Act Now to Save Our Streets
Cycling Safety Ordinance
In October 2020, the Cambridge City Council amended the Cycling Safety Ordinance to require the installation of 22 miles of separated bike lanes across the entire city, including the whole length of Mass Ave., within the next five to seven years. Their design has severely impacted businesses, pedestrians, traffic and all who use Mass Ave.
The Map shows the City of Cambridge’s proposed network of protected bike lanes, from its 2015 Bicycle Plan, Updated in 2020. Proposed amendments to the city’s Cycling Safety Ordinance would require at least 22.6 lane-miles of this network – including the specific segments highlighted in red dashed lines – to be built by 2026.
Click on Map for Larger image, Map Courtesy of the City of Cambridge.
MassAveForAll.com has several great designs that demonstrate that there are a variety of options that preserve parking, prioritize public transportation, and street trees along an identified heat corridor, to provide safe conditions for people of all ages and abilities traveling by bicycle and foot.
The City of Cambridge is Redesigning 22 Miles of Our Roads
Installing Separated Bicycle Lanes similar to parts of Cambridge Street and North Mass Ave.
These Streets are Next in Line:
Garden Street, Hampshire Street, Cambridge Street,
Broadway, Massachusetts Avenue: Beech Street to Roseland St
Most likely this will result in:
- Removal of 50% of the Parking from the Residential Streets
- Removal of Metered Parking from Mass. Ave. and Cambridge St. Business Districts
- Moving Loading Zones and Adding Parking Meters to Residential Streets
Stay informed and sign our petition
Cambridge Installing Separated Bicycle Lanes similar to parts of Cambridge Street & North Mass Ave
Community Zoom Meeting Mass Ave Beech St to Roseland St
Tuesday January 25 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
This project will install separated bike lanes from Roseland St to Beech St as part of the City’s Cycling Safety Ordinance.
An opportunity to share your feedback on a series of alternatives to improve safety and reliability for all users.
More details, and a link to the Zoom webinar is available here.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, a full recording of the meeting and all relevant materials will be posted to the project webpage following the meeting.
Cambridge Installing Separated Bicycle Lanes similar to parts of Cambridge Street & North Mass Ave
Two Important Policy Orders Passed 01/10/22
We are pleased to announce that the City Council passed on January 10, two Policy Orders that will help answer the concerns of our petition. The orders will create an Implementation Advisory Committee for the Bicycle Safety Ordinance that will include all stakeholders, and a process to implement strategies to help businesses, residents and all who have been negatively affected by the current design of the protected lanes. These changes give us an opportunity to have a voice in the design. Now we need to speak up and make our needs and concerns known.
Signing the petition will keep you informed of what the City Of Cambridge is proposing, upcoming meetings, and important developments in installing the protected bicycle lanes so you have a chance to be part of the planning process.
We deserve a plan that works for all of us.
Separated Bike Lanes & Confusing Signage Create Accidents
Alewife Brook Parkway- Dudley St
This won't be the last accident as long as this design is in place
The New Signs & Lane Markings are confusing and unsafe
Separated Bike Lanes and Express Bus Lane installed 11/2021
The New Signs & Lane Markings are confusing and unsafe
This won't be the last accident as long as this design is in place
The New Signs & Lane Markings are confusing and unsafe
First Accident caused by confusing lane Markers making the intersections extremely dangerous 12/17/21
This won't be the last accident as long as this design is in place
This won't be the last accident as long as this design is in place
This won't be the last accident as long as this design is in place
2nd Accident in less than 2 weeks 01/05/22. This needs to be fixed before someone is seriously injured!
Bike Lanes Installed and then Removed
From Massachusetts:
Boston, MA citing safety for Drivers
Chicopee MA due to complaints from Businesses
And Around the Country:
Providence RI negative feedback has prompted officials to put the street back to the way it was. The installation of the bike lane cost the city about $63,000. It will cost $64,000 to remove it. There would have been a cost of 4.4 million if they had kept the bike lane.
Washington DC The lanes, which were installed less than a month ago were removed due to concerns about lost parking spaces.
Tulsa Pine -Yale Removed Bike lanes that squeezed traffic from four lanes down to two creating congestion.
Cincinnati citing safety and congestion as their primary reasons
As Small Business is being pushed out, Large companies are creating delivery vehicles to utilize the new network of bike lanes being built by tax dollars
Re:Move's cargo bikes are only 2.5-feet wide, meaning that you can ride it in a stock bike lane
Food Delivery robots This Food-Delivery Robot Wants to Share the Bike Lane
Amazon is building similar vehicles that can also travel in bike lanes for deliveries
Electric Assisted Bicycles that feature a battery-powered electric motor that helps with pedaling. The modular cargo section can hold 400 pounds
Statistics Regarding Bicycling in Cambridge
2020 Cambridge Bicycle Plan Report
The need for the Cambridge Cycling Safety Ordinance was based on on an online survey with only 305 responses taken and 75 interviews, all interviews were conducted by the Cambridge Bicycle committee:
52% of respondents were between 35-54 years old, according to the 2019 census this age group is only 20.4% of Cambridge population
77% of respondents are white 2019 Census states Cambridge residents are 66% white
Courtesy of Cambridge Bicycle Plan, 2020 Chapter 3 Information and Reporting 3 - 3
2019 City of Cambridge Census report says:
68.6% of Cambridge households have at least 1 car, 31.4% of Cambridge households do not own a car
Cambridge rating for accessible by bike score is already at the highest mark on the scale in 2019 prior to the completion of the bike lane
Journey to work-- 32% drive alone or carpool, 29.8 by transit, only 7% bike
Crash Data for the Dudley to Alewife Brook Parkway Project Area
10 accidents involving cyclists from 1/24/2018 to 8/24/2021 over 3 ½ years of data
Resulting injuries of these accidents involving bikes:
4 - No Injury 3 - Possible injury 3 - Non‐ incapacitating
6 of the accidents involved turns, which would not have been prevented by protected lanes.
Courtesy of the City of Cambridge
There is a completely off road bike path connecting Arlington with Davis Square and The Alewife MBTA station,
which could be the reason for the low crash and injury rate in this area of Mass Ave.
Crash Rates 2004-2019
Crash rates involving bicycles are down:
36% from 2004 – 2019.
Crashes are trending down even before the bike lane and even with an increase of bicycle ridership
The report says by 2020 10% of all trips in Cambridge will be made by bike, projects the number to climb to 20% by 2030 - still a low percentage of all travel
Courtesy of Cambridge Bicycle Plan, 2020 Chapter 3 Information and Reporting 3 - 26
Injury Severity 2004-2012 vs 2015-2019
Bicycle accidents are resulting in far less severe accidents even before the bike lane is completed.
Reports on crashes severity involving cyclists comparing statistics from 2004-2012 (8 year span) with Crashes from 2015-2019 (a 4 year span) by percentages.
Between 2004-2012 only 18.3% of crashes resulted in no injury to the cyclist,
in 2015-2019 49.8% were without injury.
Between 2004-2012 45.1% of crashes the cyclist had a non- incapacitating injury,
in 2015-2019 that number was reduced to 8.8%
Between 2004-2012 5.2% of crashes the cyclist had an incapacitating injury
in 2015-2019 that number was reduced to 1.2%
Cambridge Bicycle Plan, 2020 Chapter 3 Information and Reporting 3 - 29
Cambridge Residential Survey
Conducted September 12-October 15, 2018
Published 3/19
Ability to get around by Bicycle-
30% Excellent 43% Good (73% Combined)
Ability to get around by Car
9% Excellent 41% Good (50% Combined)
Ability to park when you travel around town
5% Excellent 23% Good (28% Combined)