That the City Manager is requested to work with the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department and Harvard University to restore Garden Street to two-way automobile traffic while preserving two-way protected bike lanes, preserving as much parking on and/or near Garden Street as possible and identifying potential areas for resident parking on neighboring streets and communicating the changes to the affected neighborhood

O-1 FIRST IN COUNCIL December 9, 2024 City of Cambridge COUNCILLOR TONER COUNCILLOR NOLAN COUNCILLOR ZUSY COUNCILLOR WILSON WHEREAS: Garden Street was reconfigured from a two-way street for automobile traffic to a one- way street in November of 2022; and WHEREAS: Since this change was made, residents from the neighborhood have continued to experience and express concerns about safety, traffic jams, congestion, and cut through traffic on Linnaean, Concord, Huron and many surrounding side streets; and WHEREAS: School buses, Harvard delivery trucks, and other large vehicles have been diverted to side streets that had commonly used Garden Street posing some safety hazards; and WHEREAS: Massachusetts Avenue is currently being scheduled for significant road redesign to install permanent separated bike lanes while preserving parking through reducing the number of traffic lanes which will add to traffic congestion at rush hour; and WHEREAS: Garden Street is currently being repaved and is scheduled for repainting and installation of further bicycle infrastructure; and WHEREAS: The Tobin School will be reopened in September of 2025, promising even more traffic in the area; and WHEREAS: Garden Street can be reopened to two-way automobile traffic while maintaining separated bike lanes; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department and Harvard University to restore Garden Street to two-way automobile traffic while preserving two-way protected bike lanes, preserving as much parking on and/or near Garden Street as possible and identifying potential areas for resident parking on neighboring streets and communicating the changes to the affected neighborhood; and be it further ORDERED: That the work be completed as soon as possible but no later than April 1, 2025.