History of the Cycling Safety Ordinance (CSO) and How it Fails Us

The Cycling Safety Ordinance (CSO) affects every area of Cambridge. At a minimum, Cambridge Streets for All advocates for cessation of all further construction of separated bike lanes and removal of parking pending the results of a independent analysis of the economic and parking impact (at a minimum) of the existing separated bike lanes. The plan for all future separated bike lanes needs to include a comprehensive assessment of impacts and engagement of residents and business owners.

Cambridge Streets for All asserts that the project roll-out that resulted from the CSO was not based on data or objective analysis or input from stakeholders in the affected neighborhoods. Traffic, parking, safety, environmental, or economic impact analyses were ignored or not conducted. The CSO is causing severe harm to businesses that have had their parking and loading zones removed. Our neighborhoods are being diminished by increased vehicular traffic seeking alternatives to roadways that have installed bike lanes.

In an after-thought, and as an example of its failure to plan the CSO project successfully, the City has recently restored a small amount of parking and added back loading zones on North Mass Ave. This is the result of significant and persistent push-back on the part of businesses and residents. Still residential parking has remained reduced and increased congestion from commercial traffic is impacting residential neighborhoods.

Here is a brief history of the CSO as taken from the City of Cambridge website:

In 2019, Cambridge City Council passed the Cycling Safety Ordinance, which requires the construction of separated bike lanes when streets are being reconstructed as a part of the City’s Five-Year Plan for Streets and Sidewalks and they have been designated for greater separation in the Bicycle Network Vision.

In 2020, the Council passed amendments to the Cycling Safety Ordinance, which set ambitious requirements for the installation of approximately 25 miles of separated bike lanes within the next five to seven years. A separated bike lane is a bicycle lane separated from motor vehicle traffic by a permanent vertical barrier (white flex posts are typically used) that remains in place year-round and can include granite or concrete barriers and raised curbs.The location of these facilities will be informed by both the Cambridge Bicycle Network Vision and specific requirements in the Ordinance.

In early 2022 the City passed two policy orders promising to establish a Community Advisory Committee as well as to conduct an economic-impact analysis to inform implementation of CSO going forward. Neither of these have even been started yet the City is proceeding with construction of bike lanes.

In general, the amendments to the Ordinance require the installation of separated bike lanes on:

  • all of Massachusetts Ave;

  • Broadway from Quincy St to Hampshire St;

  • Cambridge St from Oak St to Second St;

  • Hampshire St from Amory Street to Broadway;

  • Garden St, eastbound from Huron Ave to Berkeley St, and westbound from Mason St to Huron Ave;

  • and11.6 miles of separated bike lanes in other locations that are a part of the Bicycle Network Vision.

In most areas where separated bike lanes have been installed, a significant amount of metered parking on commercial streets such as Mass Ave. has been removed harming businesses. For example, in the Mid Cambridge Mass Ave stretch from Inman St. to Trowbridge a total of 64 parking spaces and 110 ft of loading zones were removed. More businesses will be harmed if installation continues. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for empty storefronts to be leased reducing property values. In the past, property and business owners had a reasonable expectation of street parking for their customers which has now changed seemingly overnight as a result of the CSO. These changes make it all but impossible for small businesses to survive. Moving loading zones to residential side streets sends commercial traffic and additional vehicles into our neighborhoods as they look for parking diminishing quality of life. The introduction of bus lanes (North Mass Ave pictured below) which are not required by the CSO further complicates the situation. As you can see, it reduces traffic to one lane and confuses drivers increasing likelihood of accidents.

We need common sense solutions that are built from the ground up with the involvement of all stakeholders.