Massachusetts DCR proposes to reconstruct Hammond Pond Parkway from Beacon St to Route 9 to reduce the cross section from four lanes to two and add a twelve foot multi-use path on the western side.
Location
DCR Project Goals
Redesign Hammond Pond Parkway as a “complete street” gem in the DCR parkway system
Provide safe bicycle and pedestrian accommodation along parkway via a twelve-foot wide shared use path
Provide two travel lanes from Beacon Street to The Shoppes at Chestnut Hill driveway.
Maintain existing travel lane configuration from The Shoppes at Chestnut Hill driveway to Route 9
Provide improved access to adjacent conservation areas
Construct landscaped buffer between roadway and shared use path with extensive plantings
This stretch of Beacon Street is very heavily traveled by bicycles during peak hours and will hopefully see even more usage connecting to the new improved Hammond Pond Parkway. Turn lanes at this intersection eliminate the buffer between bicycles and vehicles. Please provide full protected bicycle lanes throughout the project limits along Beacon Street on both sides! This will benefit many users and create more opportunity for mode shift. Beyond the project limits, protected bike lanes could merge back into the roadway where there is plenty of buffer space.
Hobart Road
Please narrow the slip lane from Hobart to Beacon to a width consistent with the other slip lanes and change the angle to force vehicles to make a sharper turn and provide more safety to cyclists traveling on Beacon Street westbound.
Route 9 underpass
It’s critical to connect this new facility to points to the south via Florence and Heath Streets, and getting through the underpass will require more creative thinking. The sharrow markings on this roadway are simply not fit for cycling, even for “advanced” cyclists. Widening the sidewalks a few feet would be great for pedestrians, but not adequate for cycling. Against the advocacy of local bike/ped groups, MassDOT constructed large islands at the underpass several years ago and no real bike facilities. Narrowing these islands would make possible dedicated bike lanes to connect with the project.
Pedestrian crossings
Even two lane roads in the area are difficult to cross without signals. I would urge DCR to provide signals at ped crossings, preferably HAWK signals, which have been very effective and are used in several nearby locations.
Comments I submitted to DCR (with a few, small afterthoughts and modifications):
The public mtg had reached the max # of participants and even though I registered, I was unable to join and make a comment. I am a senior citizen, a bicyclist and have been a resident of Chestnut Hill for 20+ years. I am very disappointed in this plan.
There should be a dedicated bike lane/bike path on each side of Hammond Pond Parkway from Beacon St. all the way to Newton St. plus sidewalks and NOT a 2 way multi-use path on one side. This will be a major bike route for recreational cyclists heading out to Needham and Dover especially since Hammond Street (the other alternative) is so narrow and has no shoulder or bike lane between Beacon and Rt. 9.
Bicycles and pedestrians need separate infrastructure, especially on a hill where bikes can easily reach speeds in excess of 20 mph. When a multi-use path is crowded with pedestrians walking side by side (many of them distracted by wearing headphones or looking at their phones) and often with children, there is no room for bicycles to safely pass them. When I walk, I don’t want to have to jump out of the way of bicycles. When I ride a bike, I don’t want to be dodging pedestrians. The crossing under route 9 as well as the entrance into the Chestnut Hill Mall privileges vehicle throughput over bicycle and pedestrian safety. There is plenty of width to provide separate facilities for bicycles and pedestrian in both directions.
I strongly urge you to re-think these plans to enable safe bicycling and walking for all ages and abilities.
Summary: delays will get worse at Beacon and HPP, minimally elsewhere. Study says they didn’t start out all that bad, so the tradeoffs are reasonable. You will doubtless hear, however, that in worst case motor vehicle queues will increase.
