Boston Removes O’Connor Way Bike Lane; Council Orders Hearing

The City of Boston is removing the O’Connor Way bike lane in South Boston’s Andrew Square, about two months after the Boston Transportation Department installed it outside a senior housing building. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, the Boston City Council approved Councilor Ed Flynn’s request for a public hearing on how the lane was approved, built and now taken out, Boston 25 News reported.

The short street runs in front of 5 O’Connor Way, a 46-unit affordable housing building for older adults, according to Flynn’s hearing order as described by Mass Daily News. The order invites the Transportation Department and the Public Improvement Commission to testify.

O’Connor Way Bike Lane: Timeline

• August 2026: The Boston Transportation Department installs a two-way bike lane with concrete curbs and a center median on O’Connor Way, according to Flynn’s order.
• Aug. 25: The Andrew Square Civic Association publicly raises concerns, saying the lane is roughly 100 feet long, does not connect to a larger bike network and removed on-street parking used by caregivers, visiting nurses and family members, Caught in Southie reported.
• Late August: Residents report emergency access problems at the building, according to Flynn.
• Late October: Boston’s interim Chief of Streets, Chris Osgood, tells Flynn the lane “is now being removed,” Flynn wrote in a Facebook post cited by Mass Daily News.
• Oct. 28: The City Council approves Flynn’s hearing order.

What Councilor Flynn Says

Flynn, who represents South Boston on the council, told the council that residents of the senior building had raised concerns about accessible parking, crossing the street and whether ambulances and fire trucks could reach the entrance.

“In August, residents reported that an ambulance was unable to pull up in front of the building as a result of the bike lane,” Flynn said, according to Boston 25 News. He said a second incident followed days later, when first responders had difficulty reaching the building and neighbors could not get onto the street for more than 45 minutes. Flynn said residents were forced to drive the wrong way onto Dorchester Avenue each time.

Flynn also said the city held a meeting with residents of the building without notifying South Boston’s elected officials or the broader public. “It’s critical that the Boston Transportation Department and the mayor’s office of neighborhood services learn from this mistake,” he said on Wednesday, as quoted by Boston 25. In his written order, Flynn called the construction and removal a “waste of taxpayer money.”

What Cyclists and the City Have Said

Tiffany Cogell, executive director of the Boston Cyclists Union, said in a statement to Boston 25 that Osgood reached out to the group “to talk through the options before making a decision on O’Connor Way.” She said residents of the building had raised concerns about pick-ups, drop-offs and crossing safely near cyclists, and that “their needs as vulnerable road users come first.”

“Obviously, we don’t want to see bike lanes removed,” Cogell said. She said the group understood from the city that it “plans multiple phases of improvements,” and that the two sides discussed an eventual shared-use protected path. The union said it wants “a permanent solution for O’Connor Way and a complete bike network.”

The Wu administration had not posted a public statement about the removal on the city’s news page as of Thursday morning, Oct. 29. The city has not publicly released what the lane cost to build or to remove.

How the Hearing Fits a Wider Council Debate

The O’Connor Way order was one of four South Boston items Flynn filed for the council’s Oct. 28 meeting, which we previewed in our Oct. 28 Boston City Council agenda report. Street design has been a recurring topic at City Hall this fall, including a council hearing on Blue Hill Avenue bus lanes and a proposal on camera tickets for vehicles blocking bike lanes.

Supporters of the city’s bike network have said protected lanes slow traffic and make streets safer for everyone, a point the Cyclists Union repeated in its statement. Neighborhood critics, including the Andrew Square Civic Association, have said they support the goals of the city’s Complete Streets program but that this project did not fit the small street, according to Caught in Southie.

What Happens Next

Approved hearing orders are assigned to a council committee, which sets a date and invites city officials. No hearing date had been posted as of Thursday. Residents can follow the docket on the council’s Oct. 28 meeting record on Legistar, where votes and committee assignments are posted once they are entered.

Sources

• Boston 25 News: Why a newly installed bike lane in South Boston is already being torn out (Oct. 28, 2026)
• Mass Daily News: Southie bike lane outside senior housing is coming out, Flynn says (Oct. 27, 2026)
• Caught in Southie: Andrew Square Civic Association raises concerns over new O’Connor Way bike lane (Aug. 25, 2026)
• Boston City Council: Oct. 28, 2026 meeting record (Legistar)