Pearl Street Reconstruction & Safety Improvements

Hello! For those who take the T often at Gilman Sq, it has been a safety concern that a lot of people will jaywalk from Medford St to Pearl St since there is no crosswalk there - specifically from the train side of Medford St to Pearl St. As much as there is a crosswalk along Pearl, people still cross over without protection. Please consider adding a crosswalk to Medford St where it forks with Pearl St.

In the Pearl St meeting there was a comment about not being able to put in protected bike lanes and also a curb bulb. Boston is doing this: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2022/03/30/eyes-on-the-street-protected-bike-lane-construction-in-roxbury-and-the-south-end/?fbclid=IwAR0gt7fdjYifN1FEPVeEBQmqrRcG_LW3_Tlq739pcIJS1vcq2RRs_j4-kWI

I'm glad that you're making improvements to Pearl Street, which is simultaneously terrible for cars, and dangerous and unpleasant for cyclists and walkers right now. The traffic calming measures will make a big difference. I understand that the eastern segment may not have enough space for dedicated bike lanes. The segment from McGrath Hwy to Cross St, however, sorely needs bike lanes. Removing parking on just one side of the street, instead of preserving all the spaces as if they were sacred, would make this crucial segment much safer and more compatible with the City's own vision for mobility and sustainability. There's plenty of driveway parking, and enough additional space on side streets if needed.

I appreciate the traffic calming elements and expect the raised intersections and neighborhood traffic circle will make it safer to cross Pearl Street on foot to get to the ESCS. However, I am concerned that the proposed plan keeps an excessive number of parking spaces, running counter to the SomerVision 2040 goals of reducing car dependency. To bike safely with my children to the ESCS, protected bike lanes would be needed on Pearl Street, especially between McGrath and Cross Street.

Please add bike wheel cutouts at all the speed humps, as Seattle does, to help equalize the speed of people on bikes and people in cars. "Seattle, Washington, USA, uses striping
to direct bicyclists toward the center wheel cutout as opposed to going over the lump." Reference: https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/bicycle-boulevards/speed-management/ and https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gulden-and-Ewing-2009.pdf

Pearl Street has seen several major car crashes in recent years. The city should do more with traffic calming to encourage drivers are attentive.

I don't know if the road is wide enough but ideally there should be both a bike lane and parking. If it's truly an either or, I think the bike lane should take precedence. Replacing parking spots with trees is a terrible idea if the parking is in demand (the area doesn't seem to be super deficient in greenery so the value of those trees seems low).

SomerVision2040 says we're trying to reduce vehicle miles traveled, but this plan dedicates an awful lot of space to cars and car storage. This is a real opportunity to ditch some parking and add better bike/bus facilities or some trees. Replacing one car parking space per block with a tree would make a huge difference for the neighborhood. At the very least, we should not rely on mere signage and enforcement to keep the intersections daylighted - bike racks, bumpouts, flexposts or bollards should be installed so that it is impossible, not just impermissible, to park in the no-parking areas.

I don't believe taking away parking in an already densely populated area for bike lanes is wise. We have more cars than bikes if we take away parking this will cause disputes sometimes physical and or property being damaged between neighbors like I have seen in the past during snow emergencies. I do agree these streets need to be fixed, the sidewalks are horrible, we have more residents walking, jogging etc than we do have on bikes. I would like to see these sidewalks fixed and signage put up for all of us whom do take to these streets on bikes. Cars are not going anywhere they pay taxes and fees to the city to be here bikes do not I have seen bike lanes in other parts of the city which has more space cause headaches for residential and commercial parking.

I love to take my infant for walks and these sidewalks are in need of a lot of attention. I also take care of my father in law whom is a paraplegic we can not take him out for walks as the sidewalks in some areas are too damaged and not passable by wheel chair. We currently have 4 schools and multiple parks on and not to far off of Pearl street where families walk to daily or need to drive up and let their kids out safely.

I am not against bikes I think that new paved streets, proper signage and fixed sidewalks will benefit the majority here. Also if the rumors are true I cant wait to see the bike path extended thru to East Somerville. Would be nice to have a designated safer path thru the city.

While I am a bicyclist, I would like to advocate for wider sidewalks over protected bike lanes if we had to pick one. Pearl Street is full of people walking, often small children going to and from school, and there is not enough room to walk without going into the street. Traffic calming should not rely on parked cars, as cars are often gone during the day time, allowing cars to speed. If the street traffic were calmer, it would be pleasant to bike on without protected bike lanes. My usage on Pearl is mostly between Franklin and Mt. Vernon, and the majority of traffic is eastbound, going too quickly as they cut up from Myrtle to get to 93N. Physical infrastructure needs to be placed for daylighting intersections and narrowing down the lanes to slow traffic. Most houses have large driveways so parking can be removed. I encourage Somerville to be bold in East Somerville and make Pearl safer for everyone.

I just attended the community meeting and was so excited to see bike lanes included in the design. Because of the very wide and dangerous roads that circle the neighborhood, I often ride along pearl street as a lower-stress option. However, it still often feels very unsafe. I hope that protected bike lanes throughout the corridor will stay in the final plan. Special attention will need to be paid to the section where there is not room for two protected bike lanes (between Cross Street and Franklin Street) to make sure its a cohesive experience for cyclists going the direction without a bike lane. Perhaps additional traffic calming here, or even a painted bike advisory lane (along the curb) would help make it a smooth experience. Thanks for all your work to make Somerville Streets safer.

East Somerville is like an island surrounded by highways. This street is a good option to get out biking without taking the busy Broadway (I don't have a car), but it lacks a dedicated bike lane. It would be even better if that lane can be protected because I often see people riding bicycles with their children.
I can't wait for Pearl St to be paved, so I can bike on this street pleasantly without feeling all the bumps. It will also be nice to walk on the sidewalk without fear of being bathed by standing water on the street when it rains and cars pass. And last but not least, we are missing 2 trees close to 78 Pearl st.

The Pearl St reconstruction should prioritize: bike lanes, accessible sidewalks, and speed reduction methods.

I would like to echo support for dedicated bike lanes and bike signage. I live on this street and biking is my year-round mode of transportation (I do not own a car). Pearl st is important for navigating East Somerville and connecting it with the rest of Somerville.

There are a number of pedestrian crossings in and around Pearl st that are not accessible. For example, at Pearl and Myrtle streets (in front of Bryant Manor), there is no sidewalk curb ramp to allow wheelchairs to safely cross.

After the Glen st stop sign, cars tend to drive way too fast until Myrtle st. A speed bump after Hillside Ave or some other speed reduction method would be welcome.

I hope the Pearl St reconstruction will make this road even more attractive to bicyclists. Even with terrible pavement and no amenities it is my route of choice (as a year-round transportation bicyclist) because it's flat, has relatively little traffic, and one of the safest crossing of McGrath (much better than Broadway). It serves destinations to which we should be encouraging more people to bike, like E. Som School, Symphony Park, Assembly Sq. It could be a popular bike route that generates more bike ridership.

To be safe and comfortable for all cyclists Pearl Street really needs either wider lanes(with sharrow) or separate bike lanes. I hope to see one of those options included in the design.

Very excited about this project! Bike lanes or signage indicating bikes are present in both directions along Pearl St would be great. I live on this street and will be biking on it frequently.