Road Closures In Cambridge, Part Of Event To Honor Fallen MIT Police Officer

This will likely affect a lot of your commutes, I suggest you plan ahead

From here, more here.

Thanks Sophia for the heads up.

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Road Closures related to MIT Police Officer Memorial Service April 24

Cambridge Police Department announced various road closures beginning before the morning rush hour on Wednesday, Apr. 24 for the memorial service of MIT Officer Sean Collier at Noon. This service is only open to members of law enforcement and the MIT community with valid MIT Ids.

Road Closures:
• Vassar St: between Audrey St. and Mass. Ave. Wednesday, Apr. 24 at 6 a.m.
• Mass. Ave: from Albany St. toward Boston Wednesday, Apr. 24 at 7 a.m.
• Memorial Drive: between Mass. Ave. and B.U. Bridge Wednesday, Apr. 24 at 12 a.m.
• Mass. Ave. Bridge into Cambridge: Wednesday, Apr. 24, at 7 a.m.

These road closures are going to have a major impact on traffic in the city. Police are asking residents to plan ahead, seek alternate routes, and use public transportation whenever possible.

ALL roads and bridges will be open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic EXCEPT FOR Memorial Drive between Massachusetts Ave. and the B.U. Bridge.

We have been coordinating with our partners at the MBTA to minimize disruptions to bus routes in the area.

We are confident that the operations will be complete and all roads reopened to vehicular traffic by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24.

Further updates about road closures and other traffic issues will be posted on the Cambridge Police Department’s website at www.CambridgePolice.org. Information can also be found by following @CambridgePolice on Twitter.

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The Cambridge Bicycle Committee Presents The Sweet Ride

From here, looks awesome:

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The Cambridge Bicycle Committee Presents

The “Sweet Ride”

Delicious bike design by Britta Hope Carlson

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Orientation at 10:00 AM at the Main Library, 459 Broadway

Ride departs promptly at 10:15 AM

Ride FAQ

We all know living in Cambridge is sweet. But did you know we have a sweet history?

Fig Newtons were created in Cambridge and named after our neighboring town. The NECCO building on Mass Ave was for a time the largest candy factory in the world. Fifteen million Junior Mints are still being made each day on Main Street, perfuming Central Square with the delightful scent of chocolate.

There’s a lot that’s sweet about our city but let’s not forget the savory either. It was Zachariah B. Porter’s restaurant in North Cambridge that gave us both Porter Square and the Porterhouse steak. Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” which raised the culinary standards of the nation, was published while she lived on Irving Street.

Please join us for a gorgeous springtime ride, at an easy pace, on mostly level terrain. No rain date: heavy rain cancels. Rain announcements will be posted here on the morning of the ride. Like all our tours, this ride is free of charge.

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New Bike Parking Regulations In The Works For Cambridge

The peoples republic is making some tweaks to their bike laws, in order to facilitate better (bike) parking and take out the guess work.

Since bicycling has doubled in Cambridge in the past decade, the CDD proposes that bicycle parking requirements must be applied to “the construction of new buildings or establishments of a new open-air use on a lot,” according to the Bicycle Parking Zoning Proposal modified January 2013.

The department also suggests that if short-term bicycle parking “cannot be reasonably provided on the lot, a property owner may satisfy the requirements for short-term bicycle parking by providing funds for the installation of bicycle parking on public land.”
The proposal further states that parking should accommodate a variety of bicycle sizes and styles.(via)

Awesome! Getting this sort of thing into the building code make sure that cycling will take deep roots and be a powerful transportation and recreation option. It took northern European countries 30+ years of this sort of baby stepping to get where they are now. And while people seem to complain about every step, we are going in the right direction.

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City Of Cambridge Transportation Committee Opening

From the email:

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http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/News/2012/12/transportationcommitteeslookingfornewmembers.aspx

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE SOLICITING MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
FOR THREE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITEES
Application deadline is Friday, January 11.

BICYCLE COMMITTEE
This committee works to improve conditions for bicyclists in the City of Cambridge and promote bicycling as a means of transportation. Activities include organizing and participating in public events such as biannual community bike rides; reviewing plans for road construction; commenting on proposed development projects; creating promotional materials to encourage bicycling in the city; and working with City departments on network planning. This committee generally meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway.

PEDESTRIAN COMMITTEE
This committee works to promote walking and to help create a more comfortable, safe, and pleasant environment for walking in Cambridge. It advises on the design of roadway projects and policies related to traffic calming, traffic signals, and sidewalk design. It also identifies intersections and other locations where it is difficult to walk, makes suggestions about proposed development projects as they affect people on foot, and undertakes other activities to promote walking. This committee generally meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway (November and December meetings are on the third Thursday.)

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
This newly established committee will advance an agenda for a robust public transportation system for those who live and/or work in Cambridge. The committee will be composed of a cross section of stakeholders including businesses, large institutions, commuters, persons with disabilities, low income, elderly, youth, students, and advocates. The committee will guide city positions and policies regarding long term sustainable funding for transit by the Commonwealth, service planning for expansion or modification of bus routes, and service reliability and improvements including ways to better design our street network to prioritize bus transit. This committee will generally meet on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway beginning in 2013.

Beginning in 2013, in place of individual committee meetings, these three committees will meet jointly on occasion to advise the city on higher level sustainable transportation policy.

APPLY
Applications are sought by dedicated individuals who live or work in Cambridge. Members are expected to attend monthly meetings as well as engage in projects outside of regular meetings. To apply, please prepare a cover letter indicating which committee you are interested in, a description of your interest in the topic, and any specific issues you would like to contribute time to working on. Please be sure to include your mailing address, phone number, and email. Send to:

Robert W. Healy, City Manager
c/o Jane Maguire,
Community Development Department
344 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139
Email: [email protected]

Application deadline is Friday, January 11.

Appointments are made by the City Manager and are for two years of service. For more information, call 617-349-4610.

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Hubway Expands, Infrastructure System Continues To Grow

Got this in the email, anyone seen these yet? Thanks John for the tip.

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I am sure you got the memo but Hubway is in Cambridge, Harvard, Central, and Lafayette squares. The build out will continue over the next few weeks but the station maps on the installed stations should give a nice idea of locations.

In addition stripping has been completed on Western Ave in Boston with a parking protected buffered bike lane on the Cambridge in-bound side and a very wide (5.5-6feet I think) curb lane with no parking on the outbound side.

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Cyclist Doored In Cambridge

got this from John

A bicyclist traveling down Chauncy Street was injured after the operator of a black SUV opened the driver’s side door, dislodging the cyclist from his bike.
The Watertown resident told police he was traveling down Chauncy Street at 8:50 a.m. on June 29 in a marked bicycle lane when the SUV operator opened his door, striking him and causing him to fall off of his bike, hitting his left shoulder and scraping both of his hands and his left leg. The cyclist was wearing his helmet and sustained minor damage to the bicycle.
The operator told police he had just moved his father’s car, a 2003 Volvo XC70 and leaned out of the driver’s side door to grab something from the passenger seat when he felt the bike hit the car door. The driver was given a written citation and the cyclist was transported to an area hospital for further evaluation. (via)

I hope the cyclist is ok, and I am really glad that as per the law the driver was cited at the crash scene. Drivers be aware it is your duty to avoid opening your door into anything (other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians). And cyclists be proactive, its a lot easier to avoid the doors, that site the drivers once they hit you. See here and here.

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Cambridge String Theory Ride

seeing as how I am a huge fan of science, this made me happy, and nice logo!

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The Cambridge Bike Committee Presents

The String Theory Bike Tour Please join our spring ride celebrating science in Cambridge. We’ve planned a route with dozens of sites landmarking innovation throughout the city. We’ll have a special presentation from the Museum of Scienceand food from the Maharaja Restaurant and Trader Joe’s. Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 19 and check thecambridgebikes.org website for further details. WHEN Saturday, May 19, 2012 10:15 AM WHERE Start: Kendall Square Finish: Fresh Pond Details Online

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Cambridge To Rebuild Western Ave Include Many Cycling Improvements

Seems Western Ave is getting a makeover. Which is well and truly needed, I once hit a pot hole on that street that resulted in a broken rib…boy howdy was that a couple months of slow riding.

Read all about it here, or see the full plan here (pdf).

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Western Avenue is scheduled to be fully reconstructed beginning in fall, 2011. The underground stormwater and sewer system, roadway and sidewalks will all be replaced from Franklin Street to Memorial Drive. The redesign considers all street users: walkers, bicyclists, bus riders and drivers. The public process began in January 2010. Neighborhood walks and community-wide meetings have been held. An advisory committee met regularly. Following are the project goals that were developed in conjunction with the Advisory Committee:

• Ensure corridor is safe for all users
• Maintain adequate traffic flow
• Reinforce residential character
• Ensure appropriate traffic speed
• Improve conditions for walking, bicycling and transit riders
• Meet and exceed accessibility requirements
• Improve access to businesses
• Help meet stormwater environmental goals through green design
• Provide adequate parking
• Promote environmental sustainability
• Improve landscaping

more here

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