Dartmouth Street Safety and Mobility Project

The City of Boston's Go Boston 2030 plan identified Dartmouth Street between Back Street and Columbus Avenue as a bike corridor. This project builds on that plan and responds to feedback from community conversations in 2023 for the Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane project. Residents told us they wanted a safe connection to the Esplanade while avoiding putting a bike lane on Berkeley Street, and Dartmouth Street emerged as the best option.

We prioritized Dartmouth Street based on community feedback for the Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane project in 2023. Residents told us they wanted a safe connection to the Esplanade while avoiding putting a bike lane on Berkeley Street, and Dartmouth Street emerged as the best option. Since then, we’ve conducted the following engagement activities:

• Thursday, May 2, 2024: We hosted a virtual public meeting to share an update on projects in the Back Bay neighborhood including Dartmouth Street. The meeting was publicized on our project websites via email newsletter to subscribers. Additionally, Neighborhood Services and elected leaders publicized the meeting to local stakeholders.
• Wednesday, September 11, 2024: We hosted a virtual public meeting to share an update on the Dartmouth Street project. The meeting was publicized on our project websites and via email newsletter to subscribers. Additionally, elected leaders publicized the meeting to local stakeholders.
• Summer and Fall 2024: We are hosting virtual office hours during summer and fall. They are a great opportunity to talk one-on-one with a member of the project team, share your feedback, and get answers to your questions. Sign up for an appointment!

We are continuing to talk with community members and businesses about the project and take feedback. See the Events section for upcoming opportunities.

We're still looking for your input! Come to a meeting or email us at better-bike-lanes@boston.gov.

We’re looking at crash data and traffic patterns to understand safety issues and how proposed changes could affect traffic.

• Crash data: We reviewed serious crashes on Dartmouth Street over the past nine years. Between Back Street and Boylston Street, there were 38 crashes with injuries, including 11 pedestrians, 10 bicyclists, and 17 involving only motor vehicles. At the Dartmouth and Stuart Street intersection, there were 16 crashes with injuries, including 4 pedestrians, 2 bicyclists, and 10 people in motor vehicles.
• Traffic data: We counted vehicles at signalized intersections on Dartmouth Street in September and October 2023. We collect data using automatic counting technology on mid-week days representing typical traffic conditions.

We want your feedback about the timeline for National Grid’s upcoming work in Back Bay. Take our quick poll! 

National Grid is replacing gas mains beneath several Back Bay streets, including under Dartmouth Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Boylston Street. That means our work on Dartmouth Street will happen in two phases:

• Dartmouth Street north of Commonwealth Avenue: This fall, we’ll repave and install the new design, including the bike lane.
• Dartmouth Street south of Commonwealth Avenue: As early as 2025, we’ll repave and install the new design, including the bike lane, following National Grid's utility work. We're coordinating with National Grid to streamline their work schedule and manage traffic during construction.

Pedestrians will benefit from this project in several ways. 

• We’ll rebuild curb ramps to be accessible. Some ramps will be possible to rebuild this year, while others will need engineering plans and will be rebuilt in a future construction season. 
• Narrower travel lanes will encourage slower driving speeds and make crossing distances shorter. 
• By giving bicyclists their own designated space on the road, we can encourage less sidewalk riding. 
• The repaved road surface will make crosswalks smoother.

We will use pre-cast concrete curbs to provide separation between the bike lane and general travel lanes or parking. We’ve heard your concerns about the appearance of flexible plastic bollards (flexposts) and made adjustments to the design accordingly. We removed flexposts from our design for Dartmouth Street and will instead use pre-cast concrete curbs to separate the bike lane from general purpose lanes or parking. This change will not delay the project timeline, allowing us to proceed with installation in Fall 2024.

In the future, we plan to replace these pre-cast units with cast-in-place concrete curbing, which offers greater durability and customization. We are currently finalizing the design details for cast-in-place concrete curbing and hope to implement them following the completion of National Grid's gas main replacement work.

Curb ramps and landing areas will be concrete as required by accessibility standards. Detectable warning panels will be red cast iron. We’ll preserve existing brick sidewalks around the ramps. While some ramps have engineering plans, others will be designed on-site by work crews following citywide processes to allow us to deliver accessible ramps in a timely manner.

We can keep the same number of general travel lanes on Dartmouth Street as there are today. We will review signal timing at each intersection and consider if any changes are needed to improve safety as well as efficiency during the busiest times.

We understand that deliveries are important for businesses along Dartmouth Street. While some double-parking currently happens for loading, it's not a legal or safe practice. To address this, we will create designated and legal spaces for commercial vehicles to load and unload. We are continuing to talk with abutters and take your feedback about where the best location(s) would be.

We understand that street parking and curb access is important. During our community conversations in 2023 for the Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane project, residents asked us to explore options to create a bike route between the Esplanade and Copley Square while impacting the least amount of parking in the neighborhood. Our design for Dartmouth Street preserves the most street parking out of all other options we evaluated.

• In Spring 2024, we created 123 new Resident Permit Parking spaces throughout Back Bay by converting metered spaces. This was part of a package of changes to parking in Back Bay that was informed by community input and a neighborhood-wide parking study. 
• Our estimate of parking impact is 44 out of 85 spaces on Dartmouth Street. We are reviewing opportunities to offset this change by creating more Resident Permit Parking spaces on nearby streets. We can keep parking on one side of Dartmouth Street. These numbers are subject to change as we refine the design. 
• We also considered a pair of one-way separated bike lanes on Dartmouth Street (northbound) and Exeter Street (southbound). That option would impact 63 parking spaces, affecting abutters that rely on curbside access for passenger pickup/dropoff and deliveries.

To create a useful bike network, people need a way to get where they’re going and back again. We considered several options, including keeping a one-way northbound bike lane on Dartmouth Street and adding a one-way southbound bike lane on Exeter Street. A two-way bike lane on Dartmouth Street:

• Offers a direct route and creates a clear connection between Copley Square and the Esplanade.
• Has the least impact on parking compared to other options.

Placing the bike lane on the east side of Dartmouth Street is the most efficient option for all users:

• Several intersections have a high volume of left-turning drivers (Newbury Street, Commonwealth Avenue, and Beacon Street). A bike lane on the west side of Dartmouth Street would put bicyclists going straight in direct conflict with left-turning drivers. For safety, we’d have to have them go on separate signal phases, which would add delay for all users.
• The east side bike lane allows for a seamless connection with the separated bike lane on Boylston Street.

Yes, we have! Here are the other options we considered and why Dartmouth Street emerged as the best option.

BERKELEY STREET

The original plan for the Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane project envisioned a northbound separated bike lane connecting to Beacon Street, along with a two-way separated bike lane on Beacon Street between Berkeley Street and Arlington Street. This would have provided northbound cyclists with direct access to the Fiedler and Dartmouth Street Footbridges. However, following community input, we revised the plan to extend the separated bike lane as far north as Commonwealth Avenue. To maintain a connected bike network, we explored alternative routes. Back Bay residents suggested Dartmouth Street as a potential option.

EXETER STREET AND DARTMOUTH STREET

Initially, we considered a one-way separated bike lane on both Dartmouth Street and Exeter Street, with Dartmouth going northbound and Exeter going southbound. However, we did not pursue this alternative because it has bigger trade-offs and less benefit than a two-way separated bike lane on Dartmouth Street.

• More parking loss. This option would have required removing all parking from one side of Exeter Street, impacting abutters that rely on curbside access for passenger pickup/dropoff and deliveries. Given the community's desire to minimize parking reduction, we opted for a two-way separated bike lane on Dartmouth Street.
• Less direct. A one-way system would create a less direct route. Considering the concerns about sidewalk riding on Dartmouth Street, we believe a two-way separated bike lane would be more effective at discouraging this practice and providing a clear, direct connection between the Esplanade and Copley Square.

FAIRFIELD STREET

While we appreciate residents' suggestions for Fairfield Street, it's not a viable alternative to Dartmouth Street. 

• Indirect. Unlike Fairfield Street, Dartmouth Street offers a direct route from the South End and other points south to the heart of Back Bay's civic, commercial, and recreational destinations, including the Esplanade. This makes Dartmouth Street a crucial link in the bike network.
• Incomplete connection. Fairfield Street between Beacon Street and Back Street is a privately owned public way, limiting our ability to make design changes for a bike route. This means we couldn't directly connect bicyclists to the footbridge, unlike on Dartmouth Street.

We appreciate community members’ suggestion to consider putting the bike lane within the pedestrian mall on the west side of Dartmouth Street. While this might seem like an option to keep more parking, it’s not a practical alternative:

• Takes away valuable space from pedestrians. South of Commonwealth Avenue, the sidewalk is already very busy and has limited space due to street furniture and MBTA subway entrances, making it difficult to safely accommodate both pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Requires a capital reconstruction project of the entire corridor. This would take at least 2 - 5 years to plan and design, cost millions of dollars, and delay this important project. 
• More asphalt, less brick. The bike lane would require a ten-foot-wide asphalt strip through the pedestrian mall, replacing brick surfaces. It would also have green markings, yellow dashed lines, and bike symbols. By placing the bike lane in the roadway, we avoid adding more asphalt and preserve the brick areas.
• Creates challenges at traffic signals. Many drivers turn left at Newbury and Commonwealth Avenue, so we’d have to have separate phases for those turns. This would add delay for all users on the corridor.

The section of Dartmouth Street between Back Street and Boylston Street is funded for repaving in 2024, which presents a perfect opportunity to include design changes. The section south of Boylston Street has more complex traffic patterns and would require lengthy planning and design work. Including this section would significantly delay the construction of the section between Boylston Street and Back Street.

The Dartmouth Street Footbridge is owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). To ensure safety and comfort for all users, we support DCR's efforts to remind people that they must walk their bikes across the footbridge. Currently, signs are posted on the bridge indicating this requirement.

We are coordinating with DCR and the Esplanade Association to explore ways to improve signage and pavement markings to further reinforce the "walk your bike" rule. Additionally, we are considering adding signage on adjacent City-owned property to provide additional reminders.

E-BIKES

In Massachusetts, electric bikes (e-bikes) are legally allowed to use on-street bike lanes. This includes both Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, which have pedal assistance up to 20 mph. Motorized bicycles with engine displacements under 50cc are also allowed to operate in bike lanes. E-bikes operators do not require a driver’s license. These regulations are set at the state level, so the City of Boston does not have the authority to alter them.

MOPEDS

Motorized vehicles with engine displacements 50cc and above are not allowed to operate in bike lanes. To address concerns about moped operator safety, we are increasing police enforcement and collaborating with delivery companies to enhance driver education and accountability. While we work to reduce illegal uses of bike lanes, we remain committed to expanding the bicycle network to accommodate the growing number of bicyclists in Boston.

While we are planning an expansion of Bluebikes docks in 2025, we are not adding new Bluebikes docks in Back Bay as part of the Dartmouth Street Safety & Mobility Project. 

You can learn more about this initiative on the project website. There will be multiple opportunities for residents to review proposals and provide input before we install new docks. 

Please note that you might see staff around the neighborhood taking measurements. They are just gathering data for where docks could go, not necessarily where they will go.

Creating dedicated bike lanes can improve safety for all travelers. Research has consistently shown that separated bike lanes can reduce the risk of crashes involving bicyclists by providing a clear, protected space for people to bike in. Better bike lanes can also promote safer cycling habits, including better compliance with traffic laws and a decrease in sidewalk riding.

As more Bostonians embrace bicycling for daily transportation, it's crucial to ensure our city streets foster a sense of safety and respect for all. Boston Brakes, a public awareness campaign initiated by the Disabilities Commission, aims to create a more inclusive and accessible city for everyone. We encourage bicyclists and pedestrians to be mindful of each other, particularly when navigating shared sidewalks and crosswalks. By understanding the needs of individuals who rely on wheelchairs or other mobility aids, we can collectively contribute to a Boston that is accessible for all.

Massachusetts law requires all individuals under 17 to wear a bicycle helmet while riding on public ways, bike paths, or other public areas. This regulation is set at the state level, and the City of Boston cannot change it. While helmet use is not mandatory for adults, it is recommended to protect against head injuries.