Boston's Citywide Transportation Plan

Guidelines to implement operational and design strategies in residential neighborhoods that enhance pedestrian safety, calm traffic, and improve quality of life.

Pedestrian Safety Guidelines For Residential Streets full report (6.16mb).

Needs Assessment and Project Evaluation

Introduction

	Defining Residential Streets
	Boston's Experience
	National Experience

Guidelines for Regulatory or Physical Modifications

	The Community's Role
	Needs Assessment
	Project Evaluation Process
	Pilot Sites for Transportation Safety Program

Implementation Process

	Community Support
	Costs and Funding
	Interagency Coordination
	Evaluation of Effectiveness

The Boston Transportation Department seeks to improve pedestrian safety on residential streets by implementing measures that slow vehicles down and limit cut-through traffic on those streets. The BTD has developed these guidelines to provide a policy framework for the implementation of measures to improve safety. The guidelines also provide an overview of the program for the public, community leaders, and elected officials. It is anticipated that safety improvement measures will evolve over time, therefore this report is a "living" document and policies will be reevaluated periodically.

This report is a companion document to the BTD's Streetscape Guidelines for Boston's Major Roads, (1.94mb) which was issued in 1999. That document provides guidelines for developing appropriate streetscapes when constructing or reconstructing a "major road" in Boston. They were prepared to address public safety for all users and the equitable sharing of the public right-of-way for pedestrians, automobiles, bicycles, and public transportation vehicles.