Plea to City of Cambridge: Give a holiday reprieve to the businesses of North Massachusetts Avenue
Since the Cycling Safety Ordinance measures were installed on Massachusetts Avenue from Dudley Street to Alewife Brook Parkway, three related policy orders have been approved by the City Council. On Monday, two more orders were submitted. Unfortunately, in spite of pleas by local business owners, they have been charter righted and will not be discussed until the Jan. 10 meeting.
The local businesses have been suffering since Thanksgiving week from a loss of customers due to confusion and lack of parking. This is the busiest time for these businesses, during which they were hoping to recoup losses resulting from Covid restrictions. Unfortunately, thus far no immediate remedial actions have been taken by the city to help them.
I urge everyone to contact city councillors and ask that the removed parking meters along Massachusetts Avenue be restored for one-hour limited parking during the non-rush hours until a more permanent solution can be found. This would be a true gift of kindness during this holiday season.
Young Kim, Norris Street
It’s December 21st and you are requesting that somehow the parking meters are re-installed in time for holiday shopping?
‘Tis the season for fantastical requests I guess.
Ponies for everyone!
Nope delayed till next yr…. There is so much chaos and confusion with this kindergarten road, bike design someone at a min should be fired. Whoever dreamt up this mess would be a great place to start.
Yes Sam you can drive in the bus lane as it sits EMPTY 90% of the time but now police details are parked, lights flashing handing out tickets. My goodness can’t make this up.
Sorry small business, if you weren’t sure where you stand you certainly do now – literally overnight poof…
As someone who has biked, driven, and visited businesses on this stretch of Mass Ave, there is no chaos and the road design is not confusing. I cannot wait for the changes for the rest of Mass Ave!
I just looked at the businesses along this stretch in google maps. Exactly which businesses expect to see a holiday rush? Haircuts? Gas stations?
Tires? Restaurants? Dunkins?
I think it’s really hard to say what exactly is causing lost business, assuming that even is really the case. Fear over Omicron would be keeping shoppers home anyway. It’s a really tough time of year for everyone.
It’s unfortunate for the bike lanes’ perception to be installed at the same time as the latest surge in the pandemic.
In a lot of cases, bike lanes bring in more customers, not less, because the street actually has more capacity for people now due to the removal of single occupancy vehicle traffic.
Now it’s impossible to day what’s truly happening or causing it.
Ultimately, to me, the right of people to cycle safely, including families, elderly, and disabled people, trumps any imagined right to street parking.
Literally in article from Cambridge Day yesterday “The aftermath of a collision Friday on Massachusetts Avenue in North Cambridge was shared by Cynthia Hughes, a nearby business owner.”
No no confusion just accidents…
I’m sure all the business owners are all lying as well. Who needs haircuts, restaurants, repairs, paint etc just get it all from Amazon.
As if the type of small business matters. Geez sounds like you have a higher calling in the local govt lol.
I’m sure all the other small businesses are eagerly anticipating this kindergarten creation to meet up in H sq. We will see Sam speeding down the bus lane the whole way!
@PRC If you didn’t notice, accidents happen all the time with cars. There’s no evidence it has to do with the road design. This is what smart urban planning looks like.
C-Citizen, if it’s sooo smart why yesterday did (I’m assuming the city) put up attached to the bike poles “Commercial Parking 30min Passenger Parking 15min” IN THE BUS LANE.
Wow so now the buses should wait behind a parked commercial van for 25min or are they to slalom back into the auto only lane, or maybe the buses are ticketed for driving in the auto only lanes. Or maybe the police parked will give them tickets.
Wow what a mess – now patch work actions to try and salvage it.
@prc – I think that’s more a reflection on drivers being able to figure out where to park, despite plenty of other signage. I think we coddle drivers too much.
c.c. It is truly the worst design for safety I’ve ever seen. Again, why are we tying ourselves in knots to appease bikers who refuse to even follow simple traffic laws by stopping for red lights? Again, rule by vocal activist minority.
@maddmann1 – violations by drivers are both a minority in Cambridge, and also roughly as likely as cyclists to, e.g., run red lights, make illegal turns, gun it on green to take an unsafe left.
Even if drivers were ten times less likely to break the law, they’d still be ten times more likely to injure or kill someone – the evidence (and physics) are clear. Drivers are dangerous.
(to clarify: drivers are a minority, but their violations are on-par with cyclists)
Smart traffic design doesn’t require multiple lane changes to go in a straight line.
You can go an hour without seeing a bicycle in the bike lane. Maybe they’re on the off-street bike path a stone’s throw away?
I’m lucky enough to be able to walk to Fast Phil’s but I’m not going to do it with four gallons of paint or a guitar, which is what people buy at some of the other nearby businesses that lost all their customer (and employee) parking.
I live where the bus lane starts. Most of the time, there’s not a bus in sight – but the rush hour traffic is a nightmare. Taking out the parking meters shows a complete disregard for Cambridge businesses – and putting meters on the side streets is a complete disregard for residents. Not to mention the impact on anyone with disability issues. Some members of the City Council are more concerned with pushing their own agenda than with Cambridge residents and businesses.
I love WilliamF’s comment that basically says “@#$@#$ the elderly and the handicapped” because these are exactly some of the people in need of parking. My 74 year old mom isn’t capable of biking and shouldn’t be forced to risk the infection on the bus.
But hey let’s make shopping in Cambridge even more hostile so it pushes more people to online shopping and delivery apps where drivers TRULY don’t care about bike lanes.
Truly an enlightened Cantabrigian….
Let’s admit that Cambridge wants to be seen as a cool place to live, especially if you think you are being green. Seniors and disabled folks have always been largely ignored in city policy. The senior centers are a joke and provide employment for city workers and not much for the clients. My elderly husband and disabled child and I will just have to get bikes if we want to use the streets in Cambridge.