The Town encourages businesses and individuals to provide safe, secure, weather-protected parking for bicycles whenever feasible, for example in parking garages. For excellent information on the appropriate location and design of bicycle parking, see the brochure developed for Cambridge, MA.

Businesses, organizations or individuals who wish to donate bike racks for public areas should follow these procedures:

1. Select the desired location for the proposed bike rack. Such areas might include the sidewalk in front of a business if there is sufficient space, an area near the entrance to a park or playground, or within the grounds of public buildings or parking lots. The location must be reviewed and approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Public Works, or his designee.

2. Select a suitable bike rack for the location. Based on location, DPW – Transportation Division staff will provide the available types of racks and their associated costs that can be used. The style of rack for any location must be reviewed and approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Public Works or his designee, who will notify the Bicycle Advisory Committee of any proposed rack and location.

Once a donation is received by the Town covering the full cost of the bike rack (including shipping), it will be purchased and installed by the Department of Public Works - Highway Division and become the property of the Town for its natural lifetime. It may be removed or relocated at any time if that is deemed necessary for public purposes.

To discuss donation of a bike rack, possible locations and styles, contact:

Dan Martin, Sustainable Transportation Engineer, at 671-730-2177 (dmartin@brooklinema.gov).

In 2018, Brookline adopted a Climate Action Plan (summarized in this chart) that calls upon the Town to prioritize planning to achieve zero fossil fuel emissions by 2050. The plan, which is currently being updated, includes improved transportation options as one of its key strategies.

Brookline has adopted a Complete Streets Policy that makes it eligible to receive State funding for complete streets projects under the State’s Complete Streets Program. The Policy requires the Town to create a comprehensive transportation network that sufficiently accommodates people of all ages and abilities, whether traveling by foot, bicycle, wheelchair, mass transit, or motor vehicle. The current Policy reflects March 18, 2025 Select Board amendments that emphasize prioritizing projects based on the greatest connectivity value and areas of highest need. The original policy, which had different criteria for determining when to apply the policy to a project, was adopted in 2016.

The Brookline Bicycle Advisory Committee, which is appointed by and advises the Brookline Transportation Board on issues relating to bicycling in Brookline, has developed a Green Routes Bicycle Network Plan to promote bicycling transportation in Brookline. The Plan includes specific recommendations for creating a network of bicycle routes that connect all neighborhoods in Brookline, with special emphasis on schools, parks, and commercial areas. The Plan has been periodically updated since it was first released in 2008 (initial 2008 Plan, 2016 version, 2017 version, 2018 version, 2019 version, 2019 version Appendix B, and 2020 version.

The Town uses a Pavement Management Program as a planning tool to manage the its roadway resources. The Program predicts roadway deterioration over time, allowing the Town to perform timely maintenance designed to extend the roadway’s life and avoid more costly and extensive structural repairs.

Fall 2019 Warrant Article 31 (Article 31 – Supplement No. 1, pages 93 - 98 of linked document) sets forth sustainable transportation priorities and time-specific goals for achieving a shift to sustainable modes of transportation. Among its other provisions, it calls upon the Town to (i) prioritize safe, space-efficient, and energy-efficient movement of people and goods over the movement and parking of private vehicles when designing and improving the Town’s public ways, and (ii) demonstrate, pilot, and evaluate new public way configurations that improve travel conditions to enable everyone to use healthful and sustainable transportation modes.

The warrant article also called upon the Town to consider establishing a Sustainable Transportation Engineer or Planner position to support the advancement of these goals as budget priorities permit. So far, the Town has not funded this position. In addition, the warrant article calls upon the Select Board to report the progress made towards the actions set forth in the warrant article no later than the 2020 Annual (May) Town Meeting. So far, the Select Board has not made such a report.

Brookline has a Traffic Calming Policy that establishes procedures for processing traffic calming requests, identifying areas of need for traffic calming that are not associated with requests, and prioritizing, designing, and implementing traffic calming projects on Town-owned public streets.

The current Town Traffic Calming Policy supersedes the policy that was adopted in 2018. Under the superseded policy, Traffic Calming projects were considered based on resident requests.

The Transportation Access Plan Guidelines address how the Town analyzes the impact on the transportation network of new construction and the rehabilitation of existing structures.

The Transportation and Mobility Plan provides a framework for prioritizing transportation projects based on the needs and long-term transportation network goals of the Brookline community.

In 2018, the Town received a memorandum from a consultant recommending steps for improving the commute of Town employees and reducing congestion and lowering employee parking demand. In 2019. consultant submitted a Transportation Demand Management implementation plan to the Town.

Brookline’s transportation rules and regulations address conduct of bicyclists, operation of motor vehicles with respect to bicyclists, and transportation-related penalties.