point cover jan 13 - Boston Redevelopment Authority

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
The Point, Boston
Pedestrian Environment and Accessibility
At the study area intersections, sidewalks on Boylston Street, Kilmarnock Street, and Brookline Avenue are in
generally good condition with accessible ramps, striped crosswalks and pedestrian signals. However, there is
no formal sidewalk adjacent to the site along the Boylston Street frontage. Additionally, there are currently no
continuous sidewalks that meet ADA standards on Van Ness Street. The planned Fenway Triangle Mixed Use
Project will construct sidewalks adjacent to the site on Van Ness Street, Boylston Street, and Kilmarnock Street.
At the signalized intersections of Brookline Avenue/Fullerton Street/Kilmarnock Street and Boylston
Street/Kilmarnock Street pedestrians are accommodated in concurrent walk phases. This allows pedestrians
to cross while the parallel traffic direction is still moving through the intersection, reducing overall vehicle
and pedestrian delays. Pedestrian storage space on the sidewalks and observed pedestrian delay appear to
be acceptable at crosswalk locations during a typical weekday.
Pedestrian data indicates there is a desire to cross where no crosswalks exist in the study area. Most notably,
approximately 100 pedestrians per hour cross Brookline Avenue adjacent to the site to and from the
Landmark Center. Pedestrians were observed crossing when the adjacent traffic signals provided adequate
gaps in traffic.
Peak hour pedestrian crossing counts at study area intersections were presented previously in Figures 3.5 and 3.6
for the morning and evening peak hours, respectively.
Bicycles
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly popular travel mode in the Fenway. Historic bicycle counts and field
observations reveal many commuters bicycling even in midwinter to and from the nearby Longwood Medical
and Academic Area (LMA). The Hubway bike share network has also increased bicycle popularity in the
neighborhood. The closest Hubway station is on Brookline Avenue at the Landmark Center just across from
the Project Site, which is very convenient to site tenants and residents.
Bicycle volumes in the area are heaviest on Brookline Avenue westbound during both the morning and
evening peak hours. On Brookline Avenue approximately 20 bicycles were counted two-way during the
morning and evening peak hours. Boylston Street currently carries approximately 10-20 bicycles per hour
two-way during the peak hours. Existing bicycle turning movement counts are presented in Figures 3.8 and
3.9.
Bicycle storage data was collected from other nearby Samuels and Associates’ properties including Trilogy,
1330 Boylston Street, and Landmark Center for a typical week in May 2011. This data, shown in Table 3-3,
indicates that there is a substantial demand for bicycle storage in the Fenway area.
\\MABOS\projects\11381.00\reports\Article80\Expand
ed_PNF\03_Transportation_FINAL.doc 3-8 Transportation