A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-142, regarding a report on efforts to educate cyclists about riding safety and sharing the road especially at intersections

C I T Y O F C A M B R I D G E Community Development Department IRAM FAROOQ Assistant City Manager for Community Development SANDRA CLARKE Deputy Director Chief of Administration KHALIL MOGASSABI Deputy Director Chief of Planning 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] www.cambridgema.gov TO: Louis DePasquale, City Manager FROM: Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development SUBJECT: Awaiting Report 18-142 dated 12/17/18, regarding targeted marketing efforts around pedestrian and cyclist education, specifically focused on safety around large trucks DATE: March 13, 2019 With respect to the above-referenced Awaiting Report, we submit the following. The City of Cambridge, as part of its sustainable transportation programming and the Vision Zero initiative, hosts a robust education and outreach campaign for people who bike, walk, drive, and take transit through the city. Each year we distribute educational materials and host dozens of outreach events. We also have produced educational videos that are distributed on social media and shown on Cambridge’s local cable access channels. This campaign incorporates specific education focused on safety around large vehicles, including tractor trailers, large trucks, and buses. In FY19, this comprehensive outreach comprises the following components about safety around large vehicles: 1) A Bluebikes Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign focused on safety when walking and biking near large vehicles is underway. These posters, which depict blind spots and explain the safest ways to share the street, were installed in late-January and will remain up for at least six months, at Bluebikes stations throughout Cambridge. This campaign follows the 2018 safety campaign, which included ads focused on drivers and related to distracted driving, yielding to pedestrians, and being aware of bicyclists. 2) The Getting Around Cambridge Street Code: Rules and Etiquette for Getting There Together publication was translated into four languages (Bangla, Amharic, Spanish, and French). The Street Code includes a two-page spread detailing how to safely share the road with large vehicles. It depicts blind spots while trucks are traveling and turning and other safety information for people biking and walking. The Street Code is distributed at dozens of community events, at City buildings, and via Cambridge schools. 3) The Getting Around Cambridge map and brochure was translated into four languages (Bangla, Amharic, Spanish, and French) and includes information about traveling safely in Cambridge. Distribution is as detailed above for the Street Code. 4) The number of Bicycle Education Workshops offered to people who live, work, or study in Cambridge increased from FY18 to FY19. We had 250

Page 2 of 2 attendees in FY18, and are on track to host approximately 425 community members in FY19. As part of the curriculum, people learn the rules of the road, including how to bike safely when near large vehicles. 5) The number of high school-aged youth who participated in Bicycle Education Workshops will increase from 700 in FY18 to approximately 1,000 in FY19. The Safe Routes to School program educates all 2nd and 6th grade students in Cambridge Public Schools on how to safely commute to school by walking or biking. This includes instruction on rules of the road for all modes, including how to safely bike and walk when near large vehicles. 6) The 2019 Getting Around Cambridge magazine, which will be delivered to 50,000 households in Cambridge and distributed at events throughout the year, includes a center section devoted to driver, pedestrian, and cyclist road safety. The 2019 issue will be mailed in June and includes a two-page spread from the Street Code detailing road safety, including how to safely travel when there are large vehicles on the road. 7) The 2018 Glocal Challenge focused on improving transportation in Cambridge, with all winning projects concentrated on safety. As a result, two temporary separated lanes were implemented on PARK(ing) Day 2018 and 18 outreach events were conducted throughout the summer for students to talk to community members about road safety. 8) Local safety advocates have developed a video titled “Safer Trucking in Changing Cities” that aims to educate truck drivers, as well as people who bike, on the challenges of operating large vehicles in urban environments and the dangers trucks pose to vulnerable road users. The City is supporting efforts to broaden distribution of this video. The video was featured at the Urban Freight Forum in November of 2018. 9) Several local safety advocates (Livable Streets Alliance, WalkBoston, Boston Cyclists Union) have representation on the Vision Zero Taskforce and assist with crafting educational campaigns for use in Cambridge. In collaboration with the Livable Streets Alliance, the MBTA, and local advocates, we are updating the training materials utilized by bus drivers to include more guidance on traveling via shared bus/bike lanes, and specifically how to interact with cyclists. We will continue to explore ways to educate and build awareness of safety as pedestrians, cars, and trucks share Cambridge streets.