South Boston is already tearing out a newly installed bike lane, just months after it went in. The roughly 100-foot lane on O’Connor Way has been dubbed the “bike lane to nowhere” because it doesn’t connect to a larger bike network.
City Councilor Ed Flynn says residents of a nearby senior building raised concerns about accessible parking, safely crossing the street, and emergency vehicles reaching the building. He also argues residents and elected officials were left out of the decision-making process.
A bike lane in South Boston is being
ripped out just months after it was installed.
The city Councilor Ed Flynn says
residents were left out of this
decision making process and wants
the answers from the city.
Now Boston 25's Amal Al-Hel is live
Boston City Hall, where Flynn made
that request this afternoon, Amal.
This has some people divided.
That's right, Shana.
Those bike lanes on O'Connor Way were
meant to improve bike infrastructure
in the area, but residents who live
in that area say that those bike
lanes were presenting issues in terms of
handicapped parking, street access, and emergency response.
Bike lanes installed on O'Connor Way
in South Boston just two months ago
are now being removed after complaints
from residents and local officials.
While the lanes are being removed,
Councilor Ed Flynn wants to know why they
were installed in the first place.
So he's bringing that question to City Council.
Talking number 2048, Councilor Flynn off the phone
Councilor Flynn says residents at the nearby senior building
raised concerns about accessible parking, crossing the street,
and whether ambulances and fire trucks could reach the building,
instances that he says have already happened,
with ambulances blocking the roadway.
Neighbors in their car were unable to access
the street for more than 45 minutes.
Each time residents were forced to drive
the wrong way onto Dorchester Avenue,
a very unsafe maneuver that was forced by poor planning,
no community process.
The roughly 100-foot lane on O'Connor Way,
which some have called the bike lane to nowhere,
didn't connect to any bike network.
Flynn says the city held a meeting at the senior building
without notifying South Boston's elected
officials or the broader public.
The city chose to not invite us
in any dissenting voice to this meeting.
He's now calling for a city council hearing
into the decision-making process
and what he calls a waste of taxpayer money.
It's critical that the Boston Transportation Department,
the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services, learn from this mistake.
The Boston Cyclists Union acknowledges the concerns
of those living in the senior housing,
writing in a statement in part, quote,
it's their home and their needs as vulnerable road users come first.
Obviously, we don't want to see bike lanes removed.
From what we've discussed with the chief of streets,
the city plans multiple phases of improvements.
Councilor Flynn's request for that public hearing was approved
with nearly all city councilors voting in agreement.
Live in Boston, Amal Al-Hel for your local station, Boston 25 News.
