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Councilor Flynn asks for repainting update after Summer Street bus lane pilot ended
Summary
Councilor Flynn filed a request for a hearing on repainting Summer Street where bus‑lane markings remain after a pilot concluded in September 2024; residents reported confusion and safety concerns.
Councilor Frank Flynn filed an order asking the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation to hold a hearing on repainting the Summer Street bus lane markings left in place after the city ended a pilot last September.
Flynn told colleagues the Summer Street multimodal corridor pilot—installed with signs and painted lanes in September 2023 and officially launched in December 2023—was intended to improve bus and truck flow, but residents and businesses in South Boston raised concerns about traffic backups, blocked intersections and confusion at intersections such as Summer Street and D Street.
The administration earlier announced the pilot ended in September 2024 after officials concluded the lane improved peak bus trips by only 15 to 30 seconds. Flynn said that eight months after the pilot ended, the painted lines and "bus only" markings remain on the road and there has been no public education campaign to inform residents of the change. He described reports of fender benders and delivery trucks entering crosswalks because of confusion about new pavement signals and bicycle lead lights.
"Given these issues, we need an update to restore predictability on the road and to work to minimize any confusion for residents and visitors alike," Flynn said. Councilors Braden, Colette Zapata, Durkin, Fitzgerald, Mejia, Murphy, Pepin, Santana, Weber and Worrell were added as cosponsors. The clerk referred docket 1018 to the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation.
