Roslindale Bus Lanes

10 Routes Served

Routes 14, 30, 34, 34E, 35, 36, 37, 40, 50, and 51 travel along Washington Street in Roslindale.

Key Routes

Route 34 and Route 34E have higher weekday ridership than two Silver Line routes and five key bus routes. 

19,000 Daily T Riders

Between Forest Hills Station and Roslindale Village, about 19,000 bus riders travel along Washington each weekday.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council conducted a parking study for the Washington Street Corridor in October 2019, from 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. The analysis included both sides of Washington Street in the industrial, residential, and commercial zones. They found that: 

• There were 274 parking spaces between Ukraine Way and Roslindale Village. Spaces were 40 percent occupied at 7 a.m., and 53 percent occupied at 5 p.m.
• From 6 a.m. - 10 a.m., the share of vehicles parked and registered within the study area decreased from 50 to 18 percent.
• “Peak Demand” was at 11 a.m., with 65 percent occupied during the period.
• The vehicles parked closest to Forest Hills Station had higher parking durations than other blocks within the residential zone.

Delays

During congestion, the average bus rider can spend 10 to 15 minutes longer than necessary along Washington Street.

Transit Corridor

About 60 percent of people along the corridor are traveling on buses. Forty percent are traveling in cars in the p.m. peak.

Community Center 

There are about 85 businesses along the corridor along with residences, schools, and medical facilities. The corridor directly connects to Forest Hills Station, a major transit connection in Roslindale.

Ninety-four percent of people riding transit along Washington Street supported the permanent shared bus lane.

Ninety-two percent of people riding transit along Washington Street perceived that the lane has decreased travel time.

Eighty-nine percent of cyclists reported feeling safer in the shared lane, compared to previous conditions.

Highlights

We have implemented a southbound p.m. peak bus lane! The bus lane is operational between 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. Please do not park in the bus lane between 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.! 

The Southbound lane was identified as a priority project for the Healthy Streets initiative to respond to COVID-19.

Due to cold weather, we were unable to paint the bus lane red. But, we plan to stripe red paint this coming spring along with other improvements along the corridor!

In coordination with the Planning Department's Squares + Streets initiative, two potential new crosswalks were identified. These crosswalks at Granfield Ave and Whipple Ave would close a gap of over 1,900 feet without a crossing.

We are exploring converting a short section of bus lane from 5 a.m. - 10 a.m. to 24-Hour. This would only affect the northbound side of Washington St, from Bexley Rd to Firth Rd.

It has been over 5 years since the bus lanes were striped. Repainting them will ensure they continue to operate as intended.

The north and southbound bus lanes are operational! However we still want to engage with you and receive feedback on current and future improvements! 

Further construction improvements — such as curb extensions, bus bump outs, bus stops, and pedestrian crossings — are still to come! 

We are also working to plan improvements for the areas by Forest Hills Station and Cummins Highway.