Brookline announces changes to street configurations to accommodate physical distancing by pedestrians

Brookline's Town Administrator and Transportation Administrator announced that the Town of Brookline will temporarily re-configure certain streets to better accommodate the need for physical distancing among pedestrians. Town of Brookline officials have also approved a plan to close motor vehicle lanes on four major streets in order to give people adequate space for physical distancing while walking to essential jobs and services in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under a strategy endorsed by the town’s Select Board, and approved by the town Transportation Board, the town closed on-street parking lanes on both sides of Brookline Avenue from Olmsted Park to the Longwood Medical Area (LMA), on Longwood Avenue from Coolidge Corner to the LMA, and on one side of Harvard Street from Brookline Village to the Boston city line near Packard’s Corner. The board also endorsed a proposal to close one motor vehicle travel lane on Beacon Street in the vicinity of Coolidge Corner in order to create an additional lane of space for people on foot and riding bicycles near Trader Joe’s and a cluster of restaurants that are still open for take-out service. These four streets were targeted for interventions because they connect to essential retail services, like grocery stores and takeout restaurants along Harvard and Beacon Streets, or because they are heavily-trafficked commuting routes to the hospitals of the Longwood Medical Area.