The Boston Planning Department (BPD) has released a detailed “story map” of its project to rework transportation in the Fenway.
The project, known as the Fenway Transportation Action Plan (TAP), will redesign three core areas in the neighborhood which are Kenmore Square, Van Ness Street and Ipswich Street around Fenway Park, and nearly the full length of Brookline Avenue. Its goal is to better the Fenway’s pedestrian, bike and public transit networks, which echoes a wider pattern of improving transportation for non-drivers across the city.
“Our design strategies will place people walking, biking, and taking transit on equal footing with people driving,” the story map website states.
The Fenway TAP started in 2023, and is currently in its “Design” phase, which will last through the end of this year. During this time, the BPD will create proposed redesigns for the core areas. The website states that the department’s goal is to build projects by 2030 or sooner, but implementation of these redesigns should not be imminently expected.
The story map itself is rich with detailed information and interactive animated graphs overlaid on a map of the redesign areas. The street redesigns over the next year will focus on increasing “multimodal” movement, improving safety to eliminate serious crashes, and supporting the MBTA’s ongoing bus network redesign project.
Increasing “multimodal” movement largely involves improving pedestrian and bike infrastructure and introducing more “public realms” where pedestrians are the focus instead of cars, according to the story map. These new areas might include Kenmore Square and parts of Brookline Avenue in the Longwood Medical Area with heavy pedestrian traffic.
“Large, irregular intersections near destinations and areas of pedestrian activity are great candidates for new public realm,” the story map states. “That’s because we can often create new pedestrian space by repurposing extra street space. Kenmore Square, in particular, is largely defined by these intersections. How can we reshape these locations into places for people while also retaining their function in the street network?”
The BPD says it will answer that question, as well as questions about bike safety and improved MBTA service, over the course of the project.
The
plan also involves redesigning the curb based on a hierarchy of needs
for curbside activity on different kinds of streets. For example, a
downtown mixed-use street should prioritize delivery trucks over
parking, the plan says, because the businesses there need easy delivery
of goods. Conversely, parking and bus access should be prioritized on
neighborhood residential streets. However, the website notes, multimodal
movement ranks highest for any type of street.
Fenway
residents can contact the BPD to comment during the year-long design
phase on whether they think the department’s priorities are correct.
“This
StoryMap starts the conversation,” the website states. “Maps are in
draft form and subject to change from your feedback. Your lived
experience will help guide the Action Plan’s multimodal priorities.”
The
story map already has a section with ideas gathered from residents over
the past two years. Their biggest concerns have been aggressive driving
and insufficient bike infrastructure, according to the city. Most
residents said they wanted the city to improve streets for bicyclists
and pedestrians.