Residents press Boston leaders to redesign Hyde Park Avenue; city cites 2026 repaving and further study

The Boston City Council Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation held an at‑large hearing Oct. 6 in Jamaica Plain on possible safety improvements to the northern stretch of Hyde Park Avenue between Walk Hill Street and the Arborway. Dozens of residents told councilors they face daily hazards while walking, biking and taking buses; city officials said they plan to continue engagement through winter 2025 and expect repaving work to occur in the 2026 construction season but did not adopt a final design.

The hearing, docket 0450, drew sustained testimony from parents, cyclists, bus riders and neighborhood advocates who said the current four‑lane configuration encourages high speeds and puts vulnerable road users at risk. “I should be able to cross the street and get to the train without risking our lives,” said Lauren Jody Brown, a Forest Hills resident who described an August incident when a car ran a red light while she crossed with her toddler. “The street is designed for cars and not for people,” Brown said.

That sentiment was repeated across more than 40 public speakers. “It’s so dangerous. There’s no room for for biking,” said Councilor Ben Weber (District 6), one of the hearing sponsors and a Jamaica Plain resident, summarizing long‑running neighborhood concern and a community preference for…