The fourth annual Cycling Safety Ordinance (CSO) Progress Report

5 Background In 2019, the Cambridge City Council passed the Cycling Safety Ordinance. The Ordinance requires that the City construct separated bike lanes on streets designated for “greater separation” in Cambridge’s Bicycle Network Vision, if the street is being reconstructed as part of the City’s Five-Year Plan for Streets and Sidewalks.

In 2020, the Council passed amendments to the Ordinance, setting ambitious requirements for the installation of approximately 25 miles of separated bikes lanes within five to seven years. The location of these facilities will be informed by both the Cambridge Bicycle Network Vision and specific requirements in the Ordinance. In 2024, the Cambridge City Council began the process of further amending the Cycling Safety Ordinance to adjust the timelines for certain projects.

These specific deadlines are stated in the progress bars at the end of this report. Brattle Street Safety Improvement Project, October 2023 by Kyle Klein. 6 Map of streets where the Cycling Safety Ordinance requires the installation of separated bike lanes. In addition to the lanes below, the CSO requires an additional 11.6 miles to be installed in locations from the Bicycle Network Vision.

In general, the Ordinance requires the installation of separated bike lanes on: • All of Massachusetts Avenue • Broadway from Quincy Street to Hampshire Street • Cambridge Street from Oak Street to Second Street • Hampshire Street from Amory Street to Broadway • Garden Street, eastbound from Huron Avenue to Berkeley Street, and westbound from

Mason Street to Huron Avenue

The Ordinance also requires that the City install 11.6 more miles of separated bike lanes in other locations that are part of the Bicycle Network Vision. In its requirements and timelines, the Ordinance distinguishes between Quick-Build and construction. Quick-Build methods include pavement markings, flex-posts, signage, and signal changes, and can usually be installed over a few weeks or months. The City reports Quick-Build 7 separated bike lane mileage in the year that the project is installed.

Construction involves more extensive changes, including potentially moving curbs and/ or removing medians. Work becomes more complex any time we dig into the ground, and construction projects may include work on infrastructure that is underground (e.g., pipes, electrical and gas lines). Construction projects often take multiple years to complete, and the City reports constructed separated bike lane mileage in the year that construction begins.

For additional information about the Cycling Safety Ordinance, please visit www.cambridgema.gov/cyclingsafetyordinance. This page details the specific requirements and the associated timelines and provides additional links to individual Cycling Safety Ordinance projects. 8

Work Completed During Separated Bike Lane Year 4:

May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024

Project Installation & Construction

Between May 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024 (Separated Bike Lane Year 4), we installed or began construction on 4.21 miles of separated bike lanes, bringing our total to 14.22 miles since May 1, 2020.

Summary Table: Projects Completed in Year 4

Project Type Miles

Status

Brattle Street:

Phase 2

Sparks Street

to Mt. Auburn 1.65

Completed summer

2023 Broadway to Hampshire Special4 0.11 Installed fall 2023, included one block of Broadway. Mid-150 Cambridge Park Dr to 50 Dr 0.10 Completed Cambridge Second Street to

O’Brien Highway

0.32

Under construction

as part of

O’Brien Highway

reconstruction and

Cambridge Crossing

developer mitigation. Hampshire Inman Sq to Broadway Special4 1.45

Completed fall 2023

Mt. Auburn Aberdeen Ave to

Homer Ave (both

0.23 Substantial Completion

North First

Jacobs Street

to Cambridge 0.30 Divco West, the developer of Cambridge Crossing, is reconstructing part of O’Brien Highway and some nearby streets. This includes separated bike lanes on North First Street. 9

Project Type Miles

Status

Third Street

Broad Canal Way

to Broadway (southbound) 0.05

Northbound lane

installed in 2018.

Southbound Quick-

Build lane added in Year 4.

Total Mileage

4.21 miles 10

Project Highlights

BRATTLE STREET SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT PHASE 2

Length: 1.65 miles

Category: Other Locations

Status: Completed Summer 2023

Through the Brattle Street Safety Improvement Project, we installed two-way separated bike lanes on Brattle Street between Mason Street and Mount Auburn Street, made improvements to pedestrian crossings, and improved safety and comfort for people walking, biking, and driving. Phase 2, between Sparks Street and Mt. Auburn Street, was installed in summer 2023. In Phase 2, we constructed pedestrian crossing islands between bike lanes and vehicle travel lanes at crosswalks near five street intersections.

Parking Impacts:

• Phase 1 (Separated Bike Lane Year 3): Total number of spaces decreased from approximately 100 to 50. • Phase 2 (Separated Bike Lane Year 4): 34 parking spaces removed, 5 spaces added on Fresh Pond Lane. • This includes a net reduction in spaces from Fresh Pond Parkway to Mt Auburn Street, including spaces added on Fresh Pond Lane from approximately 55 spaces to 34 spaces. • Between Sparks Street and Fresh Pond Parkway, a few spaces were relocated from the north side of the street to the south side of the street. Total quantity of spaces did not change. Brattle Street Safety Improvement Project, October 2023 by Kyle Klein. 11 Engagement highlights (for both phases): • Postcards introducing the project sent to local addresses in spring 2022. • Physical signage posted on-street ahead of each meeting. • Four virtual community meetings. These meetings served as updates to project status. • Two in-person drop-in open houses with information about the project design and installation plans. Attendees were able to ask staff questions about specific concerns and to identify additional locations for improvement. • Presentations at three Historical Commission meetings. • One-on-one conversations with community members, schools, and houses of worship. • Project survey. • Online updates on project webpage, project email list, news stories, City’s Daily News Project website: www.cambridgema.gov/BrattleStSafety.

Project Photos: Phase 2 (Kyle Klein, October 2023)

12

HAMPSHIRE STREET SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Length: 1.56 miles, including a short section of Broadway

Category: Special4

Status: Completed Fall 2023

Through the Hampshire Street Safety Improvement Project, the City added separated bike lanes to Hampshire Street, creating a more comfortable biking connection between Inman Square and The Port/Kendall Square. The project area included: • Hampshire Street from Inman Square to Broadway • One block of Broadway, from Hampshire Street to Portland Street Parking Impacts: Project decreased total parking and loading spaces from 179 to 88, a net removal of 91 spaces. Block-by-block parking information is available on the project website.

Engagement highlights: