Measuring Quick and Creative Street Projects

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and towns across Massachusetts rapidly responded to transportation infrastructure and public space needs to help people socially distance. In 2021, we published Quick and Creative Street Projects: Measuring the Impact in Mass, a report that showcases rapid response projects and their impacts on people, businesses, and communities.

This follow-up report shares evaluation methods to help you measure the impact of your project and communicate them to your community. Most metrics are applicable to short-term demonstrations, quick-build projects meant to pilot a longer-term idea, and permanent reconstruction alike. Some metrics require longer-term data collection and are thus better suited to enduring projects. These evaluation tools can help you generate support for a project, refine project designs, understand changes in your community, and inform decisions on other projects.

For any project type:

Start with the fundamentals

Data Collection page 4

Incorporating Public Feedback page 5

Use this toolkit to evaluate projects that:

Make streets safer

Vehicle Speeds page 7

Crash Trends page 9

Allocation of Space page 10

Support people who walk

Pedestrian Volumes page 11

Crossing Distance page 13

Driver Yielding Rate at Crosswalks page 14

Make biking possible for more daily trips

Bicycle Volumes page 16

Bikeshare Trips page 18

Make the bus a better option

Key Bus Priority Metrics page 20

Keep streets and economies alive

Local Businesses Indicators page 21 and Perceptions