Cycling Safety in Cambridge: Progress, Projects, and the Path Forward

Cambridge’s investment in high-quality bike infrastructure has transformed how people move through the City. Bicycling has grown steadily over the past two decades, with citywide counts showing a fourfold increase since 2004 and ridership now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The strongest growth appears along corridors with separated bike lanes and shared-use paths, where comfort and safety have made biking more accessible to everyone. Today, 10% of Cambridge residents who commute do so by bike. Bluebikes stations in the City are consistently among the busiest in the region, and in 2024 nearly half of all systemwide trips started or ended in Cambridge. The data is clear: when cities build safe, connected places to ride, people choose to bike. 

Since 2020, Cambridge has been working toward the Cycling Safety Ordinance’s ambitious goal of installing 25 miles of separated bike lanes by 2026. As of October 2025, an estimated 17 miles have been completed or are under installation, marking a major milestone and putting the City closer and closer to the finish line. 

Below is a look back at 2025: 

• In 2025, Cambridge advanced its commitment to creating safer, more connected streets with the launch of the Broadway Safety Improvement Project, a key corridor linking neighborhoods across the city and region. The initial section, extending from Columbia Street to Portland Street, now features separated bike lanes and a variety of safety enhancements, including relocated bus stops to make it easier for transit riders. Supported by extensive community engagement, the project will continue in 2026 with completion of the remaining length of the project, including near Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and the Main Library.

• As part of the Cycling Safety Ordinance, on-street parking was removed in locations where narrow street width could not accommodate parking alongside the new lanes. In response, the City updated the Parking and Transportation Demand Management, Zoning Ordinance, and Commercial Parking Space Permits Ordinance in December 2024 to make it easier for property owners along “Flexible Parking Corridors” to share off-street parking. These corridors, which were identified in the 2020 Bike Plan Network for Greater Separation, allow more adaptable parking rules to support the city’s growing bike and bus networks while reducing the impact of parking changes and preparing for long-term shifts in demand. Another outcome of these ordinance changes was the revival of the long-dormant Commercial Parking Control Committee, which had been inactive since the 1990s. Newly sworn-in members began meeting in September 2025. 

• Other highlights of 2025 included: Completing the Main Street, Vassar Street, and Aberdeen Avenue Safety Improvement Projects, as well as continuing the Cambridge Street project through a new resident-led Working Group. 

The Separated Bike Lane Year Five Annual Report highlights progress in mileage* since the Cycling Safety Ordinance was passed and offers a preview of what’s planned for the final year.  

• In Year 1, we completed or started construction on 4.19 miles of separated bike lanes. 
• In Year 2, we completed or started construction on 2.15 miles of separated bike lanes. 
• In Year 3, we completed or started construction on 3.67 miles of separated bike lanes. 
• In Year 4, we completed or started construction on 4.21 miles of separated bike lanes.  
• In Year 5, we completed or started construction on 1.90 miles of separated bike lanes. 
• In Year 6, we plan to install or start construction on 2.61 miles of separated bike lanes.
• In Year 7, we plan to install or start construction on 4.86 miles of separated bike lanes.** 

*Mileage totals have been adjusted based on a standardized GIS measurement process

**Partial Estimate for Year 7 

To access Cycling Safety Ordinance Projects, please visit https://camb.ma/csomap.