At Open House, Cambridge Maps Out Proposed Changes to Broadway Bike Lanes

After a proposal to construct separated bike lanes on Broadway drew criticism from residents who feared drastic parking reductions, the city of Cambridge held an open house on Tuesday to gather public feedback.

The Broadway Safety Improvement Plan would add roughly 1.4 miles of separated bike lanes on Broadway between Quincy Street and Portland Street to the city’s existing network. Under the 2020 Cycling Safety Ordinance, Cambridge has committed to installing 25 miles of separated bike lanes by Nov. 1, 2026.

The Broadway proposal was met with criticism when it was unveiled, as it would reduce street parking by 60 percent to accommodate the bike lanes.

Dozens of residents attended the open house Tuesday, held in the Fletcher-Maynard Academy Gymnasium, where they provided direct input on the proposed changes to intersections, parking, and traffic patterns.

Maps laid out on the gym’s folding tables displayed the level of usage of Broadway street parking along with areas where parking would be lost. Attendees could leave sticky notes to mark comments on specific areas.

Representatives from the Department of Traffic, Parking, and Transportation helped answer residents’ questions.

Several Cantabrigians walked through the elementary school gym sporting their bicycle safety gear. Sue Downing wore her bedazzled white bike helmet and new silver reflective jacket to the meeting.

Downing has been biking in Cambridge since becoming a resident in 1977. She said Cambridge has become safer to bike in since she was first riding with her children, but she is still concerned by the deaths of Kim Staley, Minh-Thi Nguyen, and John H. Corcoran ’84 last year.

Downing said she was impressed with the speed of Massachusetts’ reaction following the death of John H. Corcoran ’84 in September — but wondered why the changes hadn’t happened earlier. Within weeks, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation lowered speed limits and improved infrastructure on Memorial Drive near the Boston University Bridge.

“They had a temporary plan already implemented,” Downing said. “It’s sad that it takes a death.”

With the parking reduction laid out more clearly, some residents said their fears of snarled traffic and limited access to residential parking had not been allayed.

Ronald Inniss lives near Fletcher Maynard Academy, which he attended as an elementary school student. He cycles and drives in Cambridge and often has issues with the congested side streets blocking his residential parking.

“We look at this project and we’re losing 60 percent of the parking — I just feel it’s going to be a nightmare,” Inniss said.

The organizers of the open house said they see holding in-person, walk-in meetings as the best way to hear and address residents’ worries.

“People are able to look at the plans, they can zoom in on the areas of most concern to them, and give us really detailed feedback,” Transportation Commissioner Brooke M. McKenna said.

As residents strolled through the elementary school gymnasium, Ian F. McGoldrick — a member of Cambridge Bike Safety and a new father — said he thought new bike lanes would be especially important for children.

“People in their 80s, people in their 60s, young children, high schoolers, all need a safe space to navigate Cambridge’s roads in a network of completely protected lanes,” McGoldrick said.

“I want to see a city in the future that gives my kid the option to be able to bike to school safely,” he added.

— Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at shawn.boehmer@thecrimson.com.

— Staff writer Jack B. Reardon can be reached at jack.reardon@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @JackBReardon.