Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Boston

Boston Fixed Its Most Frustrating Street for Bus Riders, But Just for a Month

Boston’s Washington Street bus/bike lane pilot. Photo: LivableStreets Alliance

For the last month, one of Boston's most important and most frustrating bus corridors got a big upgrade.

Each weekday, half a dozen bus routes carrying 19,000 riders travel the 1.2-mile stretch of Washington Street to the Forest Hill Orange Line Station. Most people on the street at rush hour are in a bus. But the commute can be terribly slow and unpredictable, because the buses don't have priority.

Council Member Michelle Wu, who commutes daily by bus along the route with her kids, says sometimes it takes half an hour just to go a mile.

That changed during a one-month pilot, when the city converted a parking lane on Washington Street into a bus lane during the morning rush hour. Cyclists were also allowed to use the lane.

Once the city cordoned off the lane for buses using orange cones, the improvement was noticeable immediately. Wu said the makeshift bus lane shaved the trip on Washington Street down to 10 minutes or less.

"Everybody’s been thrilled at what a difference it’s made," Wu told Streetsblog, "whether it’s on the bus or driving along side or on a bike."

Michele Wu
Council Member Michelle Wu
Michele Wu

But instead of keeping the temporary bus improvement in place while evaluating its impact, the city let Washington Street go "back to gridlock" Monday, reports the Boston community news site Universal Hub.

Wu was disppointed. "My initial hope was that the pilot would roll right into a permanent [bus lane]," she said. "I have not heard a single complaint from residents about how this worked until today when the pilot ended."

It's up to Mayor Marty Walsh to make the bus lane permanent. Walsh, for his part, has made speeding up bus service a priority in his upcoming budget cycle.

The cost of designating a permanent bus lane would be relatively small. But by letting the pilot expire, said Andrew McFarland of the local advocacy organization LivableStreets Alliance, "the city [is] actually electing to make more congestion for their residents."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Amtrak Is Way More Successful Than You Think

Why do so many people still treat Amtrak as a failure — and what would it take to deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve?

October 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Are Hanging Out Down the Street

The same old thing we did last week — until the neighbor wrote a letter to the editor.

October 24, 2025

Report: Lessons from California’s HSR Project

A new paper from the Mineta Institute looks at California's high-speed rail project—and how to do better moving forward.

October 23, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Life After Cars

Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon of The War on Cars podcast on their new book, opposing views, Turtle Jesus and potential off-ramps towards car-free cities.

October 23, 2025

Traffic Congestion Is a Housing and Transit Problem, Not a Highway Problem

To truly solve tangled traffic in California (and across the U.S.), we need to take the problem out of the hands of the road builders and address the root causes of congestion: building more affordable housing near jobs and improving public transportation options.

October 23, 2025

Truckers Back NYC Busway Plan That Trump Blocked

The federal government has obviously lost its trucking mind.

October 23, 2025
See all posts