Pleasant St. Bike Lane Project

UPDATE JULY 1, 2021

The Pleasant Street Bike Accommodation Demonstration Project was initiated at the end of May with the initial temporary pavement markings. Pavement markings installed along Water Street and the portion of Commercial Street from Broad Street to the commuter rail station are permanent with bike legend markings and guidance through the major intersection.  In early June, temporary signs were also installed intended to provide more notice to motorists of the potential for bicyclists on the street. The signs also provided guidance to the bikers at key intersections and the entry/exits of the bike lane. Now that the lane has been in place for a month, most of the signs have been removed.

Due to COVID-19, there was a delay in having the traffic cones delivered for the project. They have now been delivered and will be installed along Pleasant Street sections of the bike lane to better delineate and clarify the buffer that was marked between the bike lane and vehicle travel lane. The traffic cones will also allow for increased evaluation of added biker comfort instead simply having the markings. If people are interested in seeing a permanent bike lane with delineator posts in place, Quarry Street in Quincy is one recent local example.

Additional bike lane legend markings are also being installed over the next week or so to continue to increase the clarity of the bike lane location.

Presuming the bike lanes remain in the future, a more permanent and adjusted marking plan for Pleasant Street will be implemented that will eliminate the current confusion due to the temporary and additional painted lines that had to be installed for the demonstration project.

We appreciate everyone’s patience in getting this 3.5 mile test in place. Early indications are that the more narrow travel lanes is having a positive effect on reducing average travel speeds and there has been a noticeable number of bicyclists traveling the corridor.

UPDATE MAY 25, 2021

The town began the steps to install the bike lanes along Pleasant Street late Sunday evening with line markings starting. Pavement markings will continue up through Wednesday, May 26^th. Also on the 26^th, most of the temporary signage will also be installed along the route. Additional signage and materials including traffic cones are being delivered and will be installed sometime after Memorial Day

The demonstration project will include a “buffered” bike lane along the eastern side of Pleasant Street from approximately Tower Street to Water Street. Along the western side of the road, the bike lane will be either buffered in sections where on-street parking is restricted or between the parking lane and vehicle travel lane where on-street parking is allowed. No parking will be allowed along the eastern side of the street.

Along Water Street, the existing shoulders will be re-designated as bike lanes. The section of Commercial street between Broad Street and the train station will have a buffered bike lane along each side of the street.

At the major intersections, the bike lane will end just before the cross street and then begin again shortly beyond the intersection. Bicyclists are encouraged to walk their bikes across the major intersections using the crosswalks that are in place.

ANNOUNCEMENT

The town for a number of years has been working on improving its walkability and bike related transportation conditions. It adopted a Complete Streets Policy in 2016 and has since been implementing actions to improve safety and create new options for pedestrians and bicyclists. Over this past winter, the town completed an evaluation of on-road biking along its major roads and the ability to accommodate safe travel between its four Squares. As a result of that study and the funding opportunity presented by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to implement and evaluate improvement options during this Covid-19 pandemic, the town applied for and received a grant to do just that. The town was awarded a grant as part of MassDOT’s Shared Winter Streets and Spaces program of $75,550 for the project.

The focus of this demonstration project is Pleasant Street, the major arterial that connects Columbian Square with Jackson Square. The project’s intention is to create a buffered bike lane in both directions of travel for bikes to safely move along the street with some separation from traffic. This action will provide safer bike connections to the high school, its ball fields, and the Farmers Market once that begins. In the area of the high school, there will be some new markings and signage placed along the street and the current parking restrictions between 7AM to 3PM will be extended to a 24 hour prohibition of parking.

The demonstration project is expected to be implemented in mid-May and anticipated to last between 3 and 4 months before final evaluations can be made.  

We are excited about the prospects for creating safer biking in town and providing alternatives of travel to and from the schools. As the details for the project become more solidified, we will provide updates.