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Bicycle Parking on the Public Way

The City regulates bicycle parking on the public way. For these purposes, the public way primarily means city sidewalks, but also includes public plazas and parks. The principal intent of these regulations is two-fold: first, to try to ensure that short-term parking for bicyclists is available in the commercial districts, and second, to ensure that bicycles are parked in a safe and secure manner.

One of the important ways of meeting these intentions is to remove abandoned bicycles that are taking up valuable spaces which could be used by other bicyclists. In addition, it should be clear that the bicycle spaces in the busy commercial areas are not intended for long-term storage; this is to ensure that those coming to the districts by bicycle are able to find parking accommodations quickly and easily. Finally, the regulations address the fact that parking a bicycle to some fixtures is not acceptable: trees can be damaged, benches rendered unusable, or hand railings be unavailable to those who need them most.

View the Full Text of the Bicycle Parking Regulation.

If you see a bicycle that appears to be in violation of these regulations, please contact the Department of Public Works, 617/349-4800. An abandoned bicycle (that meets the established criteria), or one that is in violation of the time restrictions in business districts will be tagged and not removed for 72 hours. A removed bicycle will be held at DPW for a minimum of 30 days. If you believe your bicycle may have been removed by DPW, please call 617/349-4800.

View the complete Cambridge Traffic Regulations.

Suggest a Location to Install A Public Bicycle Rack.

For More Information

For more information about bicycling in Cambridge, please contact Cara Seiderman, cseiderman@cambridgema.gov, at 617/349-4629. The Community Development Department TTY line is 617/349-4621.

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