Asked the City Manager to work with the appropriate City departments to accelerate the planning and installation of two …

O-10

ORIGINAL ORDER

Riding a bicycle is the one of the most affordable transportation options in the flat, dense city of Cambridge and therefore should be made safer for vulnerable communities who rely on bicycles as well as for those who would like to bicycle but are discouraged by unsafe conditions; and The 1992 Vehicle Trip Reduction Ordinance (VTRO) requires the city to "make more efficient use of mass transit, bicycling, walking, and other alternatives to drive-alone trips"; and The City of Cambridge has adopted a Complete Streets policy and has formally committed to Vision Zero, with goals of eliminating transportation fatalities and serious injuries, as well as continuing to reduce the crash rates for all modes; and It has been one year since the death of 27-year-old Amanda Phillips, killed as she was cycling on Cambridge Street just outside of Inman Square; and In October of 2016, a petition with over 3,000 signatures was submitted to the City Council calling for protected bicycle infrastructure on all major city thoroughfares and the Council has unanimously passed more than 15 policy orders calling for a protected network of protected bike lanes to be installed across major arterials; and The City has put in short pop-up demonstrations of protected bike lanes on Massachusetts Avenue and the public response has been overwhelmingly positive; and A protected bike lane on the western segment of Cambridge Street will be installed within the next month and was ushered in with overwhelming public support; and The City is installing two more short sections of protected bike lane demonstrations on Brattle Street and Massachusetts Avenue after winning public support via the Participatory Budgeting process; and The City has gained experience in installing protected bike lanes from both the Massachusetts Avenue and Cambridge Street projects, including plowing during the winter months; and Pavement markings can only be done until November, and thousands of students will be returning to the City’s universities in September; now therefore be it That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department, Department of Public Works, Community Development Department, Fire Department, Police Department, Budget Department, and other relevant City departments to accelerate the planning and installation of two or more protected bike lanes of significant length, similar to the current project on Cambridge Street, by September; and be it further That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the aforementioned departments to produce a plan and timeline by October 2017 for the roll-out on an expedited basis of protected bike lanes on all major city thoroughfares; and be it further The City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the aforementioned departments to ensure that Bike Plan recommendations are fully implemented on all road reconstruction and paving projects, and additional infrastructure changes not included in the Plan are implemented where they could ensure bicyclists are provide safe, convenient connections to a city-wide network; and be it further That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the Council on all of these matters.