A report on retaining on-street bicycle corrals in place all year

This memo is in response to Order 6 from the November 21, 2016 City Council Meeting, requesting that City staff investigate the feasibility of retaining on-street bike parking corrals through the winter.

Based on this request, we have decided to implement an initial test through which we will keep a limited number of corrals in operation over the winter. This will allow the City to determine usage and impacts, and determine if this test can be expanded and if there are measures that could mitigate any impacts.

Based on staff discussions regarding existing use and operational concerns, we have retained bicycle parking corrals at the following locations, which are among the most heavily used corrals in Cambridge:  On street on Third Street at the corner of Main Street/Broadway at the One Broadway/Cambridge Innovation Center building (two corrals)  On street on Brattle Street just west of Church Street (one corral)  On a pathway at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (one corral)  On the sidewalk on Main Street approaching Third Street in front of Firebrand Saints In evaluating this test, we will be looking at two key factors:  Use of the corrals: Although the number of cyclists who continue to travel by bike through the course of the winter has increased substantially, we still see a meaningful decrease in cycling (and therefore the use of bicycle parking) over the winter. We will regularly monitor the use of the racks that are retained over this winter to determine if these continue to be well used.  Snow operations: Despite our best efforts, street furniture is sometimes damaged as a result of snow clearance activities, particularly during heavy snowstorms. This can occur not only through direct contact with snow clearance equipment, but also indirectly as snow is moved Page 2 of 2 back from the traveled way and the resulting snow bank damages the street furniture. In addition, because the corrals are not permanently anchored to the pavement, there is a possibility that they will be moved around as a result of snow clearance activities. As a result, we want to see if and how these corrals and any parked bikes are impacted during snow operations, and if their presence makes it more difficult to clear the street and sidewalk in the area adjacent to the corral. Because there is a possibility that bikes parked on a corral could be damaged during snow clearance operations, we will post signs on the corrals warning cyclists that they are parking their bikes at their own risk and requesting that they move their bikes prior to snowstorms. We will also look for short-term ways to make the corrals more visible, including mounting flags and/or flexible delineators at the outer corners. In addition, it is important to be clear that the City is not committing to clear these corrals of snow in the winter, although we would be supportive if local businesses and/or users do so on a voluntary basis.