Two-way bicycling on the Carriage Lane had been around a while. Many had been cycling (and running) eastbound anyway even though it was not legal, and even though the road conditions made for danger. You would only have to stand on the Carriage Road for a minute to see one or more bicyclists heading eastbound.
2011
In 2011, Phil and I put our focus on making the Carriage Lane safe – and safer – for runners and pedestrians in both directions, and bicyclists in the existing legal direction, with our eyes on the future. The Bicycle Advisory Committee, and its members Lois Levin, John Pelletier and Andreae Downs, became invaluable sources of support to our mission to make it safer for all.
2014
In December 2014, then traffic Engineer Zach Bosch docketed two-way bicycling on the Carriage Lane for discussion in the Traffic Council. Alderman Ruth Ann Fuller, then a committee member, was supportive. The Traffic Council Report from Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, indicates “Ald. Fuller noted that contra flow on the Carriage Lane is ongoing and appears to be working well. Is there a way for it to become legal? Can appropriate signs be installed informing all users?”
City Councilor Andreae Downs
Councilor Andreae Downs has been a steady source of support for this. Since 2018, where we have identified an area of potential danger which can easily be solved with the addition – or modification – of appropriate signage, she has docketed numerous items for us with Traffic Council. These include the addition of stop signs along the Carriage Road and at the N/S cross roads.
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller gave the issue of legalized westbound travel for bicyclists new life when, in 2019, she arranged a meeting for Phil and me with Newton’s Planning Dept. Jason Sobel, the City’s principal traffic engineer in the Transportation Dept., established to all in attendance that contra-flow on the Carriage Lane was the next and biggest way forward to make the Carriage Road safer for all: The addition of signs posted at the corners of the cross roads to indicate to look left (east) and right (west) for oncoming bicyclists was directly tied to and dependent on establishing contra-flow for bicyclists. Her support throughout this project, right down to repaving the Carriage Road from Beaumont to Higgins in the early fall of 2023, has been key.
The Solomon Project, now called called “The Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Road Redesign,” added new energy to our Commonwealth Ave Two-Way Bicycling project. This Redesign project proposed the addition of contra-flow for pedestrians and bicycling at the western end of Newton, from the Boat House to Islington Road. In the earlier stages of this project, we pointed out to them the value in extending their vision eastbound to Lyons Park especially because from Islington to the eastern edge of the park the direction of travel for all vehicles – including bicycles – is currently legal only eastbound, the only block along all of the Carriage Lane to be so. The plans of this project now include Lyons Park, and is at 75% design, slated for construction to begin summer 2023.
2019, 2020: PS&TC Discussion and Approval
Public Safety and Transportation Committee (PS&TC) co-chair Councilor Andreae Downs docketed discussion of contra-flow with PS&TC both in 2019 and in 2020. Both times there was unanimous and enthusiastic support among City Councilors. The item was co-docketed by 11 other city councilors, including Chair Jake Auchincloss. Many residents came out to and spoke in support of legal westbound bicycle traffic on those two occasions.
You can view my public comment statement here.
2020: Traffic Council
Public Comment At the May 20, 2020 PS&TC meeting, the Director of Transportation Operations Jason Sobel made a presentation (downloadable here), after which the public was given an opportunity to respond, which they did. We understood that this first stage of modifications would exclude signalized (and larger) intersections for now, until CIP funding can be obtained to make these intersections safe for eastbound bicycle traffic. The best example of this is a signalized traffic light for the intersection of Chestnut St and the Carriage Road to includes a bike signal (currently planned for 2026.).
Approval by Traffic Council Councilor Downs docketed the item before Traffic Council, which approved this on March 17, 2022. It had the backing of eleven other councilors: Jake Auchincloss, Alicia Bowman, Andrea Kelley, Mark Laredo, Marty Markiewicz, Emily Norton, Pamela Wright, Vicky Danberg, Maria Scibelli Greenberg, Joshua Krintzman, and Rick Lipoff.
Current Status and Ongoing Improvements
The City’s first steps were to remove the cobbles from the Carriage Road in the summer of 2022. This immediately made the Carriage Roads safer for pedestrians, runners, bicyclists and people with disabilities, and all those who wheel chairs and other mobility devices.
DPW then began to install signage and paint striping and sharrows. The green paint to mark intersection crossings was done in the fall of 2023.
Paint striping is now nearly complete; it is awaiting repaving and curbing work in various intersections, notably Valentine (planned for Spring, 2024), Mt. Alvernia, Manet. Other intersection improvements are on the list awaiting funding. The Carriage Road, from Mt. Alvernia to Higgins, has been officially designated a Bicycle/Pedestrian Priority Roadway, or Shared Street.
Updates
Follow our blog to learn about each of the many subsequent improvements.
