Clay, Jamaica Plain

As a pedestrian and driver I've been forced to avoid this beloved parkway in my own neighborhood for vast hours of the day for years on end. It is that dangerous, that inefficient, that inconvenient - and that frustrating.

As a 25-year resident of the immediate area the examples of crashes are too numerous to relate. My vehicle has been clipped within Murray Circle at least once prior to the new striping, with dozens of close calls. I have witnessed dozens more vehicle crashes and their aftermaths over the years. As a frequent pedestrian I have little confidence that drivers - who are almost always traveling above the posted speed limits and frequently weaving between lanes - will see me, obey their traffic signals, or yield to the presence of cyclists, pedestrians, or even children. Twice this month alone - and many, many times in the last five years - vehicles traveling north on the Arborway have hopped the curb and crashed through the fence separating the mainline Arborway from the residential carriage road opposite the Arboretum. 

Lucia, Hyde Park

The Arborway is harrowing, to say the least, both on foot and by bike! Drivers never stop for the crosswalks, and they are also extremely aggressive when I enter the rotary on a bike. If I don't get onto the bike lane and stay in the main traffic lanes of the Arborway, oh my god drivers get so angry. But I can't always make that extremely tight turn! It's horrible. I add 3 miles to my commute every day to avoid this area, because it's so dangerous and difficult to maneuver. 

I've given up on traveling through here to be quite honest. I've had drivers lay on their horns, zip by me within inches, gun their engines, and yell out their windows while I'm biking; and no one stops for you in the cross walks. If the outside traffic in the rotary stops, you need to be extremely careful because the inner traffic will not, and they tend to be going much faster so you have no time to react. I also used to walk here every day from the bus stop (near the Monument on Centre St) coming home from middle and high school, and just getting through the rotary area would take at least 15 minutes. 

If there was a connected bike path and safe pedestrian crossings through this section, I would use it every day!! If I could just take an Arborway path directly it would save me so much time on my commute.

Matt, Jamaica Plain

My family has lived in the Moss Hill area of Jamaica Plain for 12+ years. We are a family of 4 (13 and 9 y/o daughters). My wife and I both bike commute to our jobs and my 13 year-old often bikes to Boston Latin School. I love Jamaica Plain in so many ways, but needing to negotiate this section of the road is my least favorite thing about our neighborhood! 

As a driver, when coming north in the rotary that bends towards Parkman Drive, cars heading South will routinely blow through the obstructed yield sign and enter into the circle without properly yielding. I have been lucky enough to avoid a collision myself, but I have witnessed several collisions and their aftermath.

As a pedestrian or cyclist, when crossing Parkman heading north, cars often do not yield to allow safe crossing in the crosswalk. I estimate the yield rate to be about 50% to pedestrians in the crosswalk. As a cyclist, there is no safe way to get from Pond Street / Arborway intersection to the Emerald Necklace bike path. Heading north, I end up riding on the sidewalk, often irritating pedestrians. Heading south, I either ride on the sidewalk, or ride on an unsafe stretch of the Arborway with no bike lane as cars enter and exit from Parkman and Prince.

If there was a connected bike path and safe pedestrian crossings through this section, my family and I would be more comfortable riding our bikes and walking. In particular, I would feel much more comfortable encouraging my 13 and 9 year old daughters to ride their bikes from our house in Moss Hill to Centre Street and other sections of Boston.

Kathryn, Roslindale

The presence of the [new] bike lanes is such a relief. However, I still feel unsafe here all the time, especially in the north/west bound bike lane on the Arborway that suddenly disappears with no warning just before the mid-block crosswalk [by the Arboretum entrance]. My decision to go or not always comes down to: do I feel like I have enough energy to deal with the Arborway today, and if so, can I do it at a time that's not dark and when the sun isn't low & in drivers' eyes? I don't want to die getting provisions for lunch this week. 

I find that the new traffic pattern is easier to navigate in a car. I notice a real difference since the safety improvements were added -- cars really do go more slowly. 

I have never biked the Arborway after dark, and I don't think I would as it is configured now. But I am currently enrolled in a degree program at Simmons and some of my classes will be in the late afternoon or evening. My primary mode of transportation is my bicycle, and I have not yet figured out a safe route to get to and from Back Bay after sundown -- I would absolutely use the Arborway to get home from school on dark winter evenings if there was a connected bike path.

Rachel, Jamaica Plain

I live within a block of Forest Hills. I don't own a car and bicycling is my primary mode of transport. I avoid using the Arborway even though it's the most direct route to many places.  The traffic circle feels very unsafe for cyclists. I also don't feel safe at the intersection of Washington and Arborway as a cyclist or pedestrian. I have no choice but to cross Arborway, because I live right off it, but I'd feel much safer if the Washington St. intersection let bikes/pedestrians cross with traffic stopped in all directions. I would use the Arborway to get to Centre St and the Pond if the rotary wasn't so sketchy.

David, Roslindale

I ride my bike through this area to get to shopping, entertainment and visiting family and friends, often several times a week.

While the bike lanes on the Arborway provide some relief compared with the prior configuration (a sometimes-disappearing unmarked shoulder) the fact that they're not protected even by plastic posts still has us concerned about drivers using the bike lane to get an advantage over other drivers. A safe connection at Murray Circle is pretty much nonexistent, even when we dismount and attempt to cross as pedestrians.  When drivers speed excessively, I fear for my safety. When I see the aftermath of crashes, (e.g. in Murray Circle) I shudder at what might have happened to me had I been riding my bike or trying to cross the roadway when the crash happened.

J, Jamaica Plain

I live nearby, and my children go to school and daycare nearby.  I mostly commute by bicycle and I find it much too dangerous to go on this section.  When I do drive, I try to avoid the traffic circle because I have had way too many close calls of accidents.

I mostly commute by bicycle with my toddler on the back of my bike while my 5 year old rides his own bike.  I would never let my 5 year old ride in this section.  We always go through side streets to get to the emerald necklace or to where we need to go.  When I am by myself on bike, I have had countless close calls with someone almost hitting me.  At the traffic circle, I have started biking on the sidewalk because the bike lane just ends and the cars zoom so fast without looking for who is next to them.  I have often had to slam on my brakes so a car would narrowly miss me.  But riding on the sidewalk is not safe either because cars are not expecting a bike to come from the sidewalk.  In a car I have had similar experiences of nearly missed accidents, especially if I am in the traffic circle and need to exit towards Centre Street where there is a light.  I do not feel safe as a pedestrian either.  Cars go way too fast and they often forget to look in the crosswalk.  There needs to be more safety for all modes of transportation on this stretch of road.

I avoid the Arborway and take the side roads through JP instead.  I would love it if this were a safe road to travel because it is a much more direct route from my house near Forest Hills.

Jo-Anne, Jamaica Plain

I live within ¼ of a mile of the Arborway.  If there was a safe (separated) connected bike path and safe pedestrian crossings with pedestrian-activated lights that actually turn red to stop traffic, I would stop going out of my way to avoid this area. I now ride or walk an extra mile or so in order to avoid Murray Circle.

I feel completely unsafe riding my bike in Murray Circle. I have had many close calls with cars where the driver insists on either cutting me off to speed around me to exit the circle or drive in the painted bike lane. More than paint is needed to keep vulnerable bicycle road users safe. There needs to be some sort of physical separation so that cars cannot breach and drive in the bike lanes, which is frequently done with paint only.

Len, Brookline

I frequently ride my bike from Brookline to the Arnold Arboretum along the Emerald Necklace. The cars go very fast and there is not much room to bike. I do not feel safe riding on the street here so I will usually ride on the sidewalk which isn’t much better. If there was a connected bike path and safe pedestrian crossings through this section, I would use it more frequently.

Ann, Jamaica Plain

My husband, Jim and I have lived on the Arborway for nearly 25 years. We are both in our 80s and I still drive us around. Walking has become increasingly perilous and I watch cyclists compete for their designated bike lanes. As one who drives the posted speed limit, I am bullied daily with what I call lane dancers, threatening to pass on my right or left. I am frequently passed on roadways with double yellow lines. Honking their horns at me for a block or more is not uncommon. I see little in the way of traffic calming. It feels like we are all on our own to survive as best we can.

Recently there was another fence crash near our house. It was quite large – about 4 panels got knocked down and there were fender parts on the street. Crashes like this have happened at the same site as so many times in the past. The Arborway is getting worse. 

As a senior driver, aggressive driving continues to place those of us who drive the speed limit and speeds that are safe for us in danger.  My husband has been bumped once and had to flatten against our car to avoid being hit.

Jessica, Roslindale

I commute through here and it’s part of a regularly running route for me. It is beyond frustrating by car and feels very hazardous by bike. 

Cars are not respecting the bike infrastructure and pedestrians don’t have safe crossings. The buffered bike lanes offer a false sense of security because cars disregard the buffer zone trying to drive around traffic. The turn onto Centre St from Arborway on a bike is awful due to impatient drivers, as is the poor infrastructure around the rotary for bikes. There is no improvement for pedestrians/runners. I was really excited for improvements to this area and honestly it feels just as car centric and even more hazardous for bikes. Even the buffered bike lanes that run past the Arboretum don’t feel safe because they’re not protected from speeding and parking vehicles.

I once saw a bike and cyclist getting cleared by an ambulance in the rotary and I’ve seen a few fender benders involving cars in the rotary. I won’t let my teen kids bike through there- they need to cross Centre and cut through on May St. If there was a connected bike path and safe pedestrian crossings through this section, we would have a clear and safe connection from our home all through park paths to the emerald necklace!

Brian, Jamaica Plain

My name is Brian and my family has lived on Prince St since 2010. We have two boys at the Manning Elementary now and will have three there next fall. This will presumably keep us involved in that school until 2029. We would love to primarily walk/bike to and from the Manning, but the horribly designed Arborway makes every trip on foot somewhat daunting, resulting in many more short trips taken by car. (We are too close for the bus.) The recent changes to Murray Circle have lowered traffic speeds (often to a standstill) and have made crossing on foot easier than before. However it is still a very scary intersection, especially when cars in the right southbound Arborway lane drive in the new bike lane to get to Centre St. We are fortunate that as cyclists we never have to negotiate this intersection. 

Sarah, nearby resident

This stretch of road is horrifying! As a walker/runner, even when the walk signals say walk I know 1-2 cars will run each red light, requiring extra waiting and constant fear. As a driver, it's unclear which lanes take you where.

The first few times I crossed this stretch, I had close calls. When the new bike lanes were installed, I also experienced several impatient drivers driving down the bicycle lane to get to the rotary, almost knocking me over and likely killing me. 

If there was a connected bike path and safe pedestrian crossings through this section, this part of JP would be more than just a highway to me. Right now, I avoid this road no matter what mode of transportation I am using, which can be at times inconvenient. I'd LOVE to be able to move from the Arboretum to Jamaica Pond without an issue or fear, as those are two of the best spots in the neighborhood.

Taylor, Roslindale

The recent bike lanes have been a tremendous improvement, however I still feel somewhat unsafe due to cars still traveling at high speeds and the chaos at the rotary. I have struggled with drivers traveling too fast through the rotary and not noticing me. I have almost been hit numerous times in the circle. I also have to swerve in and out of bike lanes approaching the circle because cars don’t respect the lane and park in it sometimes. This is also unsafe. 

If there were slowing measures implemented at the circle, I would definitely feel safer about using the Arborway for biking.

Nate, Roxbury

The crosswalk (where Francis Parkman Dr. splits off the Arborway) very frequently has drivers not noticing pedestrians and people on bikes crossing and has many scary near-misses. I've been buzzed by more right-turning cars here while trying to cross than I can count. As vehicles are navigating a complex, multi-lane rotary- often at fairly high speed while going around a tight bend, drivers don't have time or inclination to notice people crossing in the crosswalk

I was in a crash while riding a bicycle in a different rotary in Brookline and thankfully I was not riding with my two young children as I typically do today; I now avoid multi-lane rotaries while riding a bike or walking whenever possible as I am scared for my safety while navigating them as it's just not possible for people driving cars and trucks to process all of the inputs necessary to use a rotary and also notice bicycles and people walking.

If there was a connected bike path and safe pedestrian crossings through this section my family and I would more frequently have a safe route to access the Arnold Arboretum and other outdoor spaces in Jamaica Plain!