Hammond Pond Parkway Comment Letter

February 28, 2021

Jeffrey R. Parenti, Program Manager
Department of Conservation and Recreation
251 Causeway St.
Boston, MA 02114

Re:  Hammond Pond Parkway

Dear Mr. Parenti:

WalkBoston reviews public and private projects for their potential impacts on pedestrian activity throughout the region and much of Massachusetts.

Hammond Pond Parkway is an approximately two-mile long corridor that connects Beacon Street at its northern end to Horace James Circle near Route 9 at its southern end. It is presently a multi-lane roadway serving the commercial area around the Chestnut Hill Mall at Route 9 and bisects conservation areas for much of its route. Existing pedestrian access is limited to the Route 9 area and there are no bicycle accommodations.

The proposal is to reduce travel lanes from four to two lanes above the shopping mall and to create a shared use path for bicycles and pedestrians constructed to provide ADA compliant access, built on the west side of the roadway. We applaud the reduction of pavement, the use of narrower lanes for traffic and the construction of a facility that will enhance pedestrian access.

We are concerned that the proposed 12’ path is too narrow for shared use by pedestrians and cyclists, and may be somewhat hazardous – especially for pedestrians. If the path is too narrow, cyclists on the downhill slope may reach speeds that would conflict with the safety of pedestrians on the path. To correct this difficulty, it would be appropriate to consider separate paths for bikes and pedestrians, with a narrower pedestrian path designed to be unattractive to cyclists, perhaps by using a stone dust surface.

Our opinion is that separate lanes for bikes and pedestrians are appropriate to accommodate anticipated high volumes and to assure the safety of people walking and people biking. If such separate lanes are infeasible, the proposed path should be as wide as possible, with pavement paint and signs alerting bicyclists that there are slower moving pedestrians on the single shared use path. At  a minimum, a shared use path would need to be at least 14 feet wide.

In addition, there should be careful consideration of any unsignalized crossings for pedestrians in this new plan for the area.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the project. If you have questions do not hesitate to call us.

Sincerely,

Stacey Beuttell                                                                    Bob Sloane
Executive Director                                                             Senior Planner