City Manager and the Mayor’s Office are requested to establish a new working group consisting of a diverse set of stakeholders, including cyclists, drivers, pedestrians, small business owners, EMS/first responders, and City Officials to discuss the results of the protected bike lane pilot using clear evaluation criteria, and how best to construct a cohesive network in the future

O-4

ORIGINAL ORDER

In October of 2015, the City of Cambridge outlined its plans for “complete streets” in its Bicycle Report with the goal of making our roadways friendly to all modes of transportation, be it cyclists, drivers, or pedestrians; and A key element of the Bicycle Report was the addition of separate bicycle facilities, namely protected bike lanes; and To meet this goal and expand the network of protected bike lanes, lanes were installed on Cambridge Street in the summer of 2017 as part of the Cambridge Street Bicycle Safety Demonstration Project; and During community meetings prior to their installation, the lanes were presented to residents as a pilot program that would be open to changes after the public had sufficient time to use and give feedback on the bike lanes; and The addition of the protected bike lanes caused significant changes to the design and traffic pattern of Cambridge Street; and These changes have generated a high level of discourse amongst neighbors, cyclists, drivers, business owners/their patrons, and pedestrians regarding their design and implementation; and The consistent feedback received by City Councillors from many of our residents since the start of the pilot has indicated that the Cambridge Street lanes have not yet met the City’s goal of increasing safety for all; and There previously existed a Cambridge Street Stakeholder Group made up of diverse interests that had input prior to the installation of the Cambridge Street bike lanes; and Now that the lanes have been in use for eight months, there is a strong desire from our residents to have an additional outlet for community conversation and input regarding the design and implementation of the Cambridge Street bike lanes; and Cambridge Street, as a major transit corridor, has the potential to be a model for other bike lanes in the City’s planned network; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager and the Mayor’s Office be and hereby are requested to establish a new working group consisting of a diverse set of stakeholders, including cyclists, drivers, pedestrians, small business owners, EMS/first responders, and City Officials to discuss the results of the protected bike lane pilot using clear evaluation criteria, and how best to construct a cohesive network in the future; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager and the Mayor’s Office be and hereby are requested to consult with the Community Development Department and the Traffic and Parking Department to use the continued and constructive feedback received from our residents and the working group to re-evaluate the safety features of the Cambridge Street bike lanes, and ensure future bike lanes meet the City’s goal of “safe streets for all.”