Boylston Street Archives - WalkMassachusetts

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

Comments on the ENF for “The Point”

March 16, 2015

Secretary Matthew A. Beaton
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Attn: Deirdre Buckley, Director, MEPA Office
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

RE: Environmental Notification Form
The Point, Boston

Dear Secretary Beaton and Director Buckley:

WalkBoston has reviewed the ENF for the license of DCR right-of-way to the developer of The Point for streetscape improvements. We applaud the effort by both public and private entities to improve the pedestrian environment and traffic safety in this rapidly developing area and want to ensure that development occurs in accordance with the city’s 2013 Complete Streets Guidelines. Our comments focus on the pedestrian environment and the need to integrate the project into its surroundings.

We support replacing the current pedestrian island and free-flowing right turn lane with a landscaped plaza. Eliminating free flowing right turns will improve pedestrian safety and comfort. However, right turn traffic from Boylston St onto Brookline must be handled very carefully, with appropriate signage reminding drivers of their obligation to yield to pedestrians when turning, and as the intersection will remain large and complex, accommodations for visually impaired pedestrians including audible beacons to assist with orientation are crucial. The end of the plaza must have adequate space for a large number of pedestrians to wait for a walk signal, and signals should be timed to minimize queuing, particularly in conjunction with Fenway Park events.
The removal of existing sidewalk parking (on both DCR and private property) along Boylston St to create a connected and well-maintained sidewalk will provide substantial benefits.
The potential improvements that this project can bring to the area are substantial.The proposed development should follow City of Boston guidelines for the creation of wide sidewalks (as recommended in the Fenway-Longwood-Kenmore Transportation and Pedestrian Safety Action Plan). The new sidewalks are part of a long-range plan to change the overall design of buildings along Boylston Street and to provide a standard street wall of setbacks on the Boylston Street and Brookline Avenue frontages. The plan calls for wide sidewalks to alleviate the significant pedestrian congestion that results from games and other events at nearby Fenway Park, which is one-half block away.

The Proposed Conditions figure in the ENF shows a sidewalk surface that is only 5’ wide. This is not sufficient for the existing volume of traffic, much less for the increased foot traffic that is anticipated with the ongoing redevelopment of the area including The Point. The Boston Complete Streets Guidelines call for a preferred sidewalk width of at least 18’6” in a “downtown mixed use” zone, including at least a 10’ wide pedestrian zone. Every effort should be made to maximize usable sidewalk width to accommodate the anticipated volume of pedestrian traffic as well as meeting the needs of pedestrians with disabilities.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on this aspect of this important project. We regret having missed the notification of the recently approved Notice of Project Change, but do feel that concerns with sidewalk width and traffic flow as it impacts pedestrians can still be addressed within the context of this license. Please feel free to contact WalkBoston with questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director