Brookline Commentary: Bus Lanes Will Benefit Brookline And Beyond

BROOKLINE, MA — The following commentary was submitted by Scott Englander and jointly written by him and 11 other Brookline residents and Town Meeting Members, in support of the proposed bus lane in Brookline Village.

As Town Meeting Members and residents, we urge our neighbors and the Transportation Board to support the bus lanes proposed for the Gateway East project near our neighborhoods, Brookline Village and High Street Hill.

Gateway East was once the bustling center of Brookline Village known as Village Square, with trolley lines stretching in every direction. Today, Boylston St. at three intersections (High St., Walnut St., and Brookline Ave.) is among the most congested spots in the region. That’s no accident. Over decades, removing the tracks and trees and narrowing sidewalks to make more room for cars succeeded in turning it into a highway.

As noted by the traffic consultant engaged by Brookline, people stuck in Gateway East traffic collectively lose 300 hours each morning commute. Engineers grade it a “Level of Service” of E or F. Quite simply, peak-hour traffic is already about as bad as is possible to chart.

Those of us living or working here deal with the countless negative impacts of having a highway run through our neighborhood every day. Proposed improvements to our streetscape—dedicated bus lanes—may cause car commuters to choose an alternative and are also likely to have a positive impact on neighbors’ lives.

The status quo at these intersections and overflow into the adjoining neighborhoods harm our quality of life and endanger our health. At five community meetings in December and January, the consensus favoring quieter streets, slower traffic, less cut-through traffic, safer and better functioning intersections, and cleaner air has been overwhelming. We heard that those of us who rely on the bus want quick and dependable service.

The introduction of bus lanes elsewhere in greater Boston has been shown to address many concerns some neighbors have expressed. Eleven neighboring towns and cities have already done the politically risky work of painting bus lanes, and report positively about their experiences.

Ridership often increases after bus lanes are added. MBTA also reports a 10%-20% reduction in (pre-pandemic) traffic where it has implemented bus lanes, and preliminary 2019 data on Somerville’s Broadway bus lanes indicate a decrease in particulate air pollution, consistent with the observed decrease in traffic volume there.

The local evidence echoes national evidence proving the success of bus lanes, supported across the political spectrum for their cost-efficiency. We mustn’t misconstrue the engineering studies’ worst-case traffic assumptions to be likely outcomes. Bus lanes have consistently failed to produce the traffic bottlenecks feared by skeptics.

The potential pros and cons of the proposed bus lanes were presented by an engineering firm with more than 13 years’ experience on Gateway East. Multiple hours-long informational meetings featured experts answering questions and decision makers listening to concerns. Far from a “rush job,” this has been an inclusive public process backed by ample factual and analytical support.

The MBTA considers Gateway East a “critical transit corridor,” identifying the corridor as the most impactful place in town to implement bus lanes. The town has received funding and studied the proposal. Incorporating bus lanes in the final stages of Gateway East construction could be done at no cost to the town and without extending the schedule. Stalling, or diminishing the proposed bus lanes would signal to the region that despite all our rhetoric for social equity and the environment, Brookline doesn’t value public transit.

Some have raised fears of traffic spillover onto our side-streets. To be sure, unless we do all we can to make buses a more viable alternative to driving, we’ll see even more traffic and associated spillover. With or without bus lanes, we must address side-street cut-throughs using traffic calming. Instead of wasting time and money on endless analysis, let’s put some paint on the street, measure how well it works, and tackle any issues brought to light.

This project’s benefits will be felt within and beyond Brookline’s borders. MASSDOT will ultimately weigh the regional implications of the project. Town Meeting has repeatedly expressed its will to prioritize public transit, and to make the trade-offs needed to provide viable alternatives to driving and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Transportation Board has a clear mandate to approve this project. We urge our neighbors to support the proposed bus lanes because all evidence points to this being good, not just for our neighborhood, but for surrounding communities as well.

Emily Jacobsen, Scott Englander (TMM6), Deane Coady, Arthur Conquest III (TMM6), Rob Daves (TMM5), Malcolm Doldron (TMM6), Wendy Friedman, Wendy Machmuller (TMM5), Donelle S. O'Neal Sr. (TMM4 & Advisory Committee), Jan Preheim, Mary Sabolsi, and Kim Smith (TMM6 & AC)