Lower South Street and Vicinity Neighborhood
Explore the final Slow Streets plan.
What is Neighborhood Slow Streets?
A Neighborhood Slow Streets Plan has several parts. We include a full set of different street design tools to slow speeds, encourage drivers to be more aware of others, and improve accessibility. When these tools are designed together, they jointly work to make streets throughout a neighborhood safer and more accessible.
Street safety design tools in this plan
Flip through the slideshow below to learn more about street design tools we use to slow speeds, slow turns, and make crossing safer.
Focus areas
South Street and Archdale Street
South Street and Archdale Street. Click to expand.
We're proposing to add a curb extension and raised crosswalk to slow drivers as the turn and make it safer to cross the street. We'd like to provide new crosswalks to make it safer to cross the street.
Firth Road and Florence Street
Firth Road and Florence Street . Click to expand.
We're proposing to add a raised crosswalk and curb extension across Florence Street to slow speeds and make it safer to cross the street to Healy Field.
Florence Street between Sycamore and Marion Street
Florence Street between Sycamore and Marion Street. Click to expand.
We are proposing to add a series of street design tools that will together slow drivers along Florence Street between Marion Street and Flaherty Pool.
Murray Hill, Basile Street, Lindall Street
Murray Hill, Basile Street, Lindall Street. Click to expand.
We are proposing to add pavement markings and flexposts to keep corners clear and improve the flow of travel during busy times.
Speed humps
Speed humps . Click to expand.
We're adding speed humps on many streets in this zone! Check out the map and learn about how they will be spaced along a street to slow speeds.
South Street and Archdale Street
We're proposing to add a curb extension and raised crosswalk to slow drivers as the turn and make it safer to cross the street. We'd like to provide new crosswalks to make it safer to cross the street.
Firth Road and Florence Street
We're proposing to add a raised crosswalk and curb extension across Florence Street to slow speeds and make it safer to cross the street to Healy Field.
Florence Street between Sycamore and Marion Street
We are proposing to add a series of street design tools that will together slow drivers along Florence Street between Marion Street and Flaherty Pool.
Murray Hill, Basile Street, Lindall Street
We are proposing to add pavement markings and flexposts to keep corners clear and improve the flow of travel during busy times.
Speed humps
We're adding speed humps on many streets in this zone! Check out the map and learn about how they will be spaced along a street to slow speeds.
Archdale Road and South Street
We heard this intersection was a safety concern in the neighborhood. Drivers speed and don't stop for people crossing on foot. The visibility is poor. There are no accessible crosswalks or an obvious location to cross the street.
On South Street, we plan to add curb extensions. Curb extensions extend the sidewalk into the street. The curb extensions will slow drivers and improve visibility of the crosswalk.
We will add speed humps on Archdale Road to slow drivers approaching the intersection.
We will add a splitter island to clarify the path of travel on South Street and Archdale Road. The splitter island will be street-level, but will have a different texture as the road. You will be able to drive over it.
Example of street-level splitter island
To keep these crosswalks safe for everyone, we need to restrict some parking near the crosswalks.
Florence Street and Firth Road
We heard this intersection was a safety concern in the neighborhood. People drive fast around the bend and don't always stop for people in the crosswalk. Because of the curve, the crosswalk could be unexpected for drivers. Drivers don't always stay in their lanes around the curb.
We plan to build a curb extension and raised crosswalk on Florence Street.
Raised crosswalks slow drivers and make crossings more comfortable for people using wheelchairs and mobility devices.
Curb extensions extend the sidewalk at the crosswalk out into the parking lane. They shorten long crosswalks and help drivers see people about to cross the street.
To keep these crosswalks safe for everyone, we need to restrict some parking near the crosswalks.
With clear space in front of the crosswalk, drivers and pedestrians will better see each other.
Florence Street
between Marion Street and Flaherty Pool
We heard this stretch of Florence Street was a concern in the neighborhood. You told us to consider traffic-calming more of Florence Street. Drivers move fast on the straight section of Florence. People park on the side of Florence where parking is restricted.
We plan to build curb extensions and raised crosswalk on Florence Street.
Raised crosswalks slow drivers and make crossings more comfortable for people using wheelchairs and mobility devices.
Curb extensions extend the sidewalk at the crosswalk out into the parking lane. They shorten long crosswalks and help drivers see people about to cross the street.
To keep these crosswalks safe for everyone, we need to restrict some parking near the crosswalks.
With clear space in front of the crosswalk, drivers and pedestrians will better see each other.
Lindall Street, Basile Street, and Murray Hill Road
We're proposing to add a series of street design tools to make intersections safer near the Charles Sumner Elementary School. Our proposal includes:
- Speed humps to slow speeding. See full speed humps map
- Extending existing corner parking restrictions to improve your ability to see cross-traffic at intersections
- Parking restrictions on the south side of Murray Hill Road between Lindall Street and Florence Street. This is the only section of the street that is two-way. The parking restrictions could be during specific hours only (for example, during school hours).
Listen to the virtual community conversation:
- email slow.streets@boston.gov
- Call (617) 635-1347
Speed Humps
We're adding speed humps to slow speeds to 20 MPH.
We will post 20 MPH signs for all of the local, residential streets within the zone. To enforce this speed limit, we will build speed humps on many streets.
Speed humps have no impact on parking. We aim to build them between 150' to 250' apart. When placing speed humps, we consider:
- Hills. We cannot put speed humps on steep sections of streets.
- Curved streets. We cannot put speed humps on or near curves. Drivers won't have enough advance visibility of them.
- Emergency needs. We follow guidance from emergency responders to plan how many speed humps we can build. We balance everyday safety needs with minimizing response times.
- Driveways and street utilities. We avoid driveways and utilities on the road. Sometimes it's tricky to find a spot!
The map shows where we are considering speed humps. Streets eligible for speed humps are marked in blue. After the design process, we may not put speed humps on all streets.
We have a project website!
Visit the project website to learn more about the project, view materials from previous meetings, and sign up for the email list.
Project timeline
Introduction (Fall 2020)
Gather your concerns. In September 2020, we hosted an pop-up event at Healy Field, posted an online survey, and shared surveys by mail and online to meet you and listen to your safety concerns. View the October 2020 presentation from our first virtual meeting.
Conduct fieldwork. Between Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, our team followed up with several site visits. We looked at the areas you called out and took note of things like crosswalk and ramp condition, existing curb regulations, and placement of utility features - to name a few.
Explore Design Ideas
March 2021 - Draw and share concepts for focus areas. We drew up initial ideas to respond to common areas of concern highlighted by the neighborhood. We utilized tools from our street design safety toolkit. View the March 2021 presentation about our ideas for focus areas.
Engineering Study
We investigate ideas through the engineering process and confirm we can build these designs.
November 2021 - Share concept designs. Review changes and and what the final plan will look like with you. We collected feedback on draft designs until January 15, 2021. We shared our ideas by mail, online, and a virtual meeting on November 16, 2021. View the November 2021 presentation .
We're here!
We're still working on our concept designs. This is the time to share your feedback!
Finalize Plan
Collaborate with other city agencies and departments. Our plans are reviewed by agencies such as Public Works, Boston Water & Sewer, the Disabilities Commission.
Fall 2022 - 2023. Prepare engineering plans for construction.
Construction - 2023
Want to learn more?
Email us: slow.streets@boston.gov
Schedule a 15-minute appointment to talk with us by phone or virtual meeting: bit.ly/Slow-Streets-15
Boston Transportation Department ATTN: Slow Streets, 1 City Hall Square Room 721, Boston MA 0220
