Residents of Boston wanted more bike lanes: now they have them, and traffic in the city has calmed down

The Better Bike Lanes project in the metropolitan area of Boston led to a significant increase in the number of bike trips, along with a slight decrease in the number of motor vehicles on the roads.

The changes, implemented between 2023 and 2024, are described in a report by the city of Boston.

The installation of protected bike lanes across the city was part of the election campaign of Michelle Wu, aimed at responding to residents’ demand for better cycling infrastructure.

By autumn 2024, a large portion of the infrastructure had been completed, including bike lanes, cycle paths, and new crossings. The city then conducted a study to verify whether the demand for these improvements was based on real usage.

What do the numbers say?

In some areas, the increase was rather modest. For example, on South Street in the Brighton neighborhood, about 16 more cyclists per day were recorded, representing a 22% increase compared to the period before the bike lanes were built. Elsewhere, however, the results were more striking.

On Boylston Street in the Back Bay district, the number of recorded daily cycling trips increased by 83%—from 615 to 1,127 after the bike lanes were installed. The lane on Boylston Street is protected by metal bollards that prevent drivers from blocking it while searching for parking.

In the city center, on Milk Street, nearly 200 more cyclists were recorded on the new one-way bike lane compared to before its construction, when cyclists had to ride in lanes shared with cars.

Western Avenue, in sections running through Allston and Brighton, saw more than 200 additional cyclists, representing a 51% increase in average daily bike traffic.

But how many of these cyclists actually left their cars at home, and how many didn’t own a car in the first place? The data showed a slight decline in car traffic—near Fairfield Street, average traffic volumes dropped by 9% between September 2022 and September 2024, and near Arlington Street by as much as 14%.

More mobility for everyone

Tiffany Cogell, executive director of the Boston Cyclists’ Union, told Mass Street Blog that the new bike lanes “reduce crashes, increase predictability, and expand mobility options without increasing congestion.”

“Protected cycling infrastructure works,” she said. “This is exactly the kind of data-driven decision-making our city needs.”

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