Bicycle accomodations on Newton streets

Striped shoulders and accompanying signage create safer zones for riding on streets, while calming vehicular traffic by limiting lane width. We continue to work with the Cities of Newton and Boston to prioritize projects for school and work commuting, recently including bicycle accommodations on Beacon, Walnut, and Parker Streets. As road renovation projects progress, we provide design input for improving accommodations.Striped and bicycle-signed shoulder lanes along streets would provide the best bicycle accommodations. However, some roadways are not always wide enough to accommodate automobile travel lanes plus sufficiently wide striped shoulders that would officially qualify as bike lanes. In addition, eliminating on-street parking often requires an involved and lengthy proce ss of hearings and negotiations.

In order to advance safer bicycling in Newton as quickly as possible, the BPTF as adopted striped "bike shoulders" as a near-term approach to deliver immediate results. They offer as much bicycle lane width as available, and are effective on routes that normally have minimal parking anyway. We have worked with the city engineers to design and install bike shoulders on major east-west and north-south routhes through the city, including Beacon Street, Commonwealth Ave, and Walnut Street.

Longer term, we will continue to collaborate with Newton Aldermen, the Traffic Council, and the neighborhoods to implement official bicycle lanes wherever feasible.