Garden Street: Our Safety Dismissed by Rep. Decker (August 2024)
In this letter, Gleb Bahmutov shares his personal experience at a 2022 community meeting where Rep. Marjorie Decker’s behavior was disrespectful to city staff and many neighbors and cyclists. Despite the city’s extensive efforts to engage the community and address concerns, Decker prioritized her own interests over public safety, asserting that traffic volumes and speeds were up on Raymond Street where she lives, despite the city finding that they were similar to those before the project in 2018 [Page 20]. Her dismissive and hostile attitude towards both the city staff and residents who support safer streets exemplifies why we need new leadership in our district.
Cambridge Bicycle Safety supported Evan MacKay in the 2024 primary election for state representative; MacKay ultimately lost by a very narrow margin of 41 votes.
I live close to Garden Street and was really happy to see it converted to a one-way street with safe separated bike lanes. Cambridge’s transportation department held at least 4 meetings presenting their ideas and designs, posted signs along Garden Street and abutting streets, and mailed fliers. They balanced the concerns and trade-offs, and changed the plans considerably in response to concerns about parking impacts on Garden Street. After the conversion, another in-person meeting was organized at Graham & Parks Elementary School. I went to the meeting and spoke positively about the safe bike lane that now allows me and my family to travel to Harvard Square.
However, Rep. Decker’s aggressive and disrespectful behavior during the meeting was shocking. From the outset, she launched into a caustic tirade, angrily denouncing the Garden Street conversion. Her tone was not just forceful but also dismissive of both the city staff who worked tirelessly on the project and the residents who supported it. She claimed that “people were left in the dark about the conversion,” despite the numerous public meetings and outreach efforts made by the city, all of which had many participants. Decker further alleged that “car traffic is worse than ever on the adjacent streets,” a claim contradicted by the city’s data showing that traffic speeds on her own street remained nearly identical to pre-conversion levels and volumes were nearly identical to 2019 levels.
What was most disturbing was her blatant disregard for those who supported the project. Rather than engaging in a constructive dialogue, Rep. Decker’s approach was confrontational and dismissive. She failed to listen to or respect the perspectives of residents who, like myself, value safe streets for cyclists and pedestrians. It was clear that her opposition was driven more by personal convenience and self-interest about traffic on her street than by any genuine concern for the community’s well-being.
From this meeting, I concluded that Rep. Decker is not representing me, my family, or the interests of people who wish to avoid the costs (direct and external) of driving cars. I would like to have a state representative who understands the urgency of lowering greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and the desire to be safe while getting around Cambridge by means of walking and cycling.
Gleb Bahmutov Cambridge, MA
