1. Case
for
Bike
Route:
Old
Colony
Avenue,
South
Boston
1.0 Overview
[Bikeways
for
Everybody]
1.1 Introduction:
The
Boston
Cyclists
Union
is
a
non-­‐profit
organization
acting
as
a
catalyst
in
the
process
of
designing
and
implementing
Boston’s
bike
routes.
People
use
bikes
as
a
way
to
get
places
faster,
avoid
traffic,
and
for
recreational
use.
Boston’s
bike
infrastructure
is
not
up
yet
up
to
the
standards
of
cities
such
as
San
Francisco
or
Austin,
Texas,
however,
steps
are
being
made
in
the
right
direction.
Thus
far
we
have
a
multitude
of
wins
that
include
the
most
recent
cycle
track
victory
on
Commonwealth
Ave,
and
the
Casey
Arborway
reconstruction
project.
In
the
30-­‐year
Boston
Bike
Network
Plan,
cycle
tracks
are
proposed
on
many
of
Boston’s
main
streets,
including
Old
Colony
Ave
from
the
Broadway
T-­‐stop
to
the
JFK/UMass
T-­‐
stop.
1.2 Background:
Bikeways
for
Everybody
(B4E)
is
a
campaign
project
born
through
the
BCU
with
the
intent
to
connect
at
least
60
miles
of
bike
routes
in
Boston.
The
five
crosstown
bikeways
will
span
through
Boston,
Brookline,
Cambridge
and
Somerville,
connecting
existing
bike
routes
with
bike
routes
in
the
idea-­‐stage,
design-­‐stage,
and
construction-­‐underway
stage.
With
the
existing
designated
bike
lanes,
the
Bike
Union
is
planning
and
promoting
the
design
of
cycle
tracks
to
make
commuting
safer
and
easier.
We
want
to
see
each
crosstown
route
be
made
continuous
so
that
bicyclists
may
ride
and
commute
safely
down
roads
with
designated
bike
lanes.
Focusing
on
these
major
commuting
routes
is
the
quickest
and
cheapest
way
for
Boston
to
accomplish
a
connective
network.
Figure
A

2.
Connecting
Boston’s
bikeways
will
bring
together
people
from
all
of
Boston’s,
and
the
Greater
Boston
area’s,
diverse
neighborhoods.
Cycling
brings
awareness
to
parts
of
the
city
otherwise
surpassed
by
car-­‐drivers.
B4E
is
a
network
that
benefits
everyone
because
it
is
an
affordable
mode
of
transportation.
It
will
benefit
local
business,
as
passer-­‐by
bicyclists
are
more
readily
willing
to
explore
new
places.
Studies
of
protected
bike
lanes
in
NYC
prove
increased
retail
sales.
On
the
health
scale,
bicycling
is
a
form
of
exercise
and
environmental
justice.
It
controls
weight
and
prevents
cardiovascular
disease
while
decreasing
gas
consumption,
improving
the
city’s
environmental
nature.
A
healthier
lifestyle
is
an
unprecedented
outcome
of
the
B4E
project.
1.3 Harborline
Bikeway:
The
Harborline
Bikeway
is
one
of
the
five
cross-­‐town
routes
in
B4E.
It
spans
from
the
Mystic
River
Path
to
the
Truman
Parkway
and
Brush
Hill
Road.
This
is
a
total
of
17.3
miles,
with
22.54%
of
the
bike
routes
completed
and
the
other
77.46%
in
working
phases.
Our
ideal
outlook
for
the
Harborline
Bikeway
is
to
be
fully
completed
by
2025,
in
time
for
the
Boston
Bike
Network’s
30-­‐year
plan.
1.4 Figure
B:
Old
Colony
Ave
1.5 Objective:
To
create
road
infrastructure
that
is
safe
to
bike
on.
In
this
section
of
South
Boston
there
is
very
little
access
to
affordable
transportation,
with
the
closest
train
stops
at
UMass/JFK
and
Broadway
along
the
Red
Line
and
bus
routes
5
and
16.
Neither
bus
routes
nor
train
make
Old
Colony
Ave
easily
accessible.
As
a
result,
this
case
introduces
the
design
for
a
“Road
Diet”,
a
technique
to
reduce
the
number
of
travel
lanes
in
order
to
achieve
ease
of
transportation.
This
means
less
traffic
and
promotion
of
a
bikeable
and
walkable
route.
The
proposed
design
for
the
cycle
track
would
span
from
the
intersection
of
Dorchester
Ave
and
Old
Colony
Ave,
and
continue
south
bound
to
the
rotary
at
Moakley
Park.
Figure
B:
Section
of
Old
Colony
Ave
in
South
Boston
that
this
case
focuses
on

3. 2.0 Analysis
of
Existing
Conditions
2.1 Location:
Old
Colony
Ave
[42.336555,
-­‐71.056021]
@
intersection
of
Old
Colony
Ave
and
C
St.
2.2 Measurements:
Sidewalk
[8ft]
–
Parking
[7’10”]
–
Lane
1
[11’6”]
–
Lane
2
[10’5”]
Fog
Lines
[6’6”]
-­‐
Median
Curb
[4’10”]
Lane
3
[10’3”]
–
Lane
4
[11’]
–
Parking
[8’]
–
Sidewalk
[7’2”]
2.3 Figure
C:
Bicycle
Crash
Map
&
Data
2.4 Figure
D:
MassHighway
Intersection
Crash
Rate
Worksheet
2.4.1 A
Northeastern
Study
in
2009
calculated
the
number
of
cars
and
crashes
at
the
rotary
connecting
Old
Colony
Ave,
Columbia
Road,
and
Preble
Street.
The
total
daily
approach
volume
is
32,010
cars.
The
average
number
of
crashes
per
year
is
7.67.
This
rotary
is
important
in
the
discussion
of
Old
Colony
Ave
because
it
connects
Moakley
Park
with
the
north
side
of
the
Avenue.
Pedestrians
and
cyclists
alike
will
use
this
rotary
so
it
is
of
high
priority
to
put
in
a
one-­‐way
cycle
track
for
safety
and
ease
of
transit.
Figure
C:
Stars
outlined
in
green
represent
bike
collisions
that
occurred
between
2009
and
2012
Rotary

4. 2.5 Qualitative
Analysis
Observations
at
Moakley
Park
Date
Time
#
of
Bikes
in
30
Minutes
#
of
Cars
in
1
Minute
Notes
April
30,
2015
2PM
3
[young
boy,
athletic
biker
with
backpack,
woman]
25
Majority
of
cars
are
SUVs,
busses
–
Traffic
closest
to
UMASS
Boston,
No
pedestrian
or
car
traffic
May
13,
2015
9:30-­‐10AM
5-­‐7
[elder
white
male
wearing
yellow
vest
in
road,
helmet-­‐
wearing,
black,
no
helmets
on
sidewalk]
24-­‐31
More
traffic
at
9:30AM
coming
from
T
going
North,
more
pedestrians
on
sidewalk,
MBTA
busses/school
busses
2.6 Quantitative
Analysis
Traffic
Count
ID#
Road
Count
Year
N/E/S/W
Annual
Growth
#8653
Dot
Ave
[2-­‐
way]
21,600
2005
NB
&
SB
“”
“”
21,033
2010
NB
&
SB
-­‐1%
#8560
Preble
St
[2-­‐way]
8,300
2005
EB
&
WB
“”
“”
8,082
2010
EB
&
WB
-­‐1%
#8110
General
Casimir
Pulaski
Skyway
[2-­‐
way]
202,055
2013
NB
&
SB
#238072
[South
of
Moakley]
Columbia
Rd.
[2-­‐
way]
46900
1999
EB
&
WB
“”
“”
37380
2005
EB
&
WB

5.
3.0 Proposal
for
Bike
Route
3.1 Existing
Infrastructure
3.1.1 Massachusetts’s
law
states
that
bicycles
are
vehicles;
therefore
they
belong
on
the
road.
Bicycles,
like
cars,
must
obey
the
same
laws.
Currently
cyclists
must
use
an
entire
lane
on
Old
Colony
Ave
to
safely
ride
from
Moakley
Park
to
Dorchester
Avenue
or
vice
versa.
Current
Road
Section
A)
Old
Colony
Ave
[42.330449,
-­‐
71.052813]
Intersection
of
Old
Colony
and
C
St.
Distance
Total
Sidewalk
A
7
ft
2in
Parked
Car
Lane
A
8
ft
Travel
Lane
1
11
ft
Travel
Lane
2
10
ft
3
in
36
ft
5
in
Fog
Line
Median
Curb
–
4
ft
10
in
6
ft
6
in
Travel
Lane
3
10
ft
5
in
Travel
Lane
4
11
ft
6
in
Parked
Car
Lane
B
7
ft
10
in
Sidewalk
B
8
ft
37
ft
9
in
TOTAL
80
ft
8
in
including
fog
line
[Measurements
onsite,
5/20/2015,
using
surveyor’s
wheel]
! See
attached
Cross
Section
A
3.2 Cycle
Track
Guidelines
3.2.1 The
desired
minimum
for
a
One-­‐Way
Protected
Cycle
Track
is
5
to
7
feet.
3.2.2 3
feet
as
a
parking
buffer:
Tubular
markers/movable
planters/raised
curb
3.2.3 Wrap
cycle
track
behind
the
transit
stop
! See
attached
Visual
A

6. 3.3 Road
Diet
Proposal
3.3.1 A
typical
road
diet
conversion
s
one
that
reduces
a
four-­‐lane
road
into
a
three-­‐lane
road
with
the
fourth
lane
converted
to
a
bicycle
lane,
sidewalk,
or
on-­‐street
parking.
Old
Colony
Ave
is
a
special
case
as
it
is
a
six-­‐lane
road
with
parking
lanes
northbound
and
southbound.
To
increase
pedestrian
and
commuter
activity
the
road
diet
we
are
proposing
will
limit
the
part
of
Old
Colony
Ave
North
of
Moakley
Park
to
a
four-­‐lane
road
with
two
travel
lanes
(NB,
SB),
two
parking
lanes
(NB,
SB)
and
two
cycle
tracks
(NB,
SB).
Inserting
a
cycle
track
will
cause
minimal
change
to
the
already
existing
road
infrastructure,
thus
keeping
costs
low.
The
result
will
increase
business
to
the
area
and
make
it
safer
for
the
children
who
walk
and
bike
to
the
Boston
Public
School,
two
blocks
East
of
Old
Colony
Ave.
Proposed
Road
Section
B)
Old
Colony
Ave
[42.330449,
-­‐
71.052813]
Intersection
of
Old
Colony
and
C
St.
Distance
Total
Sidewalk
A
7
ft
2in
Cycle
Track
7
ft
Raised
Curb
Buffer
3
ft
Parked
Car
Lane
8
ft
Travel
Lane
1
11
ft
3
in
36
ft
5
in
Fog
Line
Median
Curb
–
4
ft
10
in
6
ft
6
in
Travel
Lane
2
11
ft
6
in
Parked
Car
Lane
B
8
ft
Raised
Curb
Buffer
B
3
ft
Cycle
Track
7
ft
Sidewalk
8
ft
37
ft
9
in
TOTAL
80
ft
8
in
including
fog
line
! See
attached
Cross
Section
B
4.0 Suggestions
for
Further
Improvement:
4.1 Add
a
Hubway
near
the
park
for
those
who
frequent
the
park
and
to
promote
park
use.
4.2 Add
bike
parking
4.3 A
raised
cycle
track,
and
raised
curbs,
at
the
rotary
of
Moakley
Park
where
accidents
are
likely
to
occur.

7.
5.0 Conclusion:
The
area
along
Old
Colony
Avenue
through
South
Boston
is
not
a
safe
or
easy
place
to
bike.
Without
a
designated
bike
lane,
bicyclists
must
be
doubly
aware
as
they
are
dodging
4,000
pounds
of
metal.
Old
Colony
Ave
is
a
residential
area
with
kids
and
families
playing
in
the
streets
and
around
Moakley
Park.
The
four-­‐lane
road
that
turns
into
a
six-­‐lane
road
towards
JFK/UMass
creates
a
high-­‐hazard
zone
for
pedestrians
and
bikers
alike.
Not
only
will
a
bike
route
along
Old
Colony
Ave
make
a
safer
transit
environment,
but
also
can
enhance
business
growth
in
the
area.
As
we
know,
economies
grow
and
thrive
based
on
the
business
that
exists
and
the
public’s
interest
in
that
area.
South
Boston
is
a
working-­‐class
neighborhood.
The
businesses
that
line
the
streets
of
Old
Colony
Ave
include
D’Angelo,
Dunkin
Donuts,
Domino’s
Pizza,
Castle
Self-­‐Storage,
mirror
and
sign
shops,
and
a
few
bars,
diners,
and
liquor
shops.
Compare
this
area
to
across
route
3A
where
the
average
pedestrian
or
biker
sees
a
Whole
Foods,
boutique
coffee
shops,
libraries,
and
medical
centers.
There
is
easier
access
to
public
transport
(i.e.
busses,
trains,
and
Hubway).
Above
all
there
are
designated
bike
lanes
or
shared
bike
paths
that
extend
through
the
South
End.
If
we
look
at
the
South
End’s
growth
over
the
past
ten
years
we
see
a
dramatic
improvement
in
the
economic
environment
that
is
a
result
of
the
ease
of
transit.
South
Boston
has
the
resources
and
research
to
mimic
the
steps
that
the
South
End
took
to
change
the
transportation
environment.
With
a
bike
lane,
South
Boston
can
become
a
place
that
is
easily
accessible
for
people
and
reducing
car
traffic.
In
2012
the
City
of
Boston
created
a
$1.8
billion
for
a
5-­‐year
capital
plan,
which
includes
$217
million
for
new
project
authorization.
Funds
for
a
bike
route
case
like
this
could
also
come
from
the
Browne
Fund,
the
TIGER
Grant,
Mission
Main
Street
Grants,
and
the
Green
Lane
Project
by
People
for
Bikes.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
Bikeways
for
Everybody,
the
Harborline
Bikeway,
and
specifically
this
section
on
Old
Colony
Avenue
will
make
people
feel
happier,
more
confident,
and
more
comfortable
to
bike.
This
design
is
a
suggestion
to
speed
up
the
process
of
redesign
and
reconstruction
of
Old
Colony
Avenue
in
South
Boston.
We
are
open
to
collaboration
with
MassDOT
and
other
city
transportation
committees.
The
sooner
we
can
begin
this
project,
the
closer
we
are
to
our
vision
of
bike
routes
for
2030.
Resources
1. MassDOT
Highway,
Transportation
Data
Management
System,
http://mhd.ms2soft.com/tcds/tsearch.asp?loc=Mhd&mod=
2. Conroy,
Hipp,
Pacileo,
Ruby,
Old
Colony
Bikeway
Report,
4/23/2009.
3. http://www.ctps.org/map/www/apps/lrtpNeedsAssessmentApp/index.html
http://www.ctps.org/apps/bike_ped5/bike_ped_countloc_detail.cfm?loc_id=20102&html_municipality=Boston&html_fac
ility_name=998&html_date=02-­‐JAN-­‐1900