1000 Boylston Street Comment Letter

1000 Boylston Street Comment Letter

March 8, 2018

Michael Rooney
Boston Planning and Development Agency
One City Hall, Ninth Floor
Boston, MA 02201

RE: WalkBoston comments on 1000 Boylston Street

Dear Michael:

WalkBoston appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Draft Project Impact Report (DPIR) for the proposed development at 1000 Boylston Street in the Back Bay. This project will significantly improve the pedestrian realm by activating a currently desolate stretch of sidewalk with new ground-floor retail uses and streetscape improvements.

We encourage the proponent to clarify their plans for crosswalk improvements. The orientation of pedestrian ramps to crosswalks is not clearly discernable from Figure 3.35 in the DPIR (“Streetscape Improvement Plan”), but several crosswalks as depicted appear to utilize apex ramps, meaning that a single ramp at a street corner serves two crosswalks at a 45-degree angle to both. Such ramps can have the unintended consequence of directing people with visual impairments or mobility aids into the middle of the intersection, posing hazards to their safety. To avoid this WalkBoston recommends the utilization of two perpendicular ramps at street corners, such that each ramp serves one crosswalk at a direct approach. We urge the proponent to explicitly incorporate such perpendicular ramps into their streetscape designs at the intersections of Boylston/Dalton/Hereford Streets and St. Cecilia/Cambria Streets, and to adjust the placement of crosswalks accordingly as needed.

In addition, the southeast corner of the intersection of Boylston/Dalton Streets, as depicted in Figure 3.35, appears to have a wider turning radius for motor vehicles than the southwest corner of the intersection. Wide turning radii induce motor vehicles to travel at high speeds, posing safety risks to pedestrians. We urge the proponent to extend the curb at the southeast corner of the intersection to narrow the turning radius, thus calming traffic and also reducing crossing distances for pedestrians.

Thank you for considering these issues and please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Cc: Vineet Gupta, Boston Transportation Department Charlie Denison, LivableStreets Alliance

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