That the City Manager is requested to work with the Mayor’s Office to arrange a meeting between representatives from DCR, Friends of Magazine Beach, the cycling community, and all other stakeholders to work collaboratively to develop a design and funding plan to ensure that the essential safety upgrades to the Paul Dudley White Community Path are completed to complement the ongoing Magazine Beach renovations

City of Cambridge O-13 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL June 25, 2018 COUNCILLOR ZONDERVAN VICE MAYOR DEVEREUX WHEREAS: The Paul Dudley White Community Path along the Charles River on Memorial Drive is a cherished open space enjoyed by many residents with diverse needs including pedestrians, runners, cyclists, bicycle commuters, families with strollers, and those with mobility challenges; and WHEREAS: The path sees constant, year-round use as a major thoroughfare for those commuting between Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston and is especially vital to those who live in Cambridge and use the path to commute to work in Brookline, Jamaica Plain, or the Longwood Medical Area; and WHEREAS: The stretch from Pleasant Street to the BU Bridge is particularly unsafe, containing cracked, uneven pavement, spanning only 4 feet wide in many spots, and is poorly demarcated throughout, including three unmarked and unprotected intersections that have potentially dangerous conflicts with motor vehicles; and WHEREAS: A remarkable job has been done over many years to secure funding and resources from Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in order to renovate and restore the entirety of Magazine Beach, yet the upcoming renovations do not adequately address the basic safety concerns presented by the path for all types of users; and WHEREAS: Making these improvements to the path is in line with the city’s stated Vision Zero goals and will lead to both more bicycle and pedestrian commuters using it (reducing vehicular traffic) and an increase in recreational use (improving quality of life); now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Mayor’s Office to arrange a meeting between representatives from DCR, Friends of Magazine Beach, the cycling community, and all other stakeholders to work collaboratively to develop a design and funding plan to ensure that the essential safety upgrades to the community path are completed to complement the ongoing Magazine Beach renovations; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter as soon as possible.