Walking in Boston

[Ron Newman]

My recollection is that the bollards marked off a loading area while the storefronts next to this sidewalk were under construction. Now that construction is finished, the loading zone is no longer needed and can be removed.

 

[jass]

My recollection is that the bollards marked off a loading area while the storefronts next to this sidewalk were under construction. Now that construction is finished, the loading zone is no longer needed and can be removed.

It was signed for parking

 

[czsz]

This giant sidewalk is a perfect example of superfluous public space that should be sold off and built on. The bulge in the street kills the streetwall, adding to the Greenway's amorphousness, and, even if it didn't, the one-story buildings on Cross wouldn't be enough to define the space. There should be a narrow 5-10 story building on the current parking site, leaving Cross St. a small, alley-like space, preferably pedestrianized (there's plenty of loading and unloading room on the six-lane Rose Kennedy Surface Expressway, anyway).

Of course, this will never happen. Cafes with big outdoor eating areas are probably more realistic, but it wouldn't really help the more serious aesthetic issues at play here, which require height and definition. At the very least it would revert to dead space for most of the year.

 

[MonopolyBag]

Boston?s ?Placebo? Crosswalk Buttons

http://www.wbur.org/2010/09/06/crosswalk-buttons-archive

Now I assume it will be the same in most cities and even towns.

 

[DominusNovus]

My favorite crossing in the entire city: Crossing the Arborway just outside of the Forest Hills station. Its one of those where the stop light exists solely for the crosswalk. Which means, once you push that button, you've got a 99% chance that that light turns yellow (and thus, red) automatically).

The feeling of power you get when you know you can stop traffic with the push of a button is... fantastic.

 

[KCasiglio]

Dead thread but it felt the most appropriate place to discuss these:

She fell on a Boston sidewalk, fractured her jaw, and got nothing from the city. Why? - The Boston Globe

State laws favor municipalities at the expense of trip-and-fall victims, making it almost impossible for ordinary folks to get adequate compensation for injuries.

www.bostonglobe.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/opinion/children-traffic-death-parents.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cE8.kJ7y.10RMc7pxVWGP&smid=url-share

 

[themissinglink]

Dead thread but it felt the most appropriate place to discuss these:

She fell on a Boston sidewalk, fractured her jaw, and got nothing from the city. Why? - The Boston Globe

State laws favor municipalities at the expense of trip-and-fall victims, making it almost impossible for ordinary folks to get adequate compensation for injuries.

www.bostonglobe.com

Next to where Pagliarulo fell, a tree was planted in a carved-out section of the sidewalk. The tree’s roots grew under the sidewalk and gradually lifted a section of concrete a couple of inches higher than its surroundings.
Pagliarulo and a former neighbor say they reported the tripping hazard to the city of Boston a couple of years ago. They told me the city responded by placing a couple of shovelfuls of asphalt along each protruding lip.

Tripping hazards on sidewalks, like roots or crumbling concrete, are a big issue in so many places statewide. I wish municipalities spent more money and attention on sidewalk issues.

 

[HenryAlan]

Tripping hazards on sidewalks, like roots or crumbling concrete, are a big issue in so many places statewide. I wish municipalities spent more money and attention on sidewalk issues.

When Rob Consalvo ran for mayor in 2013, he made a big point about this, and talked about phasing in rubber sidewalks, that avoid these problems. His campaign bombed, but I wish Marty Walsh had grabbed on to the idea. By this point, we could be well on our way to much safer and more comfortable pedestrian routes.

 

[Dimitri71]

Dead thread but it felt the most appropriate place to discuss these:

She fell on a Boston sidewalk, fractured her jaw, and got nothing from the city. Why? - The Boston Globe

State laws favor municipalities at the expense of trip-and-fall victims, making it almost impossible for ordinary folks to get adequate compensation for injuries.

www.bostonglobe.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/opinion/children-traffic-death-parents.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cE8.kJ7y.10RMc7pxVWGP&smid=url-share

Sorry, slightly off topic, but I can't believe what I just read in that NYT article. The DA should be ashamed.

 

[BOS2BON]

Most cities are god awful at fixing their sidewalks. I wish Boston was a bit more aggressive at some quick fixes, like grinding down the edges of concrete panels that have been lifted. I've seen a few other communities, like Brookline, use that method as a short-term fix. I wonder if that would trigger ADA compliance though........

 

[KCasiglio]

When Rob Consalvo ran for mayor in 2013, he made a big point about this, and talked about phasing in rubber sidewalks, that avoid these problems. His campaign bombed, but I wish Marty Walsh had grabbed on to the idea. By this point, we could be well on our way to much safer and more comfortable pedestrian routes.

So after reading the article yesterday I came across that, and it was the first time I've ever heard of rubber being used for regular sidewalks. It's intriguing but quick googling didn't offer much, is there a single example of another city broadly adopting them? I'm having a hard time finding descriptions of the trade-offs but if they're so durable/cheap/safer/etc then why has there been seemingly so little uptake in the 12 years since that mayoral campaign (a news article of which was one of the top results when I looked up rubber sidewalks)

 

[chrisbrat]

On new -- or recently re-done -- stretches of sidewalk in Boston (and Somerville. Not sure about elsewhere) the areas around the base of planted (newly or preserved) trees *are* rubber.

 

[HenryAlan]

So after reading the article yesterday I came across that, and it was the first time I've ever heard of rubber being used for regular sidewalks. It's intriguing but quick googling didn't offer much, is there a single example of another city broadly adopting them? I'm having a hard time finding descriptions of the trade-offs but if they're so durable/cheap/safer/etc then why has there been seemingly so little uptake in the 12 years since that mayoral campaign (a news article of which was one of the top results when I looked up rubber sidewalks)

Yeah, I wish there was more information about it. At the time, my wife was working on his campaign, so I paid a lot of attention to the positions he was taking on various issues, but I don't recall many specifics. From what I can remember, and from likely the same google results you got, they seem like a fantastic idea. So I have the same questions about why there hasn't been significant adoption. The only guess I have, is that while cheaper to install or maintain than new concrete installations (that are then properly maintained), it is likely a lot less cheaper for municipalities to do nothing at all, which gets us the terrible sidewalks that we have today.

On new -- or recently re-done -- stretches of sidewalk in Boston (and Somerville. Not sure about elsewhere) the areas around the base of planted (newly or preserved) trees *are* rubber.

Indeed, one of the selling points for rubber pavement is that it is porous, and therefore better for maintaining ground water levels and eliminating drainage issues.

 

[BOS2BON]

So after reading the article yesterday I came across that, and it was the first time I've ever heard of rubber being used for regular sidewalks. It's intriguing but quick googling didn't offer much, is there a single example of another city broadly adopting them? I'm having a hard time finding descriptions of the trade-offs but if they're so durable/cheap/safer/etc then why has there been seemingly so little uptake in the 12 years since that mayoral campaign (a news article of which was one of the top results when I looked up rubber sidewalks)

One brand of this rubber pavement is "Flexi-Pave", if that helps your searching. I've seen it used to either replace the metal grates that would surround a tree pit and also replace the sidewalk panel adjacent to the trees. Beacon St in Back Bay has some good examples of it in action.

Yeah, I wish there was more information about it. At the time, my wife was working on his campaign, so I paid a lot of attention to the positions he was taking on various issues, but I don't recall many specifics. From what I can remember, and from likely the same google results you got, they seem like a fantastic idea. So I have the same questions about why there hasn't been significant adoption. The only guess I have, is that while cheaper to install or maintain than new concrete installations (that are then properly maintained), it is likely a lot less cheaper for municipalities to do nothing at all, which gets us the terrible sidewalks that we have today.

Indeed, one of the selling points for rubber pavement is that it is porous, and therefore better for maintaining ground water levels and eliminating drainage issues.

I wish more porous materials were used in the city. Here's a snip from a case study (linked below) that put in porous panels next to a curb ramp, getting rid of drainage issues.

Case Studies – Porous Technologies

poroustech.com

 

[chrisbrat]

what a clever and well-informed bunch this board is!

 

[Ryanontherails]

Tripping hazards on sidewalks, like roots or crumbling concrete, are a big issue in so many places statewide. I wish municipalities spent more money and attention on sidewalk issues.

Yeah, I wish there was more information about it. At the time, my wife was working on his campaign, so I paid a lot of attention to the positions he was taking on various issues, but I don't recall many specifics. From what I can remember, and from likely the same google results you got, they seem like a fantastic idea. So I have the same questions about why there hasn't been significant adoption. The only guess I have, is that while cheaper to install or maintain than new concrete installations (that are then properly maintained), it is likely a lot less cheaper for municipalities to do nothing at all, which gets us the terrible sidewalks that we have today.

Indeed, one of the selling points for rubber pavement is that it is porous, and therefore better for maintaining ground water levels and eliminating drainage issues.

I know from experience that sidewalk maintenance isn't as straightforward as people would think. First, the municipality may not own the road and it could be state-owned or private. Then you get the trouble of keeping inventory, inspecting them, and deciding whether or not there should be a sidewalk there in the first place. If it's a cul de sac where the sidewalk exists because of archaic subdivision bylaws but it doesn't connect to anything and the nearest sidewalk is three miles away, then the municipality won't want to keep it, but it's bad optics to simply remove it also, so yes, they let it go.

Sorry, slightly off topic, but I can't believe what I just read in that NYT article. The DA should be ashamed.

Absolutely. And then here's another article where he goes on about how heartbreaking it is, that there is no worse punishment than losing their son, and that they didn't deserve prison, after they had spent 25 days in jail and he'd charged them!

 

[sm89]

I wish more porous materials were used in the city. Here's a snip from a case study (linked below) that put in porous panels next to a curb ramp, getting rid of drainage issues. View attachment 65646

Personally I think raised, sidewalk-level crossings are a better option. Even if they don't build them with the proper deflection for traffic calming, not have a ramp down addresses much of this issue.