Our Solution

1. Redesign Streets To Create Lanes For Bikes and Buses

Bike lanes like these are separated from both motor vehicles and pedestrians by buffers, greatly decreasing the probability of having an accident.

Above: This image shows the current arrangement of the intersection at Huntington Avenue and Forsyth Street. The shared motor vehicle and bike line is an area of this intersection that we would like to change.

Below: This is an image showing the new street we would like to design to reduce the number of cars on the roads and create separate bus and bike lanes. By removing two car lanes, we were able to add two bike lanes and two bus lanes. The bike lanes are separated from the bus lanes by simple buffers. We also added some trees around the train station to make the intersection look nicer and more appealing to pedestrians and bikers.

2. Cut Down On Side Street Parking

Boston as a whole, like many other big cities, only have a certain amount of space for their roads to work with. Today in the Fenway area, there is almost always road side parking. Side street parking typically takes up about 7.5 feet. That is 7.5' of road space that cannot be used for most of the day. The image to the right depicts a one-way street with street parking on both sides of the road. Eliminating the side street parking here would allow for a small bike lane, larger sidewalks, and might also reduce traffic congestion.

Without side street parking, we expect that fewer people will choose to drive into Boston or Fenway because of the limited parking in the city. This possible reduction in the number of cars in the city would hopefully reduce the negative impact of driving on the environment, the number of accidents, and the traffic on the roads.

3. Increase the Amount of Hubway Stops

Although there are Hubway stops throughout central Boston, some are not conveniently placed, such as the one outside the back entrance of the Ruggles train station (refer to the Hubway map under the Maps section). The entrances on Ruggles Street and the Northeastern University campus have no Hubway stops nearby, so commuters may not know they have the option to reduce their carbon footprint by riding a bike. By posting more Hubway stops in logistical positions, we can encourage more people to use modes of transportation with a positive impact on the environment.

4. Provide Hubway Users With Foldable Helmets With Bike Rentals

In the United States, 82% of bikers claim to not wear helmets because of the inconvenience to carry them around. The Hubway program does not supply users with helmets to rent along with their bikes. A folding bike helmet like the one shown below allow Hubway to store a large supply of helmets at their bike stations without compromising the safety of Hubway users.

Below is a sketch of the Morpher design, in which the helmets can be compressed until they are slim enough to be even stored in a bag but still being sturdy enough to keep the user safe.

This design does not belong to us. For more information on this helmet, visit: https://www.morpherhelmet.com/products/morpher-folding-helmet?variant=36924269454

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