Next tensions over parking lost to safe bike lanes brew on Main Street around public housing areas
Some are already questioning the plan to give a stretch of Cambridge’s Main Street between Lafayette Square and Portland Street separated bike lanes, potentially losing parking for cars close to the Newtowne Court and Washington Elms public housing developments.
An online community meeting Thursday introduced the Main Street Safety Improvement Project, which includes the installation of separated bike lanes and the improvement of pedestrian crossings. The proposed project is “quick-build,” meaning no construction will take place to make the improvements. New pavement markings, signs and flex-posts may be installed, according to the city. After a design is set in June or July, the project is projected to be installed this summer.
Around half of the parking spaces in the project’s area would need to be lost to provide buffer zones between car traffic and cyclists, said Stephen Meuse, the project’s manager.
“We’re going to do our best to maximize the total number of spaces that we can keep,” Meuse told meeting participants. “But we need to hear from you what types of parking are important here and where they should be located. That will help us figure out what regulations the remaining spaces will have.”
The plan is meant to fulfill bike lane requirements from the city’s Cycling Safety Ordinance. All of Main Street to the Longfellow Bridge has been designated to get the separated lanes; this is the final section being planned. The bike lanes on Main Street now are not separate from car traffic.
“We have a vision that Cambridge will be a place where bicycling is equally available to everyone, where all destinations can be reached by bike and where streets are designed to accommodate biking for people of all ages, abilities and identities,” said Cara Seiderman, a transportation manager at the Community Development Department. “Creating safe and comfortable streets is a necessary condition to enable everyone to have this choice.”
Need for input
Richard Harding, a former School Committee member and city council candidate, had significant concerns about what separated bike lanes might mean for parking around the nearby public housing developments.
“This is a place where obviously the residents there are already having with tough time with parking,” Harding said.
Residents in the area are some of the city’s most vulnerable, Harding said, and conversation surrounding the project should not go much further without their input.
In every part of the city where separated bikes lanes have cost parking, some residents and businesses have expressed bitter unhappiness – often with complaints that the changes were poorly publicized. Staff solicitation of public feedback was a constant throughout the presentation, but during a question-and-answer period for the public, School Committee member and Cambridge Housing Authority program teacher Ayesha Wilson said communications to residents did not “speak clearly to what exactly will be happening.”
Getting people’s attention
The city announced the start of project planning through signs posted along Main Street, communications to businesses and houses of worship, email lists and postcards sent to area addresses. The postcards did not mention the potential removal of parking in the area.
Brooke McKenna, the acting Traffic, Parking and Transportation chief, said staff may need to “lead with the negative” – referring to the removal of parking – to engage area residents.
“We will do some more thinking about how we can shift at least some of our messaging to get people’s attention to the things that are really meaningful to them, even if they aren’t particularly interested in the bike aspects of the project,” McKenna said.
Several more outreach events have been planned, including an open house March 22, a second community meeting in May when draft plans will be presented, a second open house and another community meeting in June or July to present revised plans, staff said. The expects changes to the streetscape to be made in late summer.
Good to hear from Richard again miss his leadership on the s committee! And as usual approaching the situation with common sense.
Unfortunately common sense does not apply to the bicycle bullies. Get out of the way and watch it destroy the fabric of the area. Sigh
“In every part of the city where separated bikes lanes have cost parking, residents and businesses have expressed bitter unhappiness”
_Some_ people have expressed unhappiness, yes, but many other people have been very happy, and probably the vast majority either vaguely approve or don’t care at all. Or is the implication that if you’re happy about bike lanes you’re not a resident?
Fair point. I will add the word “some.”
“Some are already questioning the plan to give a stretch of Cambridge’s Main Street between Lafayette Square and Portland Street separated bike lanes”
I always dislike when articles start like this. Of course some will oppose it, some people will oppose any and every small project in this city. But that statement sets the tone tone for the rest of the article that gives too much credit to those who use the same stale arguments that are used against every project. “There wasn’t enough input” cries resident at the 8th Garden St. meeting after seeing flyers, receiving a post card, and getting multiple emails about the subject.
The author missed the opportunity to tie this work to the Port Infrastructure Project and note how the city plans to address parking and safe streets in this area holistically. Making this street safe is only one part of the work that the city is doing in this area.
Great to see and I hope these bike and pedestrian improvements can be accelerated. Progress from an assumption favoring car driving had been the norm for too long
My problem is that bikers do not follow the rules always going thru red lights, on sidewalks, wrong side of the road. Many are obnoxious and dont stop if you have the right to cross the road, as a pedestrian It happens all the time. Ive had 2 operations from getting hit by a bike. So I have no sympathy for them until they Follow the Rules. They should have licenses and pay taxes.