Closing Newbury Street to cars

[Arlington]

Really? I take part of Newbury often to get to the Pike westbound entrance at the end of Newbury. Otherwise, if you are over by say Kings or Bukowski on Dalton, you have to backtrack to Dartmouth to enter the Pike westbound.

Sure, *part* of Newbury. We've all found ourselves on Newbury for a block or two (mostly to correct mis-turns from the other one-ways as F-Line says) but only tourists in pure cruizin'/gaper/badaud mode actually drive the length from Arlington to Mass Ave.

From Dalton to the Pike you're only on Newbury for one block (Hereford to Mass Ave). You're not really using Newbury as a through-street in that case.

And policymakers could easily decide to leave Newbury open on that block (Hereford to Mass Ave to Westbound Pike) as I have suggested above, focusing on closing Newbury between Exeter-Fairfield-Gloucester-Hereford, where the idle flâneurs and badauds tend to clog the inadequate sidewalks.

 

[carpet]

If it's done properly, it could be beneficial. Cross streets are not a problem, people will try to avoid the area anyway.

1. If they want to close it weekly, they have to fix the parking problem. (Absurd parking garage prices will not do). And no, MBTA is not a solution.
2. Close it every Sunday (when driving situation is insane on Newbury) and stores are not taking deliveries.
3. Closing it permanently would be a silly idea, that will piss off every single driver in Boston.

But if they want to close the street for the sake of bending over to people who hate cars and want to make Boston completely car-less, then I am fully against it. Knowing Boston officials, they will definitely screw this up.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Sure, *part* of Newbury. We've all found ourselves on Newbury for a block or two (mostly to correct mis-turns from the other one-ways as F-Line says) but only tourists in pure cruizin'/gaper/badaud mode actually drive the length from Arlington to Mass Ave.

From Dalton to the Pike you're only on Newbury for one block (Hereford to Mass Ave). You're not really using Newbury as a through-street in that case.

And policymakers could easily decide to leave Newbury open on that block (Hereford to Mass Ave to Westbound Pike) as I have suggested above, focusing on closing Newbury between Exeter-Fairfield-Gloucester-Hereford, where the idle flâneurs and badauds tend to clog the inadequate sidewalks.

Only stretch of Newbury I would ever drive was the block from Hereford to Mass Ave, for Pike Access. Keeping that open makes sense. Closing off the mid stretch also makes a lot of sense. Pedestrians do overflow the sidewalks.

 

[autonomy]

If it's done properly, it could be beneficial. Cross streets are not a problem, people will try to avoid the area anyway.

1. If they want to close it weekly, they have to fix the parking problem. (Absurd parking garage prices will not do). And no, MBTA is not a solution.
2. Close it every Sunday (when driving situation is insane on Newbury) and stores are not taking deliveries.
3. Closing it permanently would be a silly idea, that will piss off every single driver in Boston.

But if they want to close the street for the sake of bending over to people who hate cars and want to make Boston completely car-less, then I am fully against it. Knowing Boston officials, they will definitely screw this up.

Agreed on all counts. We could have more outdoor seating space too! Something Boston is definitely lacking in.

 

[Justin7]

As long as we can keep the cool dudes on loud motorcycles.

 

[Shepard]

Here's a fun fact about Newbury Street that I believe relates well to this discussion: Newbury Street is, in fact, a quite wide street. That link goes to Ari Ofsevit's site, where he provides the following two images showing that, building to building, Newbury is 90 feet across. That's the same as Boylston, That's more than Mass Ave through Back Bay, and more even than some "fast roads" we typically think about, like Columbus Ave in Egleston or Kneeeland Street in Chinatown.

Newbury:

Boylston - SAME WIDTH

Why is this relevant?

Because Newbury Street, for such a wide space facade-to-facade, actually gets it right. Can it be improved? Yes. As posters before said - take a parking lane or two and give it to sidewalks and bikes. Sure. Close it to cars on Sundays? Why not. But in general - Newbury is pretty much fine.

So: What I'd urge now is that instead of DTXing Newbury, let's Newburyize streets like Boylston, Charles, Mass Ave Cambridge, Washington and Tremont Streets (South End) Harvard Street/Ave (Brookline and Allston), Brighton Ave and Cambridge Street (Allston), etc.

 

[datadyne007]

So: What I'd urge now is that instead of DTXing Newbury

No one is proposing this. The proposal is to close Newbury to cars for literally 1 day this summer.

The thread title should probably be changed to reflect that no, the City is not proposing that Newbury St be DTX'ed.

Closing Newbury Street to cars for 1 day this summer

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Here's a fun fact about Newbury Street that I believe relates well to this discussion: Newbury Street is, in fact, a quite wide street. That link goes to Ari Ofsevit's site, where he provides the following two images showing that, building to building, Newbury is 90 feet across. That's the same as Boylston, That's more than Mass Ave through Back Bay, and more even than some "fast roads" we typically think about, like Columbus Ave in Egleston or Kneeeland Street in Chinatown.

Newbury:

Boylston - SAME WIDTH

Why is this relevant?

Because Newbury Street, for such a wide space facade-to-facade, actually gets it right. Can it be improved? Yes. As posters before said - take a parking lane or two and give it to sidewalks and bikes. Sure. Close it to cars on Sundays? Why not. But in general - Newbury is pretty much fine.

So: What I'd urge now is that instead of DTXing Newbury, let's Newburyize streets like Boylston, Charles, Mass Ave Cambridge, Washington and Tremont Streets (South End) Harvard Street/Ave (Brookline and Allston), Brighton Ave and Cambridge Street (Allston), etc.

Pic #1 is a perfect illustration of why Newbury doesn't work: double-parkers. The delivery trucks do it, the entitlement set does it...and the BTD just doesn't give a flying fuck. Boylston and Mass Ave. do get consistently enforced, and people do not double-park because they know it.


How many neighborhoods have to have their own street-to-street mob rules for traffic enforcement or lackthereof before City Hall realizes it's got a corrupt rogue fiefdom on its hands that needs ASAP fumigation? Top-down the BTD needs to be replaced with staffers and officers who have basic respect for the rule of law.

 

[Shepard]

Data - I know - but the convo in this thread has veered into full-on pedestrianization.

F-Line - strange as this may sound, I actually don't have any problems with double parking there. Effectively one its one travel lane… And a very slow travel lane at that. Double parking is probably the reason why pedestrians can dart out anywhere on the street, quite safely. The drivers may be agitated but the traffic is rather calmed as a result.

Also on a personal note, count me in among the selfish narcissists who ocassionaly take advantage of lax enforcement on this issue. Although I always do make it a point to double park behind another double Parker, so I can't say I started it!

 

[Matthew]

Never understood why people would say that DTX is a 'failure'... I always see tons and tons of foot traffic there during the day and evening whenever I visit. It's the easiest place to reach by T in Boston. Allowing cars into DTX would contribute nearly nothing, as the capacity for motor traffic is very minimal, and would only constitute a small percentage of the people arriving while annoying everyone.

British towns and cities are highly enamoured of pedestrianisation. Where I am, in Cambridge, they even have two major pedestrianised areas that both get very busy during the day. Now London is talking about pedestrianising Oxford Street, possibly the busiest shopping street in the country, with tremendous pedestrian, motorist and bus flows. London also is famous for its weekly street markets, that takeover a neighbourhood high street one day a week and fill it with some street shops (often with some particular theme). That seems to be the model that might best fit Newbury. Instead of parked cars, line up street vendors along a block or two, like they do in the North End sometimes, as well.

 

[sm89]

Pic #1 is a perfect illustration of why Newbury doesn't work: double-parkers. The delivery trucks do it, the entitlement set does it...and the BTD just doesn't give a flying fuck. Boylston and Mass Ave. do get consistently enforced, and people do not double-park because they know it.


How many neighborhoods have to have their own street-to-street mob rules for traffic enforcement or lackthereof before City Hall realizes it's got a corrupt rogue fiefdom on its hands that needs ASAP fumigation? Top-down the BTD needs to be replaced with staffers and officers who have basic respect for the rule of law.

The sidewalk on Newbury St is comically narrow for the amount of pedestrians, but overall, the street does work very well. The double parkers really slow traffic down and make it much more walkable. Through traffic sticks to Beacon, so there really isn't a reason to get cars through as fast as possible. They're just looking for parking.

 

[CSTH]

Streets haven't always been for cars. You can do lots of interesting things with a street - interesting things that increase land value and tax revenue, in fact. Double-parking UPS trucks and late model BMWs is not interesting. Revenue from parking meters is a joke.

We must not forget that in the life of this city, this assumption that streets belong to cars is a very, very recent phenomenon.

We're pleased that pedestrians can 'dart out safely?'.

In terms of current state vs. potential, Newbury Street is as bad as Government Center plaza - because the potential is so high.

What a waste.

 

[JeffDowntown]

The sidewalk on Newbury St is comically narrow for the amount of pedestrians, but overall, the street does work very well. The double parkers really slow traffic down and make it much more walkable. Through traffic sticks to Beacon, so there really isn't a reason to get cars through as fast as possible. They're just looking for parking.

Widen the sidewalks, eliminate the parking, make it one car lane with frequent traffic calming features, and with bi directional cycle tracks; with a congestion charge toll (like $20) to use the car lane, except for approved delivery vehicles at restricted hours.

 

[dshoost88]

If there's a more appropriate thread to ask this question, someone please direct me there.

Between the redevelopment projects at Government Center Garage and the Hub on Causeway, Canal Street seems poised for a massive increase in pedestrian foot traffic. Seeing as the one way street is only two blocks long and redundant when looking at nearby Friend Street (halfway), Haverhill Street, and Portland Street, do others agree Canal Street would be an excellent candidate to make pedestrian-only?

Fortunately Archstone Avenir's and One Canal's garages are accessed from Valenti Way, and the majority of other street level buildings are bar/restaurant retail. I just think with the big private investments being made at both ends of the street to improve the pedestrian realm (as well as premium transit access), this would be such a harmless place to implement a pedestrian way in the city. Even if only as a testing ground (I.e. If the area flourishes after a year or two, implement the same changes to swaths of the North End or Back Bay).

 

[tysmith95]

If there's a more appropriate thread to ask this question, someone please direct me there.

Between the redevelopment projects at Government Center Garage and the Hub on Causeway, Canal Street seems poised for a massive increase in pedestrian foot traffic. Seeing as the one way street is only two blocks long and redundant when looking at nearby Friend Street (halfway), Haverhill Street, and Portland Street, do others agree Canal Street would be an excellent candidate to make pedestrian-only?

I agree. It would be great for the bars/restaurants on the street who would certainly see an increase in foot traffic if the entire street was pedestrianized. However this probably shouldn't happen until the Congress Street garage project is finished in my opinion. Businesses also have an irrational fear of pedestrianized streets, they obviously haven't traveled to Europe where these types of streets flourish.

 

[Scipio]

One day trial set for Sunday, August 7th according to the Boston Guardian's blurry article:

 

[gooseberry]

I don't think it needs to be pedestrian only all the time, but they defintiely should take out the parking spaces and make the side walks wider for most of the street. ....at least between Dalton and Mass Ave

 

[datadyne007]

Doesn't connect to the Public Garden & there will still be people barreling through via Dartmouth & Clarendon? -.-

https://twitter.com/jkwessel/status/761912022653165568

 

[elemenoh]

It sounds like they're closing it to bicycles as well... anyone know if that's the case? I'm not going to be able to make it over there today, but I'd be interested to hear how they staffed the closing points. Are there traffic cops at every intersection like they have on St Catherine in Montreal?

 

[BostonUrbEx]

Doesn't connect to the Public Garden & there will still be people barreling through via Dartmouth & Clarendon? -.-

Definitely should have gone all the way to Arlington. As to the latter, have you ever tried crossing Newbury St on an intersecting street? Barreling is the last word I'd use.