Six ceiling fans spun overhead at the Central Square Elks Lodge, trying to cool both the crowd and the rising tension at a meeting April 23 of residents trying to keep parking spaces from being replaced by bike lanes. “I just want to stress we are talking about how we save parking on Broadway,” said Larry Ward, the meeting’s host. “We should take Broadway off the map.”
Bicycle advocates, some wearing “I bike, I vote” pins, crashed a “community meeting” that an invitation from a group called the Broadway Parking Coalition said was intended “to persuade a majority of city councillors to act” on its 700-person petition to stop bike lanes on Broadway that would cost 60 percent of current parking spaces.
It’s just the latest front in a citywide fight that began in 2017, when bike lane implementation sped up after two 2016 bicyclist deaths highlighted the city’s slow progress. A Cycling Safety Ordinance was adopted in 2019 and amended in 2020 with deadlines for the installation of approximately 25 miles of protected bike lanes. The Broadway Safety Improvement Project expects to add lanes between Quincy and Portland streets by November 2026.
Unmentioned at the meeting by speakers on either side of the issue was a law passed in December that was supposed to make the endless battles over bike lanes unnecessary: Parking and Transportation Demand Management zoning that lets businesses share their off-street parking or convert it to commercial use.
A study found could add as many as 3,400 off-street parking spaces along some 45 “flexible parking corridors” citywide, more than making up for a loss of 800 or 900 spaces. Deadlines to install bike lanes on Main Street, Cambridge Street and Broadway were changed to Nov. 30, 2026, from May 1, 2026, to allow time for city staff to write the zoning.
These would be private arrangements, not managed by the city, according to transportation commissioner Brooke McKenna. “We’re only in charge of the parking that’s in the public right of way,” McKenna said. “We’re not able to tell people what to do with their off street parking, but we have made it easier for them to opt to make it available to other people.”
Still, a commercial parking space permit would be required, and McKenna said said she’s not aware of any such arrangements along Broadway.
“The city’s zoning efforts can have long-term impacts, but won’t affect the parking situation and availability for at least a few years,” said John Pitkin, of Cambridge Streets For All, in response to why zoning was not mentioned during the meeting. “No, the city staff have not addressed residential parking needs in the Broadway area.”
Voices against bike lanes
Pitkin has participated in two lawsuits to stop bike lanes and even undo lanes that had already been installed, citing parking and safety concerns. In an email organizing this latest effort, he said speakers should take “one or at most two minutes” to give their views, with priority “given to residents of Broadway and the surrounding area within one or two blocks.”
A speaker named Liz, who did not share her last name, a Broadway resident of 30 years, recalled how easy it used to be to find street parking when she came home from work. She said those days are gone, and removing even more parking will only make things worse.
“While I applaud Cambridge for being as bike friendly as it is, I would hope that we would go for bike safety awareness rather than a bike lane on Broadway.”
Other residents worry that reduced parking will make it harder for home health care providers to find spots.
Laska Dittrich, 44, said she was the primary caretaker for her mother, Alison Dietrich, but relies on the help of her mother’s hospice caregivers. They have occasionally had to cancel or reschedule appointments because they couldn’t find parking during street cleaning. With no driveway, her family depends on street parking.
“We’re not asking for a million parking spaces, but there would have been no way to keep my mom at home as long as we have without a place to park,” she said.
Voices in favor of bike lanes
With vice mayor Marc McGovern and city councillors Ayesha Wilson, Patty Nolan, Paul Toner and Cathie Zusy present, Pitkin called on speakers from a list – and for the first hour all opposed bike lanes except for one. Pitkin said names were called in the order that people signed up to speak.
“For many of my friends and people I know my age, they would like to bike, but they don’t know if it feels safe,” the bicyclist said. “Having protected bike lanes takes away a lot of those things that stop people from biking and that will take cars off the road.”
Bike lane supporters in the crowd broke into claps and cheers, and Ward reminded them of a “no clapping” rule and called for respect. People from both sides of the issue used the opportunity to throw out comments during a moment of escalation.
As more of the bike lane advocates were given the mic to speak, speaking times went to one minute from a possible two.
“What’s the point of having a community process if we’re not using it to have these kinds of discussions in a way that’s equitable, accessible and fair?” said Chris Cassa, an organizer of the Cambridge Bicycle Safety Group.
The group, formed after the two cyclist deaths in 2016, sent an email to supporters to show up, an answer to emails from the Broadway Parking Coalition that went only to bike lane opponents. “Last year, a similar ‘community meeting’ led to the rollback of weekend Riverbend Park closures. That meeting was framed as inclusive, but only opponents were invited to speak. State officials attended, saw hostile opposition, and made decisions based on skewed feedback,” according to the Cambridge Bicycle Safety email.
“The group is very encouraged by the city’s willingness to move forward,” said Ian McGoldrick, another member of the group. “But there’ve been continued setbacks and there’s continued fear and anxiety within the group that the council at any point may decide to delay the project again because the opposition is well funded and resourced, and we’re not.”
The post was updated May 1, 2025, to add that vice mayor Marc McGovern was present and John Pitkin was calling on speakers. It was updated May 3, 2025, to add that Pitkin said he was calling on speakers in the order they signed up to speak and to remove a reference to him as chair of Cambridge Streets for All.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.
I’d be happy to bike down Broadway without a dedicated lane, but whenever I do now, some hothead in a huge vehicle tails me, honking furiously. It’s scary, and dangerous. I live in fear that someone will angrily try to pass me, causing a head-on collision with another car or with a pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk.
Unfortunately, with everyone so stressed out these days, the only way to keep everyone calm and safe is to separate pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists as much as possible.
Worth nothing:
1. The project will also improve safety for pedestrians, as all these projects do.
2. There’s a petition to continue building safer infrastructure in order to prevent further crashes (17 pedestrians and people on bikes injured from 2022 to 2024, 38 people hit by motor vehicles total.) https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-the-broadway-separated-bike-lane-project/.
At the moment there are 1220 signatures in support of making Broadway safer for pedestrians and people on bikes, including all the kids who bike to the library, CRLS, and other schools in the area.
Excellent article. I attended the city staff open house earlier tonight for the 1600 feet of Broadway is planned for this month. The city staff has put in so much effort to accommodate concerns and balance the needs of the community while keeping to the guidelines of the ordinance. Hoping that the process for the rest of the street scheduled for next summer can be informed by how this short section goes.
The city council did recently re-pass the CSO 9-0 in January 2025 with the updated timeline of November 2026 and with Broadway, Cambridge and Main streets included. The transportation department is implementing it along the streets the council approved and the timeline they affirmed 9-0. They should stick with their own plans. : )
Bike lanes on Broadway are an essential investment in Cambridge’s safety, health, and future.
Protected lanes reduce crashes for all road users—New York City saw a 56% drop in injuries where they were installed. They also encourage biking, easing traffic and improving air quality.
Replacing parking with bike lanes can boost local business, as shown in Salt Lake City and elsewhere.
These lanes make streets safer and more accessible for families, seniors, and, well, everyone. The AARP supports bike lanes because they make streets safer for seniors and helps them age in place.
Cambridge’s new zoning law allows thousands of off-street spaces—more than replacing lost parking. Yet some still object.
Let’s be clear: lives matter more than parking. Broadway deserves a bike lane.
Why are politicians continuing to entertain shadow processes run in clearly biased ways by people wanting to alter the results of the actually public process?
Good summary. My son went to King Open school on Broadway and then again went to the same building when Tobin elementary school used it. His current afterschool activities sometimes bring him there; and in all 4 years he never biked there, not because he can’t, but because I feel it is unsafe. I felt unsafe biking on Broadway for my former job at Central square. Broadway has several schools plus the central library – and no kid can get there safely. I understand the parking problems, the city population is growing, and the city has been giving out more street parking permits than spaces available. So now we need a change; make biking safe and I won’t be driving my son to his afterschool activities on Broadway, I won’t be taking a parking spot, and I won’t be creating traffic. Win win win.
It’s a conflict between those of us who live here and want to co-exist, and those demanding the right to pass through and change our neighborhood in order to do so. Those of us who live here value the diversity inherent in a social fabric that includes elderly, disabled, low-income, local-business-owning neighbors who live here. Those who demand the bike lanes want to rid our neighborhood of the supports that enable that diversity, so they can pass through in a bubble without being exposed, two minutes a day, four days a week, only on the not too hot not too cold not precipitating twenty days of the year. There are ways to co-exist but right now we’re deciding if the vocal non-resident minority gets to make our neighborhood less rich and less diverse on those of us who live here.
@cantabridgian02138
Bike lanes improve neighborhoods for local residents. They slow traffic, making streets safer and more attractive for pedestrians—benefiting local businesses. Cities across the country have seen business revenue increase after installing bike lanes. All of this is well-documented by research.
The AARP endorses bike lanes because they improve safety for older adults.
You know what really causes congestion and eats up parking? Cars. Every person on a bike is one less car. Without bike lanes, more people will drive through—and park in—your neighborhood.
Not everyone needs to drive, but every person who doesn’t is helping those who do. It’s about time drivers realize that bike lanes help them.
Bike lanes promote co-existence.
@cantabridgian02138 So, cyclists are outsiders but drivers are all local? Really?
Bike lanes promote diversity by providing transportation for those who can’t afford cars. Surveys show most bike commuters are low-wage earners, and people cycle year-round.
Polls, votes, and public testimony show broad support for bike lanes in Cambridge. Opponents are a vocal minority, often wealthier homeowners who can afford cars. Maybe we should look out for disadvantaged people.
Many elderly can’t drive. Where’s the support for them?
Coexistence isn’t “stay off my street, I won’t share it.”
@cantabridgian02138
“demanding the right to pass through and change our neighborhood in order to do so”, “so they can pass through in a bubble without being exposed”, “non-resident minority” – you surely mean car drivers, as they are more likely to drive farther, are literally in a metal bubble, and are richer than your average resident (cars are expensive after all). By the way, I am just asking for my son to not be killed when he gets around Cambridge, not some abstract societal transformation.
Safe, protected bike lanes are badly needed on Broadway to improve safety for the local community and I look forward to seeing them installed with no further delay.
On one side, the coalition to save parking on Broadway. On the other side, a coalition to save LIVES on Broadway. It is saddening to see how many of my neighbors prioritize their convenience over the safety of their community.
Strangely, the Declaration of Independence does not say “life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a guaranteed spot to park my private vehicle on public land”.
Sad to see people prioritize parking over lives.
None of the complaints make sense. For example:
“A speaker named Liz recalled how easy it used to be to find parking…”
Of course—it was before there were so many cars. Bike lanes reduce car use.
The city has already passed a law that will add off-street parking, more than replacing what’s lost to bike lanes. Yet some still aren’t satisfied.
Lives matter more than parking. Traffic and parking problems are caused by too many CARS. Reducing car use helps everyone—even drivers.
Do these people want more cars driving through and parking in their neighborhood? Bike lanes help everyone whether you cycle or not.
Lifelong bicycle commuter here. Broadway in my experience is very safe as is- wide with good sight lines. I realize not everyone agrees, but some of us do NOT feel safer with the new bike lanes. I am feel less safe both on my bike and in my car. So…could those of us who do feel safe on regular roads and who NEED parking have ONE major road we could use. There are already plenty of “protected” bike lanes on all the parallel routes- Mass Ave, Cambridge St, Beacon St, Hampshire. C’mon, could we please have some compromise. That is what democracy is supposed to be about. You consider others’ needs and wants and you accept not getting every single thing your way. Thank you
I think that S makes a very good point. With all of the new housing being built, could any of the city councilors please comment on what the planning is for the amount of parking that will be needed? I know that, in a better world, we all would be able and willing to bike everywhere, but we don’t live in that world yet. I’m all for encouraging bike use, but there will always be residents who are disabled or need to commute out into the suburbs (like me, until recently). Cambridge Street, and especially Hampshire, have good bike infrastructure, and they go basically in the same direction as Broadway.
@S who wrote “ some of us do NOT feel safer with the new bike lanes” This is not about my “feelings” but about bike lanes making crashes much rarer and injuries less severe, which is shown in the city statistics (50% fewer crashes https://www.cambridgebikesafety.org/2023/05/16/the-experts-were-right-cambridge-roads-are-getting-safer/)
Both @S and @MHoek – there is already lots of road space and parking space on the streets surrounding Broadway. Why do we need both road and parking ON Broadway? See how the same argument sounds if we just change the transportation mode?
Public safety decisions should be based on data, not feelings.
If you feel unsafe in a bike lane, the data disagrees—bike lanes reduce accidents by 50% or more.
Drivers don’t own the road. It’s absurd to say “cyclists should use another street” when, on major roads, bike traffic often matches car traffic. Should we tell drivers to find another route instead?
Compromise doesn’t mean “stay off my road”—it means share the road.
Democracy isn’t about who shouts the loudest. In Cambridge, votes, surveys, and public testimony all show strong support for bike lanes. A few wealthy homeowners pressuring politicians to undo that is not democratic.
Every person on a bike is one less car. If we give people alternatives to driving, fewer will clog and park in your neighborhood.
Well, I’m not an expert on this issue, but I really hope that the city made plans for all of the new housing that we’re building, because some of those people will have cars.
The city has a clear plan: encourage less car use by adding bike lanes and increasing development near public transit.
When people drive less, cars are parked more and moved less—so less parking is needed.
Denser development also boosts local business by bringing more customers closer to more shops, reducing car dependence even further.
This shift means less traffic and more available parking overall. The city has also passed a law to make off-street parking more accessible to the public.
The problem is that people fixate on losing a few parking spots on one street and miss the bigger picture. We can’t make progress if every change is met with reflexive opposition.
@S
It doesn’t really help much if parallel routes have safe infrastructure if A) they don’t go where you need to go, and/or B) there isn’t a safe route between those parallel routes.
Sure, some people may need parking, but we don’t do a good job of tempering that demand. On-street parking permits are dirt cheap, and metered parking is similar.
Parking garages are pretty empty, too. Every morning on my walk to work along Broadway, I pass a garage with live counts on free spaces. Every day, long after the morning rush, that garage still has hundreds of open parking spaces.
Parking is quite plentiful in Cambridge, relative to its use, it’s just that drivers don’t want to pay for it.
Curb space is among the city’s most valuable limited resources, with many competing priorities. Car storage can be placed off-street, safe passage for bikes and peds cannot.
With all the talk about democracy and fairness, let’s not ignore some important facts:
– Nearly 40% of Cambridge households don’t own a car. That means likely over half our residents don’t have regular access to one.
– About 60% of trips in Cambridge are made without a car.
– For shopping, only about one-third of customers arrive by car.
(Source: http://rwinters.com/council/062424M9.pdf)
Nationally, 28% of car trips are under one mile—easily walkable for most able-bodied people.
If more people walked those short trips, we’d reduce traffic and free up parking. That’s a smarter, fairer, and safer approach than opposing bike lanes and putting others at risk.
@cantabridgian02138
As a local resident, I feel the opposite. Why are we giving our streets to cars, prioritizing travel by others through our neighborhood instead of making our streets safer for our neighbors. Why does my (a neighbor on Broadway) safety take second fiddle to someone else’s convenience?