street. 

• Our goal was to engage with as many riders as possible and hear directly from them about why they need priority for buses now. We captured riders’ stories and shared them with City of Boston officials to build the case that this project needs to move forward. 

• The strong community support for this project informed "Getting Boston on Board", our report about why other corridors in Boston need better buses.

• We partnered with StreetFilms to produce a short film that demonstrated the overwhelming public support for the bus-only lane. Watch "A Street is A Terrible Thing to Waste: Boston's Newest Bus Lane".

BENEFITS OF BETTER BUSES IN ROSLINDALE

• The May 2018 bus-only lane pilot on Washington Street in Roslindale reduced travel times for bus riders along the corridor up to 25% during the morning commute.

• For the 1,100+ bus riders traveling through the corridor during that hour, that works out to 26 hours of passenger time saved on a typical day, or 38 hours saved on a day when road congestion was significantly higher than normal.

• In a survey of bus riders and bicyclists on the corridor, 94 percent supported a permanent bus and bicycle lane. Of the bus passengers, 92 percent perceived that the bus lane decreased their travel time. Of the bicyclists, 89 percent reported feeling safer in the shared lane.

• Improving public transit and bus service is an identified goal of Go Boston 2030, the City of Boston’s long-term, comprehensive transportation plan. The success of the Roslindale bus lane demonstrates how increased collaboration between the MBTA and the City of Boston is necessary to achieve the goals of Go Boston 2030

EVIDENCE FOR BETTER BUSES

• In the MA Vision Zero Coalition’s 2019 Candidate Questionnaire, many elected officials in Boston have expressed support for pop-up bus lanes during rush hours.

• Starting in 2016 with the city of everett piloting a bus priority lane on 1.2 miles of broadway, many municipalities including the city of boston have put these projects into action, seeing improvements for bus riders and bike riders. those communities include cambridge, watertown, arlington, somerville, allston, west end, with many more to come!

• LivableStreets' Board Member Steve Miller pinpoints key issues that are holding back Better Buses in Boston in his blog post "Want Better Buses and Trolley Service? Talk to Your Mayor!"

Reach out to your local elected officials to show that you're supportive of an outbound bus lane on Washington Street:

• • Call City Council:
    • 617-635-3040
  • Email City Council:
    • [email protected]

• • Ricardo Arroyo, District 5
    
    • 617-635-4210
    • [email protected]

• • At-Large Councilors:
    • Michelle Wu
      • 617-635-3115
      • [email protected]
    • Michael Flaherty
      • 617-635-4205
      • [email protected]
    • Annisa Essaibi George
      • 617-635-4376
      • [email protected]
    • Julia Mejia
      • 617-635-4217 
      • Contact form: English / Español