An ordinance requiring 29 miles of protected bike lanes be in-built Somerville by 2030 — no less than three miles per 12 months — has obtained full assist from the Metropolis Council, as related efforts in different communities divide officers and residents.
“Balancing the needs of all road users was at the heart of this ordinance,” Councilor Willie Burnley Jr., stated in an X put up Thursday, forward of the council’s unanimous approval. “The bill ensures that, when overall parking is reduced to install bike lanes, accessible parking would be maintained as much as possible and increased when feasible and safe to do so.”
Burnley spearheaded the “Safe Streets Ordinance” with metropolis officers and group advocacy teams following the loss of life of Stephen Conley in August 2022.
The 70-year-old metropolis resident died when he was touring westbound in a painted bike lane on the busy thoroughfare of Broadway when a driver in an adjoining parking lane opened the door of his Land Rover into Conley’s path, in keeping with StreetsBlog Mass.
“We knew then as we know now, thoughts and prayers aren’t enough,” Burnley stated. “We need legislative and policy action.”
The councilor identified how the ordinance “goes beyond what Cambridge has enshrined in law, that it requires us to move faster than Cambridge moved.”
Officers within the metropolis over are working to assemble 25 miles of separated bike lanes by November 2027, a deadline 18 months longer than initially authorised.
The Cambridge Metropolis Council in April prolonged the deadline, with some councilors saying it should present flexibility to metropolis officers putting in the bike lane community and assist small companies mitigate any potential antagonistic results.
Cambridge resident Susan Sheng, a member of a bicycle security advocacy group within the metropolis, stated she hopes Somerville’s ordinance “serves as inspiration” for different cities and cities throughout the area to comply with swimsuit with their very own security legal guidelines.
“Given how interconnected our cities are,” Sheng advised Somerville metropolis councilors, “a comprehensive bike lane network that spans Somerville and Cambridge will make cycling a more attractive and viable transportation option for residents and visitors alike,”
The 29 miles of protected bike lanes by 2030 look to assist Somerville obtain a aim set in its bicycle community plan of a 40-mile precedence community by that 12 months. The plan additionally goals to have biking be the principle mode of transportation for 15% of residents by 2050.
“The ordinance also acknowledges the deep desire for transparency as we transform our streetscape,” Burnley outlined on X. “Starting on March 1st, 2025, the ordinance will require that a website be built to publicly track where bike lanes have been built and their continuous mileage.”
In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu’s efforts to roll out bike and bus lanes in a few of the busiest components of town have caught backlash, particularly in Again Bay and West Roxbury.
Work began final week in Again Bay, with a full-time devoted bus lane being added on Boylston Road between Dartmouth and Arlington streets. A separated bike lane can be being added on Boylston from Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Road, which town says will create an important hyperlink within the bike community from the west to the downtown core.
In West Roxbury, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on Centre Road in West Roxbury are getting the cling of a controversial redesign, whereas enterprise homeowners say their operations are being challenged, for the great and dangerous.
That redesign options one journey lane in every path as an alternative of two, a middle turning/emergency lane, a motorbike lane alongside the curb, and a parking lane between the bike and journey lanes.
Some enterprise homeowners reported to the Herald they suffered a 20% to 25% lower in gross sales initially following the implementation final December.
Somerville Metropolis Council President Ben Ewen-Campen stated he believes the brand new ordinance will “make an enormous difference in how safe it is to get around” his metropolis.
“Unfortunately, there is a weird amount of acrimony around bike lanes,” Ewen-Campen stated. “I think it’s completely misguided. I often hear stereotypes that all cyclists are rich, tech bros.”
“First of all, those people deserve to live, too, don’t get me wrong,” he added. “But just step outside. There are kids, there are elderly people … This is just about keeping people safe.”
Employees Picture By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald
A motorcycle lane seen in Boston final month. (Employees Picture By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
