Cambridge’s debate of bike lanes vs. businesses, seen by an ex-Western Massachusetts resident
For the past several months I have read about the controversy surrounding whether there should be bike lanes installed throughout the city. One side says it’s going to lose business due to the lack of parking, and the other side says it’s about public safety for bikers. To me both sides are reacting unnecessarily to perceived fears and neither side is talking to one another – and the city isn’t willing to compromise and really take its time in implementing the Cycling Safety Ordinance, especially since its own law says it has about five years to implement it.
To me as a former Western Massachusetts resident and former human rights and disability commissioner, the big elephant in the room that no one is talking about is the lack of transit options for non-bike riders. When I see bike lanes I smile, because they make cities look nice, provide riders with their own lane and keep riders separated from busy traffic. I am neither for or opposed to bike lanes – the issue for me is moot – but to liberals and arch environmentalists concerned about climate change, this is considered a win in this fight. To me it’s not a win at all, just a cosmetic Band-Aid on the bigger problem: Why do people drive cars in the first place?
Because for many, especially those in Western Massachusetts who struggle each day to get around, it is their lifeline; the car is their best friend. It’s the only way to get to doctor’s appointments, work and grocery shopping. Biking isn’t an option for most people because the roads aren’t designed for that; people are older, disabled or low-income and can’t afford a good bike to handle the rigors of U.S. roads. And public transit barely runs on time or beyond 9 p.m. to most places, especially toward the hill towns with older populations. When I was a disability commissioner for Easthampton, we had to fight tooth and nail in 2018 to keep the only town buses, a village bus and a regular 40-footer to Holyoke, from being cut back dramatically to almost nothing.
I decided years ago that I would no longer drive a car due to unaffordability and a desire for exercise, but in Western Massachusetts that was nearly impossible – as with most of the United States. So I moved to Cambridge, where despite the dirty subway cars and overcrowded buses I can move around freely and be independent. My bike helps get me to places I need to go also, with or without a bike lane; many places I go, there isn’t one. In short, until we address the problem of how people get around without cars, until we start enforcing traffic laws on out-of-control drivers and daredevil teenage bikers, until the public learns and respects that cars and bikes must share the road safely through education and cooperation, there’s no amount of bike lanes that will change our car culture. Businesses are not to blame for that. Reactionary signs, throwing trash at people, name calling and yelling at people with bike helmets at Dunkin’ Donuts is unacceptable and immature. We are all adults, and we should be able to accept different points of view on such a minor issue and to accept defeat with grace and respect. No one, businesses or bikers, is going to win 100 percent on this, but as we debate bike lanes, we miss the larger picture: How do we create bold and groundbreaking initiatives to once and for all make it so using a car isn’t the first and only option for people? A bike lane isn’t going to achieve that.
Doug Ross, Huron Avenue
A nice little article that then descends into screed territory.
” Reactionary signs, throwing trash at people, name calling and yelling at people with bike helmets at Dunkin’ Donuts is unacceptable and immature.”
What? No context? Just needed to vent a little at the end there?
Dunkin’s …. now there’s a way to unravel all the environmentalism and human rights-ism……
Appreciate you moved to Cambridge and can get around without a automobile. Same here we were on the 77 the T all the time until we had children. Unfortunately we now need more access to a car to shuttle them to different activities.
For example just yesterday I brought one child to an after school activity yesterday (1.8mi took 19minutes in automobile) over in Arlington. Sadly told the music teacher last night we will no longer be able to continue. I guess this is a win for bike lobby as we will stay inside and do the lesson via zoom rather than in person.
The other article in C Day where the resident said they felt trapped inside. Yes I echo that feeling we are now scheduling things to not go out – I wish I could post a picture of n mass Ave last night. I nervously await the rest of the quick build tearing up mass Ave thru Porter sq. My goodness.
Having the auto lane with cars bumper to bumper as far as the eye can see. The Bus lane sat empty as far as the eye can see. Bike lane 2 bikes as far as the eye can see.
Yes losing parking has and will negatively impact small businesses. But having an empty bus lane while people are sitting in never ending traffic will just drive more families / elderly away. Maybe that’s the goal.
We need a practical solution.
How will this enforcement happen? You can’t put a cop on every corner. Traffic cams are illegal in MA.
It is also not a practical solution to say that everyone should respect everyone else. Do you see anything that gives you any optimism that will happen?
I do agree that we have to give people options other than cars. And that we should stop demonizing one another.
There are two solutions:
1. More investment in public transit.
2. Re-engineering our streets to make them safer.
Bike lanes are not just for cyclists. Studies show that they make streets safe for pedestrians and drivers too.
@PRC Please don’t forget that people are risking their lives on our streets. A bike is hit by a car an average of once every two days in Cambridge
I am so sorry that your child’s music lesson had to be moved to Zoom. But that means that someone’s child will stay safe.
Our priority should be keeping people safe not people’s convenience.
FrankD the streets were never built intended to have scooters, bicycles, electric scooters, skateboards. They were built with automobiles and buses in mind and parking for commercial businesses that line mass Ave corridor.
Ok so the bike brigade won and now will be overhauled for 44m. Congratulations like I’ve said before you all are a force to be reckoned with.
However, now realizing the design wasn’t fully operational the bus lanes are now parking spots for up to 15min. This aspect is ridiculous. The city designer removed two of the 4 mass Ave lanes and more than half the parking spots. I understand this is terrific for protected bike lanes. But the design has made this bikes vs cars vs business vs bus (citizens v citizens)
Remove the loading 15min parking and make it truly a bus lane or remove all the whacky paint and let cars in that lane as well.
This bandaid has made it worse. Hopefully the 44m design / implementation takes this into account. If not the news helicopters will be circling mass Ave come sept oct and the c council will become the laughing stock of the state…
Another discussion and potentially better outcome detailed by the ideologues that currently run this city. If you do not blindly support bike lanes you’re pro-car murder. If you blindly support lanes you hate small businesses. Both are wrong and lowering the collective IQ of this city. The study provided from the City pretty clearly states where further study was needed re: loading and small business impact. We also have been in a pandemic, the effect of which on small businesses have been catastrophic many of whom have taken on additional debt and over extended themselves to keep their dream and livelihoods alive. I cannot blame them for not trusting google and Amazon employees that bike lanes will improve their bottom lines when there isn’t much data going around to support that; and none from the city itself. Bike lanes are needed however but how we’ve gone about implementation has been a pendulum swing from inaction to blunt force. We should be demanding more from a City that commands an $800M budget and stop vilifying each other. Often times it feels like that is the City’s and Council’s strategy; let the people fight to distract from our incompetence.
*derailed not detailed
The underlying problem that bike lanes are trying to address is that – in Cambridge and Boston at least – it’s not illegal to run people over and kill them.
If you don’t believe that, I urge you to find any evidence that (not counting premeditated murder) anyone has been brought to trial for the death of of a pedestrian or bicyclist in the last two decades – a period during which somewhere between 100 and 200 people have been killed.
Perhaps if it were actually illegal to run someone over, people would do it less often.
Um, no. The streets were built long before cars were invented.
By reducing the number of car lanes, the bike/bus lanes have a traffic calming effect.
That improves safety for *everyone*, not just cyclists but also pedestrians and drivers too. It is terrific for *everyone*. Google it. You’ll see.
Saving lives and preventing injuries should always be a priority. Even if it means a little inconvenience. Lives are more important than convenience.
And, BTW, bike/bus lanes have been shown to improve local business by bringing more people into a neighborhood. There is a lot of whining but not a shred of evidence that bike lanes are hurting business. In NYC, bike lanes increased local retail sales by 50%.
People should think about the greater good instead of what is convenient for them.
I am. I don’t bike. I just want safer streets.
You say a bike lane won’t get people out of their cars, but this goes against all pf the data we have. Increasing bike infrastructure directly leads to higher bike ridership. Bikes also serve as a last mile(or 2) solution for transit.
Looking forward to seeing it completed.
The start of it (n Cambridge quick build) was so pathetic it’s made a lot of citizens, business owners and the like anxious.