Third Annual CSO Report Released

The Third Annual CSO report will be discussed at Monday’s May 22, 2023 City Council meeting. You can find the report here.

According to the report, in three years since the CSO passage, a total 9.41 miles of the 25.11 miles or 37% has been completed or is under construction. In year 4, the city intends to install or begin construction on an additional 4.73 miles which will be the most mileage installed in any one year. The city also plans to make progress on quick-build separated bike lanes on Cambridge Street between Oak and Second Streets and Central Square: Mass Ave between Sidney and Bigelow Streets.

Unfortunately, under the City Council’s Ordinance, the report is not required to provide anything other than mileage progress. Given the significant CSO investments, the report has insufficient information for residents, tax payers and businesses to evaluate if this program is achieving its goals and whether it should continue in light of other spending priorities

This report comes on the heels of a Finance Committee discussion about the $50 million included in the 2024 capital budget for Mass Ave Partial Construction project. The lack of evaluation of a sizable investment and meaningful annual reporting is especially troubling given the transformation of our city’s streets. We ask the city to pause installations until it has produced a robust multidimensional CSO evaluation including at a minimum:

·         Safety data for all street users in sections where separated bike lanes have been installed,

·         Comprehensive or verifiable ridership statistics before and after installations,

·         Economic impact assessment on businesses,

·         An assessment of neighborhood impacts caused by redirected traffic, and

·         Impact on seniors and the disabled who do not have access to the curb and have difficulty getting services with no parking.