Bike and bus lanes will change driving Mass Ave, introducing loading zones and side street meters
After facing supply chain delays, the city completed protected bike lanes on Massachusetts Avenue between Inman and Trowbridge streets in Mid-Cambridge last week, bringing the city a step closer to meeting the goals laid out by its updated Cycling Safety Ordinance. Alongside these changes, the city announced its intention to install bike and bus lanes by November in North Cambridge, on Massachusetts Avenue between Dudley Street and Alewife Brook Parkway.
The ordinance sets a deadline for installation of separated bike lanes along these stretches of Massachusetts Avenue by April 30, part of 22.6 miles of separated bike lanes to be built by 2026. Due to the compressed timeline for these stretches, the city chose to use quick-build methods – usually consisting of repainting the street and installing flex posts, without requiring digging or major construction.
Detailed plans for the stretch from Alewife Brook Parkway to Dudley Street, where the Greek Corner restaurant operates, were released at a public comment meeting Sept. 14. The plans include the conversion of metered parking into protected bike lanes in both directions and the elimination of a car lane in favor of a bus lane headed toward Porter Square. While existing metered parking along the stretch will be removed, the plans call for a “temporal” bus lane, which will be used as a 15-minute loading zone during off-peak hours.
The loading zone designation extends to anyone driving a vehicle, beyond the traditional connotation limiting such areas to just delivery trucks and ride sharing. “After certain hours, say 9 a.m., folks can use that space to conduct loading; they can legally stop their car there,” Andreas Wolfe, the project manager, said at the public meeting.
Turn for the better?
In addition to making the stretch safer for cyclists and more efficient for buses, the design changes the experience for car traffic. Notably, the project will install a left turn lane at Churchill Avenue, the site of the Jack’s gas station, and include a new traffic flow for left turns onto Cameron Avenue before the Mediterranean Grill – instead of turning onto Cameron directly, drivers would take a right onto Cedar; a left up Harvey Street would set them up to cross Massachusetts Avenue. Patrick Baxter, an engineer for the city’s Traffic, Parking & Transportation Department, presented findings from a study that suggested the changes will add one minute of travel time in the direction of Porter Square due to the inclusion of a dedicated bus lane.
Public comments at the meeting were largely supportive of the design, with questions clustered around the implementation of the dedicated bus lanes and loss of parking spaces. In addition to allowing for 15-minute parking and loading in the bus lane, the city pointed to side streets getting new metered parking. We “expect that we will be installing additional metered parking on side streets to make up for some of the loss,” said Joseph Barr, director of the city’s Traffic, Parking & Transportation Department, in an interview May 12.
While the design is largely final, the city acknowledged that adding another dedicated bus lane in the direction of Arlington is a possibility. It would serve peak commute times in the evening for commuters leaving the city. “We’re still in talks with the MBTA to see what serves their operations the best,” Wolfe said.
Bicyclists pleased
Bike advocates were enthused by the news about both stretches of Massachusetts Avenue. “Loving to see this plan here. It’s a scary place to bike, and this will make it a much more pleasant experience for all ages and abilities,” said one public commenter.
Nate Fillmore, of the Cambridge Bicycle Safety Group, called it “a good plan [and] a creative plan” in an interview Monday. “It is important to note that the plan actually preserves the substantial majority of parking on the inbound side of the street, except it is converted to short-term parking for the majority of the day, where anyone can park for up to 15 minutes.”
The city’s goal is to complete the project by November. “That gives us a chance to do it before the winter kicks in when we’re not able to lane markings because of the weather,” Wolfe said. Information is here.
““It is important to note that the plan actually preserves the substantial majority of parking on the inbound side of the street, except it is converted to short-term parking for the majority of the day, where anyone can park for up to 15 minutes.””
But….then it DOESN’T preserve the parking because 15 minutes isn’t parking….it’s a loading zone.
I love how people ignore reality in order to get what they think they want.
Porter is already a mess with lanes that suddenly end in new parking or bike lanes and traffic snarled in unexpected merges.
Can’t wait to see what these Mensa members do to Inman. Did they at least get a couple of fine chairs out of those trees?
Yup, everyone will just stop driving and hop on a bike, especially in January.
This is a great day for Amazon.com because more small businesses will be out of business. In Cambridge.
I typically walk this route, but on the rare occasion I drive (to Greek Corner!), parking is tough. Also, I find it disingenuous to say the meters will be moved to the side streets where residents park today–somebody is definitely getting jammed.
On the whole, I support safer streets for bikes, but we should be able to have a real fact-based discussion on the costs
Some practical advice please: When I bike up to an Uber parked in the nice new bike lane, should I swing out left into traffic, or to the right onto the sidewalk? Sidewalk pedestrian collisions seem more likely but less deadly than traffic collisions, you know? And when I get to the next one, or the one after that, should I alternate, or stick with what’s working?
Peter G, as someone who’s commuted this route to Waltham, and frequently had to drive this stretch rather than take the bus (my preferred vehicle for managing Mass Ave) to do my errands on weekends, I can assure you there’s plenty of parking on the side streets during the day, and most of us don’t do errands after 6pm. Some places, like Pemberton Farm Market and the realty near it have their own parking lots. The difference for me will be I may have to pay $1 to park for my haircuts. Which, given that the dedicated bus lane(s) will smooth and speed traffic, means that whether I take the bus or drive it’s worth it to me. (And of course worth it to all of us, unless you think the fire tornados, floods, harvest-wrecking downpours and heat waves all over the continent and the globe this summer were a coincidence.) Studies show that transition to bike and public transport does NOT shrink custom for small businesses. Despite the visuals, car traffic is not the majority method of urban transport, especially on an artery as well served by buses as Mass Ave between Harvard Square and the Arlington line. And once the buses are more reliable I’ll drive even less.
I’m sure the authorities will make sure that cyclist will stop for all red lights and stop signs, right? Oh I forgot they will also yield to pedestrians.
Once again, someone is touting “studies.” (Oh, My…) Could you please name just a few for the diligent skeptics among us? (That would be nice.) Hard to believe that anyone who really takes the 77 Bus along Mass Ave. would claim it is “well-served” by buses (unless your expectations have been so badly beaten down by the MBTA that you have simply given up, and are willing to “settle for less.”) In recent letters to the City Council, a resident of North Cambridge, Young Kim, has already pointed out the “results” from the intervention of the “geniuses” along Mass Ave near Central – lots of double parking! (Now you can *really* block traffic!) The idea that this will “improve” bus service seems astonishing. How will buses get around the parked cars in the “dedicated bus lane”?? (Hmmm.) Bono wants to know one thing: Why is everything the city “staff” in Cambridge impose on the rest of us who actually live here always labeled, “IMPROVEMENTS”?? (Just askin…’)