Controversial Boylston Street bus lane to be removed after complaints, Boston mayor says
Boston is reversing course on a controversial bus lane on busy Boylston Street after months of complaints from residents, drivers and businesses.
Boylston Street bus lane
The bus lane was put in temporarily in 2022 during the Orange Line shutdown and was permanently installed in July 2024.
In the months since, the city has gotten complaints saying it caused traffic backups and took away parking spaces, especially after a dedicated bike lane was also added last year. The bike lane will remain on Boylston Street.
The city said the bus lane has not been working as intended, as people have been driving in it. The city said drivers have also been parking in the bus lane, making the congestion on the already busy street even worse.
"The allocation of space just for a bus lane hasn't been justified, between the loading that's needed for businesses, between seniors and others trying to get into the library and other spaces, we have heard from community members that this needs to be changed," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Boston bike lane complaints
The bike lane on Boylston Street, which was added last summer, has created similar complaints after it closed another lane of traffic.
Meg Mainzer-Cohen, the president and executive director of the Back Bay Association, said the plan helps bus riders and bikers at the expense of walkers and drivers. She also said it gave pedestrians less time to cross the street.
City crews will start removing the bus lane in the coming weeks, weather permitting. Wu said her office will also reevaluate other roadway and bike lane changes throughout the city.
