Central Square Safety Improvement Project

Project Area

The project begins at Inman Street and ends at the crosswalk halfway between Douglass St and Sidney St.

Click here for a larger version of the project map.

In 2019, the Cambridge City Council passed the Cycling Safety Ordinance. The 2019 Ordinance requires the City to install separated bike lanes when:

• Roads are being reconstructed as part of the City’s Five-Year Plan for Streets and Sidewalks
• AND those roads are designated for greater separation in Cambridge’s 2020 Bicycle Network Vision

In 2020, the Cambridge City Council passed amendments to the ordinance, requiring the installation of about 25 miles of separated bike lanes within the next five to seven years. The ordinance requires that the City install separated bike lanes on:

• All of Massachusetts Avenue
• Garden Street, eastbound from Huron Avenue to Berkeley Street and westbound from Mason Street to Huron Avenue
• Broadway from Quincy Street to Hampshire Street
• Cambridge Street from Oak Street to Second Street
• Hampshire Street from Amory Street to Broadway
• 11.6 miles in other locations from the 2020 Bicycle Plan

Mt Auburn St at Holyoke St - Before and After

The images below show Mt Auburn St at Holyoke St before and after separated bike lanes were installed as a part of the Inner Mount Auburn Safety Improvement Project.

Key Components of Separated Bike Lanes

• Bike lanes create dedicated space for people who are biking.
• Buffers (painted lines on the street) create space between people biking and people driving. They help prevent unintentional collisions that could cause serious harm to the people involved. Depending on the location, there may be a parking lane next to the buffer area. In these instances, drivers can use the buffer area to safely get in and out of the car and to load and unload items.
• Flex posts are placed in the buffer area and serve as a vertical barrier in the buffer area.
• Travel lanes allow space for people to drive down the street, but can be used by anyone.
• Green markings help alert people turning from the travel lane that they should look out for people on bikes. These are generally installed at intersections and across driveways.
• Parking creates space for people to store their vehicles while they are in the area. This part of the street may also be designated as loading zones, which help make it easier for delivery people to do their jobs.
• Daylighting is when the parking lane is pulled back 20 feet to make it easier for people driving down the street and people waiting to cross the street to see each other. These areas are generally marked with lines on the ground. There may also be flex posts.

Why Install Separated Bike Lanes

Separated bike lanes provide more space and vertical separation between people on bikes and people in cars. More people are comfortable biking in separated bike lanes than in traditional bike lanes or in traffic with cars, buses, and trucks. Separated bike lanes also increase safety for people walking by reducing crossing distances. As we install separated bike lanes, we also look for opportunities to increase visibility at intersections, refresh crosswalk markings, and install appropriate pedestrian crossing signs.

In Cambridge, we take a human-centered approach to street design, engineered to prevent errors as much as possible and lessen the impacts of errors when they do happen.

We design for all ages and abilities. This includes:

• Designing our streets for people who may not have access to a car
• Designing our streets to protect the most vulnerable road users, like cyclists and pedestrians
• Creating safe and accessible facilities, including bike lanes, that can be used by a wide range of people

Our focus is on moving people and goods, not their vehicles

• Biking and riding transit is a more efficient use of limited street space
• We keep access for trucks and local deliveries, but safely.

Looking for information on other streets and transportation projects in the City? Three City departments collaborate on the design, community engagement, installation, and construction for street and transportation improvements: the Community Development Department, Public Works Department, and Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department.

• Current street and transportation projects
• Cycling Safety Ordinance-related projects
• City's Five Year Plan for Streets and Sidewalk Reconstruction 
• Map of Cambridge's existing and currently-planned bike facilities, updated in October 2023. This map is for planning purposes and is subject to change - it is not a route map.