Brookline Commentary: New Bus Lanes Could Improve Quality Of Life

BROOKLINE, MA — The following commentary was submitted by David Kroop jointly written by him and 13 other Brookline residents, regarding the proposed bus lane in Brookline Village.

We urge the Brookline Transportation Board to support implementation of a pilot to test 900 feet of dedicated bus lanes along Washington Street, better known as Route 9, from High Street near the fire station to the Boston line at River Road near the new Hilton Garden Inn.

The proposed bus lanes, part of the Gateway East project, are an important opportunity to improve quality of life for those who live, work, and shop in and near Brookline. The proposal prioritizes movement of people, encourages sustainable modes of travel, and aims to reduce the number of cars and amount of fossil fuel emissions in Brookline.

The proposal is consistent with a growing trend in Brookline, as expressed through initiatives such as the 2019 Town Meeting Warrant Article on sustainable transportation, that the town’s transportation decision-making should prioritize social and climate justice. Bus lanes make our roads more just and inclusive. A high proportion of bus passengers in Gateway East are people of color, women, and from low-income households.

The proposal would also align Brookline with 11 other communities in the Boston area, where 9 miles of bus lanes were implemented between 2002 and 2009, and 14 miles will be constructed in 2020 and 2021 as part of the response to Covid-19.

Bus lanes help move large numbers of people fast and reliably. Gateway East is a heavily used corridor that is currently a bottleneck for buses. The MBTA estimates that congestion on this stretch increases bus travel time by 3.6 minutes. The bus lanes could facilitate future improvements on Brookline Avenue and Huntington Avenue, further enhancing the quality of this critical bus network.

Bus lanes introduced in other Boston communities have been a great success, with bus ridership increasing and other motor vehicle traffic reduced. Bus lanes improve street safety and comfort by making it easier for pedestrians to cross the street and by adding distance between pedestrians and moving cars and trucks. Those living in the adjacent neighborhoods or who walk in Gateway East will benefit from a more comfortable and safe walking experience.

The MBTA suggests that in a worst-case scenario the bus lanes might increase travel time for non-buses through Gateway East by five minutes during peak times, but this will be reduced or eliminated if some traffic is diverted to other regional routes such as I-90 or to other modes of transportation.

While some people fear that introduction of bus lanes will shift traffic to local streets, according to the MBTA, this has not happened in other communities. Since the proposal is for a pilot, the town will be able to monitor conditions on local streets and make necessary adjustments.

We urge the Transportation Board, Select Board, and the Brookline community to support this proposal.

More information about the proposal is available on the Transportation Division’s website: www.brooklinema.gov/140/Transportation-Division-of-DPW. Public comments concerning the proposal can be emailed to Todd Kirrane, the town’s Transportation Administrator, at tkirrane@brooklinema.gov.

This commentary was authored by:

Alan Christ
Deane Coady
Christi Electris
Andrew Fischer
Mary Rose Fissinger
Mitch Heineman
Jonathan Klein
David Kroop
Joan Lancourt
Werner Lohe
Anne Lusk
Clint Richmond
Paul Saner
Amanda Zimmerman