Brookline Eyes Adding Bus Lane To Brookline Village, Route 9

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline Village could join the likes of Boston, Cambridge and Arlington and get a dedicated bus lane.

As anyone who has driven through knows: Gateway East, the area along Route 9 from the Brookline Village fire station to the Boston town line, has been getting a revamp for the last decade.

But as that work is slated to wrap by next summer, the town's transportation said they realized the bus lane and some signal prioritization would help commuters and came up with some recommendations with the help of the Gateway East consultant. Before they finalize plans, they're asking residents to weigh in.

Brookline transportation board Chair Chris Dempsey said he sees the bus lane as an improvement and a way to help bring the area a little closer to its roots.

More than a century ago Gateway East used to be called Village Square, and for decades it was home to a street-car station that would take residents into Boston, said Dempsey. One of the earliest businesses in Brookline, the Punch Bowl Tavern, was situated there and pedestrians were plenty. In the 20s and 30s, the area became more congested with traffic, and busses - the 60 the 65 and the 66, which is the MBTA’s second-busiest bus line- replaced the street cars, he said, turning the area into a thoroughfare.

"The dramatic proliferation of bus lanes across Greater Boston over the last four or five years [was] not something that we ever expected," Dempsey said when planning for the project began about 10 years ago.

More than 16,000 bus riders head through the area, many of them low income or people of color, according to the MBTA's Andrew McFarland. And are the riders who have some the longest commute times in the region.

"Bus lanes are the fasted most affordable way to improve transit services for riders," said McFarland. "Bus lanes are also really critical for improving transit equity."

The Gateway East project has been in process for about decade and has included a pedestrian crossing to help make crossing Route 9 for bikers and pedestrians using the Muddy River Path on the Emerald Necklace safer.

The board is proposing a dedicated bus lane that would stretch from Washington Street between Station Street and the Boston border. Boston, Cambridge, Watertown and Arlington already use similar bus lanes with success, according to MBTA officials.

The idea is that the bus lane and traffic signal changes would continue the spirit of the project, and improve transit, but the changes come with implications for general-purpose traffic, he said.

The committee held its first community meeting on proposed changes to the Gateway East project Tuesday, another one is set for Dec. 14, in an effort to get feedback from anyone living, working, or traveling in and around the project area that includes Washington Street, Route 9, High Street and Brookline Avenue. More than 80 attendees showed up to the first meeting and Dempsey heard and comments and fielded questions from dozens of stakeholders, he said.

December Transportation Board Meeting

6:30 p.m. Dec. 14. Virtual meeting. The board will likely make a decision at its subsequent Transportation Board meeting in January, according to Dempsey.

See more about the meeting: Gateway East Public Transit Improvement.

The full recording of the 3+ hour meeting is available here: link.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.