Protected Bike Lanes Installed On Mass. Ave. In Central

Written by Boston Biker on Dec 09

The good folks in cambridge fighting for improved bike safety are claiming their first (of hopefully many) victories, with the installation of protected bike lanes in Central Square.

 

from their email:

We are excited to report major progress in the push for bike safety in Cambridge! Today, the City started to implement pop-up protected bike lanes on sections of Mass Ave! Additionally, the City has has committed to begin building a broader network of pop-up protected bike lanes this spring.

These are a major achievements and they would not have happened without you. The City Council and the new City Manager Louis DePasquale are responding to our petition signatures, phone calls, letter writing, rallies, and council meeting attendance. As a measure of the city’s commitment, the traffic department will be hiring an additional engineer in large part to help with the plans for increased bike infrastructure.

Our road to success has not been without challenges. As you may recall, in early November, the city had stated publicly that establishing even a single protected bike lane before the end of the year would be impossible due to the time needed for planning and the practical problems posed by snow and cold weather. This surprising reversal in policy was the result of our calls, letters and presence at council meetings letting City Hall know that we were not satisfied with the pace of progress.

Even as we celebrate, we recognize that we are still a long way from our goal of a network of protected bike infrastructure on all major thoroughfares. During the Winter, conversations will continue with city officials to work out details for the Spring roll-out of additional protected bike lanes. The city has not specified the exact plan for the spring pop-up network and we want to make sure that it is significant in scope and is as successful as possible. It will be important to voice our opinion at public meetings and, if necessary, at the council to make this happen. Let’s continue to use our collective power to ensure that we get the safe streets everyone deserves.

Tags: cambridge, central square, mass ave., protected bike lanes
Posted in advocacy, Commuting, infrastructure | 1 Comment »