Additional Information about Board of Traffic and Parking Members
On Line Information/Comments by New Traffic Board members
Link to Information on Kathryn Carlson
https://www.livablestreets.info/kathryn_carlson
Bio: Kathryn grew up in Milwaukee under the “New Urbanism” administration of Mayor John Norquist, which helped fuel her passion about urban land use. She has been an avid bike commuter in Madison, WI, Boston, London, and Paris. As Chair of the Fundraising Committee, Kathryn has helped to grow the organization’s budget and staff. Kathryn is currently Director of Transportation at A Better City, where she leads the organization’s research and policy agenda for Metro Boston's transportation system. She is also the creator of Buca Boot, a lockable, weatherproof bike basket that makes it easier for people to choose a bike for daily transportation needs. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wellesley College and a Master of Science in Economics & Economic History from the London School of Economics. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys playing the fiddle and sailing.
Kathryn says: Transportation isn't just a system for moving people quickly through an area, but the critical backbone to place-making and livability.
Contact: kathryn@livablestreets.info
More information
https://cyclestyleboston.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/kathryn-carlson/#more-870
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Link to Comments by Vivek Sikri
https://www.cambridgebikesafety.org/2016/10/07/petition-for-safe-streets-in-cambridge/
It is a travesty that Cambridge has not been at the forefront of bike safety these last few years though we claim to be more progressive than our neighbors to the north and south. In recent years Boston and Somerville have done far more to clearly mark bike lanes, and make allowances for bike traffic, than Cambridge has. For example look at the beautifully marked bike lane down Somerville Ave, or Brighton Ave in Allston, or Commonwealth Ave between Kenmore and Charlesgate with it’s separate bike lane. Compare this to Mass Ave from City Hall to Harvard Square, or Mass Ave in most of North Cambridge where we don’t even have a stripe of paint designating a bike lane. Why is it so hard to paint a few lines in the road? How many more people have to die to make this a priority in our city? While projects like the Western Ave bike path are wonderful we don’t have the luxury of several years, the high cost, and scores more dead bikers before we get to such improvements on other streets. We need simple actions like moving the bike lane from between car lanes and parked cars to between the parked cars and the sidewalk, because this can be done far quicker and far cheaper than major reconstruction projects.
It seems the city government is only interested in growing the population within our borders rather than taking concrete and swift steps to keep our two-wheeled population safe. The claim is that bicycles are the solution to less traffic with an increased population yet a safe bicycling infrastructure is lagging behind the development of luxury condos. This is both unacceptable and bordering on criminal in my opinion.
If you ride through Harvard/Central/Porter/Kendall Squares you will frequently see bike lanes blocked by parked cars. One immediate step would be to have cops on bike patrol going through these busy areas and issuing tickets to cars that are blocking bike lanes. Without enforcement of the rules that keep us safe, laws to keep us safe are meaningless. We need to prioritize enforcement to keep cars out of bike lanes.
In short:
* Enforce existing laws to communicate that bike lanes are not for double parking
* Do the quick and easy things first, rather than wait for major reconstruction projects which are expensive and take several years.
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On line Comments by Kimberly Kaufman Retyped from screenshots page for Cambridge BIkes
Kimberly Kaufman
Yes, That’s a start. And a commitment to separated bike lanes.
Kimberly Kaufman
There is no transportation provided to high school students at CRLS and hundreds of kids ride their bikes there daily. We allow (subsidize?) Hubway Bikes. This is the City and the School Department saying that the streets are safe to bike in. They are not. Green stripes help, but they are not enough. I was hit almost 3 times biking from Kendall to Central on Main. Monday. I had to hit a taxi’s window because he just plowed into me without looking. What it is going to take to move this plan faster?
Separate post
7:27 AM
Cambridge Bikes
Kimberly Kaufman May 14,2022
So, just got doored on Cambridge St/Boston and thrown from my bike. I’m fine. Driver was responsive and firefighters walked over from across the street. No damage or injury beyond a bruise. My question is: is there anywhere that keeps statistics of accidents like this so I can report it? (for advocacy for separated bike lanes).
Thanks