Build protected bike lanes in Porter Square as fast as possible

February 24, 2022 cambbikesafety Calls to Action 0

A photo of the Porter Square intersection. In the foreground is a white ghost/memorial bike. In the background, a cyclist wearing a high visibility fluorescent vest is riding in the bike lane, and up ahead a truck is parked in the bike lane,

The city is holding an outdoor, in-person information session on Tuesday March 22, 3-7PM in front of the Lunder Arts Center at 1801 Massachusetts Avenue. More information about the project and recordings/slides from past meetings can be found on the city’s project page. In the mean time, sign and share our petition here.

We believe everyone should be able to safely move through Porter Square, however they get around. City of Cambridge is in the process of collecting feedback for installing quick build protected bike lanes on Mass Ave near Porter Square, between Roseland St and Beech St (approximately 1400 feet of Mass Ave), with installation happening this year.

The city has stated it’s going to miss its legally mandated April 30th deadline, so we need to push Cambridge to implement Porter Square protected bike lanes as quickly as possible, and to show our support for the Cycling Safety Ordinance timeline, by sending them as many emails as possible.

What you can do: If you haven’t already written to the City Council and staff, now’s the time. Tell them we need the Porter Square protected bike lanes to be built as fast as possible, and that there should be no delays to future projects.

Write to council@cambridgema.gov, ldepasquale@cambridgema.gov, jbarr@cambridgema.gov, and CC info@cambridgebikesafety.org so we can keep track. If you’d like your email to make even more impact, you can CC clerk@cambridgema.gov and it will be included in the next City Council meeting’s agenda. A few personalized sentences go a long way, especially if it’s about an experience or challenge you’ve had.

Once you’ve written, encourage other people to write in. Reach out to friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors, share this information, and ask them to write City Council in support of Porter Square protected bike lanes. Sign and share our petition here.

The thick blue line highlights the section of Mass Ave that is a part of the current Porter Square Safety Improvement project, between Roseland St and Beech St. Sections of Mass Ave north of Beech St and south of Roseland St are not part of the current quick build project, and will be addressed at a later time.
Image Source: City of Cambridge Porter Square Safety Improvements Project

Additional FAQs to come!

What about the section of Mass Ave between Harvard Square and Porter Square?

This project only refers to the section immediately around Porter Square, from Roseland to Beech Streets.

For the sections of Mass Ave north of Beech St and south of Roseland St (referred to by the city as the “MassAve4 project), we at Cambridge Bike Safety have worked with representatives from a diverse set of stakeholders, including the business community, neighborhood associations, and advocacy organizations representing pedestrians, transit users, forming the Mass Ave Working Group, to address this question. After months of thoughtful discussion and design, the Mass Ave Working Group has used urban design principles to make a road that balances the needs of all users at Mass Ave For All.