Boston Bike Infrastructure

Boston Bicycle Infrastructure Overview (As of May 2024)

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Demographic and Geographic Characteristics

• Population: Approximately 675,647

• Land area: 48.4 square miles

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Government Structure Impacting Bicycle Infrastructure

• Mayor: Michelle Wu

• City Council: Composed of 13 members (9 district representatives and 4 at-large), focusing on city-wide policies including transportation.

• Government Offices Related to Biking: 

  • There is no dedicated Bicycle Program in Boston; instead, bicycle infrastructure is coordinated through the Department of Public Works “Streets Cabinet”.

  • Boston Department of Public Works Streets Cabinet

    • Jascha Franklin-Hodge (Chief of Streets) 

    • Julia Campbell (Deputy Chief of Streets for Infrastructure and Design)

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Current Bicycle Infrastructure (as of September 2022)

(https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a90bff933db94496b6c4214caf17c706.)

• Facility Type & Length (Miles):

  • Dedicated Bike Paths (off street paths): 59 miles

  • Striped Bike Lane: Unknown

  • Separated (protected) Bike Lane: 17.5 miles

  • Combined Bus/Bike Lane: Unknown

  • Total: Unknown, at least 76.5 miles

 

Bicycle Infrastructure Plans

• Go Boston 2030 Vision Plan: Aims to add 9.5 more miles of protected bike lanes by 2026.

 

Advocacy and Programs

• Boston Cyclists Union: Advocates for improved bike safety and infrastructure.

• Bikes not Bombs

 

Biking Statistics

• Percentage of residents biking to work: 2% as of 2023. City of Boston’s goal is to increase to 8% by 2030. (See here for details). 

• Percentage of traffic: Bikes are 10-25% of all Boston traffic at peak times. 

• Bike crashes/injuries: 

  • 2019: 365 people “seriously injured” while biking 

  • Vision Zero goal: End serious and fatal crashes in the city by 2030. 

 

Historical Timeline:

• General timeline

  • 2007: Introduction of Boston's Bike Network Plan.

  • 2011: Launch of Hubway, now Bluebikes, a bike-share program.

  • 2015-2020: Expansion of protected bike lanes across the city.

  • Sept 6, 2022: Michelle Wu announces plan to grow bike network in Boston over the next 3 years

    • 9.4 mile expansion of bike lanes

    • Traffic calming measures

    • Expand Bluebikes program by 40%

    • 50% of city’s population within a 3 minute walk of a protected bike lane

• Boylston Street Bike Lane​​

  • Sept 6, 2022: Boylston street bike lane project first announced at a press conference by Michelle Wu.

  • Winter 2022: Postcards describing the plan were sent to affected business owners and residents. A series of virtual office hours were held to gain feedback and answer questions.

  • Sping/summer 2023: Additional events were held around Back bay, including more virtual office hours, and more direct outreach to business owners to seek their input.

  • June 16, 2023: WBZ news covers Back Bay Residents Association concerns, interviewing Elliott Laffe, who worries about biker safety at the intersection of Berkely and Beacon, where the current plan routes the bike lane directly across Beacon at a heavily trafficked spot.

  • June 29, 2023: The city hosts a drop-in session at the intersection of Berkeley and Beacon to engage with residents and business owners to better understand their concerns.

  • May 2, 2024: At a virtual public meeting, the Department of Public Works provides an update on the timeline for construction of the Boylston bike lane and other projects. They announce several major change to the plan to address concerns of the residents and businesses, including rerouting the bike lane on Berkeley so that it crosses Beacon at a less dangerous spot.  

 

Recent Updates

• 2023: Announcement of five new miles of protected bike lanes in high-traffic areas.

• 2024: Plans for a new bike bridge over the Charles River connecting to Cambridge.