Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan

How do you travel along Blue Hill Avenue? What do you like about it? What would you like to see changed? We welcome concerns ranging from traffic congestion to bus stop cleanliness and anything in between. 

We know that vehicle speeds along Blue Hill Avenue are high. But, we'd like to hear from you about how to make it safer for all users. How does Blue Hill Avenue feel as a pedestrian? Have you felt unsafe while waiting for the bus or cycling? 

Examples of public spaces include:

• sidewalks
• plazas
• parks
• playgrounds, and
• seating areas.

Let us know how you feel about the current public spaces along Blue Hill Avenue and what you would like to see in the future.

Meeting overview:

• 102 members of the public attended the meeting. The people who attended the meeting primarily travel on Blue Hill Avenue using the following modes:
  • Walk - 6%
  • Drive - 65%
  • Bus/train - 17%
  • Bike - 12%
• Someone from MBTA presented data to help answer the following questions:
  • How do you expect people to choose the bus if it's not reliable?
  • What is the MBTA doing to make buses more frequent?
  • How does better bus service help small businesses?
• Attendees' top two benefits that they believe should be prioritized are safety for pedestrians (76%) and faster, more reliable bus service (54%).
• Attendees' top two concerns that they believe should be addressed are car congestion/more traffic (71%) and negative impacts on small businesses (49%). 

Meeting overview:

• 86 members of the public attended the meeting. The people who attended the meeting primarily travel on Blue Hill Avenue using the following modes:
  • Walk - 6%
  • Drive - 68%
  • Bus/train - 15%
  • Bike - 9%
  • Other - 2%
• The majority of attendees supported ideas to make the corridor more lively and beautiful through trees, greenery, plantings, public art, and improved lighting. Attendees also spoke of the importance of more trash receptacles to keep the streets and sidewalks clean, and to minimize the presence of vermin. 
• Many people voiced dismay at the current condition of the physical infrastructure, noting that Blue Hill Ave. needs to be repaved, and the sidewalks are in terrible shape with a lot of buckling from tree roots making it challenging for those in wheelchairs and walkers.
• Attendees expressed concern that a reduction in the number of travel lanes would cause congestion. However, a reduction in traffic congestion did not necessarily mean participants wanted traffic to be faster. Several spoke on speeding being an issue and called for speed reduction and traffic calming measures to ensure a safer corridor for all users.
• Several attendees acknowledged the goal of a multimodal corridor as creating safe and accessible options for users of all ages and abilities.
• Opinions for/against bike lanes existed in the feedback, as well as opinions for/against center-running bus lanes.
• Some attendees felt parking is a challenge on Blue Hill Ave. Many participants said that there was not enough parking along the corridor, and that double- and even triple-parking creates numerous safety and traffic flow conflicts.
• Many attendees valued the presence of small businesses on the Avenue and expressed support for ways to support them, such as providing wider sidewalk space so there could be more outdoor dining.

Meeting overview:

• 144 members of the public attended the meeting. The people who attended the meeting travel using the following modes:
  • Walk - 20%
  • Drive - 38%
  • Bus/train - 27%
  • Bike - 13%
  • Other - 2%
• 60 members of the public contributed to the discussion verbally or in the chat.
• 12 members of the public were responsible for more than 50% of chat comments.
• 37 individuals gave feedback on what they would like to see from a project to redesign Blue Hill Avenue. The most common feedback included:
  • more lighting
  • new sidewalks
  • more crosswalks
  • more trees
  • better bus stops
  • support for small businesses on the avenue