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A view of Main Street in Cambridge shows a UHaul storefront with a moving truck parked out front, several cars on the road, and a pedestrian crossing in the background. Tere are traditional bike lanes in both directions.

Main Street Safety Improvement Project

Map shows the project area for the Main Street Safety Improvement Project. A blue line runs down Main Street between Portland Street, near Newtowne Court, and Lafayette Square. Another segment connects Main Street to Mass Ave via the Sidney Street Extension.Through the Main Street Safety Improvement Project, the City will add separated bike lanes to Main Street between Massachusetts Avenue and Portland Street, creating a more-comfortable bike connection between the Port and Central Square.

Click here for a larger version of the project area map.

This quick-build project will change the layout of the street with new pavement markings, signs, and flex-posts.

The Main Street Safety Improvement Project will:

  • Install separated bike lanes in both directions, adding to the City's network of separated bike lanes.
  • Remove a significant number of parking spaces in the project area. This is because separated bike lanes, with the extra buffer area, are wider than the traditional bike lanes there now.
  • Improve crossings for people walking.
  • Address safety at key intersections

These changes will align with the Cambridge Bicycle Plan and Vision Zero Action Plan and will help us meet the requirements of the Cambridge Cycling Safety Ordinance.

Get Involved

We want to hear from you! 

Upcoming Events

Second Online Community Meeting
Wednesday, May 31
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Open House
Tuesday, June 6
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Open House
Thursday, June 8
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Learn More

Comment Form

We want to hear from you! Do you have feedback or questions that aren't location-specific?

Let us know using the Main Street Safety Improvement Project comment form.

Share Your Thoughts

 

Project Phases

 There are opportunities to give feedback throughout this project. Right now, we are in Phase 1. We do not have project plans yet and are gathering feedback that will help us design the separated bike lanes. 

Phase 1 (We Are Here)
Introduction
Introduce the project to the community.

In this phase, we do not have a design yet. To help us design the street, we're gathering feedback on

  • How do you currently use the street?
  • What safety concerns do you have?
  • Where is it important to keep parking or loading?
  • What parking types are most important to you?

Time Estimate: March 2023 to Late May 2023

Phase 2 (Begins May 31) 
Design Feedback
After hearing feedback on how you use the street, we will come up with draft designs. Then, we will:

  • Present draft designs to the community
  • Gather feedback on draft designs and/or design options
Time estimate: Late May 2023 to Summer 2023
Phase 3
Final Feedback and Installation
We will use the Phase 2 feedback on the draft designs/options to come up with a preferred design. Then, we will:

  • Present design to community
  • Gather feedback on final adjustments
  • Inform community about plans for installation
  • Install the project
Time estimate: Summer 2023 

Outreach

Comment Map (March to May 2023)

Between March 2023 and May 2023, we invited people to submit comments on the current street conditions via a community feedback map.

We asked people to tell us:

  • How you currently use the street. What elements are important to keep? 
  • Safety concerns that you have while walking, riding, or driving on this section of Main Street. 
  • What can we do to improve traffic safety?
  • Where is it most important to keep parking or loading? Which parking or loading types are most important to you?

View the Map 

Want to leave more general feedback? Fill out the project comment form

March 2023 Postcards

In early March 2023, about 3,800 addresses in the neighborhood around the project area will receive a postcard with information about the beginning of the project and the first two meetings.

Front of postcard sent to 3,800 addresses in the project area. INcludes information about the project area and what changes the project will make. More information at www.cambridgema.gov/MainStreetSafety. Front of postcard sent to 3,800 addresses in the project area. Includes information about the first community meeting and community open house. More information at www.cambridgema.gov/MainStreetSafety.

 

Posters

We will regularly post information about the project and meetings on posters in and around the project area. 

  • In March 2023, posted about three dozen signs announcing the project, the first community meeting, and first open house. Click here for a map of poster locations
  • In April 2023, we posted signs about the second open house. 
  • In May 2023, we posted signs about the second community meeting, third open house, and fourth open house. Click here to see the sign

A bright yellow poster on a signpost announces the Main Street Project, first community meeting, and project open house.

Project Emails

We send emails to announce meetings, project updates, and opportunities for feedback. You can sign up for the email list here.

Read the emails we've sent about this project below (listed from newest to oldest):

Website News Items

Read the news stories we've published on the City of Cambridge website about the Main Street Safety Improvement Project below:

  • April 10, 2023: We're Adding Separated Bike Lanes to Part of Main Street—and We Want to Hear from You
  • February 28, 2023: Cambridge Launches Separated Bike Lane Project on Main Street
  • October 31, 2022: Traffic Department Announces Projects on Hampshire Street, Main Street, and Aberdeen Avenue

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, May 31: Second Online Community Meeting

On Wednesday, May 31 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the City of Cambridge will hold the second community meeting for the Main Street Safety Improvement Project on Zoom.

During the meeting, we will:

  • Share design options for adding quick-build separated bike lanes based on community feedback. To fit the bike lanes, we will have to remove a significant number of parking spaces. The design options will have parking and bike lanes in different layouts on the street
  • Summarize feedback received on the project so far
  • Review background and planning information, including the Cycling Safety Ordinance, Cambridge Bicycle Network Vision, and the Vision Zero Action Plan
  • Give an opportunity to ask questions and provide your feedback

Materials from the meeting, including the presentation, video recording, and transcript, will be posted to the project page after the meeting. 

Learn more

Tuesday, June 6: Open House at the Pisani Center

On Tuesday, June 6, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the City of Cambridge will hold an open house for the Main Street Safety Improvement Project at the Pisani Center at 131 Washington St.

Free pizza will be provided for attendees.

The open house will provide an opportunity for the community to drop by in-person to talk to city staff, ask questions, and provide feedback. Information presented at the open house will be similar to what was presented at the May 31 virtual community meeting for the project.

Attendees are invited to stop by the Pisani Center any time between 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. There will be no formal presentation and community members can drop in at any time.

The open house will consist of display boards showing the following:

  • Design alternatives based on community feedback
  • An introduction of the project, its goals, and its objectives
  • A review of background and planning information, including the Cycling Safety Ordinance, Cambridge Bicycle Network Vision, and the Vision Zero Action Plan
  • The anticipated timeline for the project

Materials from the open house will be posted to the project webpage.

Learn more

Thursday, June 8: Open House at Intersection of Main Street/Bishop Allen Drive

On Thursday, June 8, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the City of Cambridge will hold an open house for the Main Street Safety Improvement Project at the plaza at the intersection of Main Street and Bishop Allen Drive.  

The open house will provide an opportunity for the community to drop by in-person to talk to city staff, ask questions, and provide feedback. Information presented at the open house will be similar to what was presented at the May 31 virtual community meeting for the project.

Attendees are invited to stop in any time between 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. There will be no formal presentation and community members can drop in at any time.

The open house will consist of display boards showing the following:

  • Design alternatives based on community feedback
  • An introduction of the project, its goals, and its objectives
  • A review of background and planning information, including the Cycling Safety Ordinance, Cambridge Bicycle Network Vision, and the Vision Zero Action Plan
  • The anticipated timeline for the project

Materials from the open house will be posted to the project webpage.

Learn more

Past Meetings

 

Open House: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

We hosted an in-person open house on Wednesday, April 26, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Pisani Center (131 Washington St, in between Newtowne Court and Washington Elms).

About a half-dozen people stand in front of the Pisani Center, looking at boards about the Main Street Safety Improvement project.  A map with sticky notes about current conditions on Main Street. On top of the map, a laminated flyer reads "Bike Lanes Coming Soon, Some Parking will be Removed"  Photo of a poster board in front of a tent. The board includes information about the Main Street Safety Improvement Project limits, changes, schedule, and website.

The open house provided an opportunity for the community to drop by in-person to talk to city staff, ask questions, and provide feedback on the project. Information presented at the open house was similar to information presented at the March 16 virtual community meeting.

The open house included display boards showing the following:

  • An introduction of the project, its goals, and its objectives
  • Background, including information on separated bike lanes, crash data, and context on Main Street
  • Overview of planning information, including the Cycling Safety Ordinance, Cambridge Bicycle Network Vision, and the Vision Zero Action Plan
  • Information about how to receive updates about the project
  • The expected timeline for the project

There were also printed maps of the area for attendees to reference in their discussions with staff and to record specific location-based feedback.

Click here to view PDFs of the boards

Open House: Wednesday, March 22, 2023

We hosted an in-person open house on Wednesday, March 22, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the plaza at the corner of Main Street and Bishop Allen Drive.

Seven people stand in a plaza of Main Street. Some residents are chatting with city staff, others are looking at posters. A poster in the foreground shows the timeline for the project, from March 2023 to late summer 2023.  Nine people stand in the plaza on Main Street across from the U-Haul. Some community members are chatting with each other, others are talking to City staff. Several posters about the project are visible.

The open house provided an opportunity for the community to drop by in-person to talk to city staff, ask questions, and provide feedback on the project. Information presented at the open house was similar to information presented at the March 16 virtual community meeting.

The open house included display boards showing the following:

There were also printed maps of the area for attendees to reference in their discussions with staff and to record specific location-based feedback.

View Open House Posters

First Community Meeting: Thursday, March 16, 2023

We hosted the first community meeting for the Main Street Safety Improvement Project on Thursday, March 16, 2023, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom.

This meeting was the first of several outreach events over the next few months to discuss safety improvements to Main Street between Massachusetts Avenue (Lafayette Square) and Portland Street. Our goals for this project are to install separated bicycle lanes in both directions, improve crossing locations for people walking, identify locations for parking and loading, and address safety at key intersections. 

Meeting Materials

Meeting Updates

Please review the slides, recording, or transcript for a full overview of what was discussed during the meeting. City employees introduced the project; reviewed background and planning information, including information on the Cycling Safety OrdinanceCambridge Bicycle Network Vision, and the Vision Zero Action Plan; shared a project timeline; and provided an opportunity for community members to ask questions and provide feedback.

We are starting the project by gathering feedback before we create draft designs for the street.  

Separated Bike Lanes

We are planning to add separated bike lanes between Massachusetts Avenue and Portland Street. Separated bike lanes physically separate people biking from people driving with extra space and flex posts between the bike lane and car travel lane. This takes up more space on the street than the regular bike lanes in the area now. 

Parking

  • We will need to remove about half the parking spaces in the project area. This is because separated bike lanes, with the extra buffer area, are wider than the traditional bike lanes there now. 
  • Right now, there are about 90 parking and loading spaces in the project area. Click here for a map of existing parking types.

We want to hear from you: What types of parking and loading are important to keep? Where? 

Crosswalks and Walking

We are making quick-build improvements to existing crosswalks and addressing safety at key intersections.  Click here for a map of existing crosswalks

We want to hear from you: What crossings work well? Which do you have concerns about? 

Crash Data

Between 2020 and 2022, there were 34 reported crashes in the project area. Data showed that people walking and biking were more vulnerable to injury. Click here for more information

Background

Project Area

This project will include improvements to Main Street between Lafayette Square and Portland Street, connecting to Mass Ave via the Sidney Street Extension. 

Main Street will eventually have separated bike lanes that connect Central Square to Kendall Square, including a mixture of quick-build and full-construction separated bike lanes. The Main Street Safety Improvement Project is one of several planned or in-progress projects that will add to this network, including the City's Grand Junction Multi-Use Path Project and separated bike lanes being constructed by private developers. 

Map shows the project area for the Main Street Safety Improvement Project. A blue line runs down Main Street between Portland Street, near Newtowne Court, and Lafayette Square. Another segment connects Main Street to Mass Ave via the Sidney Street Extension.

Click here for a larger version of the project area map.

Project Schedule

Note: This schedule is based on the latest information we have and is subject to change. 

March 16, 2023: First Community Meeting

  • Project introduction
  • Discussion of preliminary plans and opportunities for feedback

March 22, 2023: Community Open House

Spring 2023: Second Community Meeting and Second Community Open House 

  • Draft layouts and opportunities for feedback

Early Summer 2023: Third Community Meeting 

  • Revised layout 
  • Installation timeline

Summer 2023: Installation 

The Cycling Safety Ordinance

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

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 Network Vision

Map shows the streets where the Cycling Safety Ordinance requires separated bike lanes, and other streets designated for greater separation in the 2020 Bike Plan. This project is on Main Street, connecting to separated bike lanes on Massachusetts Avenue.

Learn more:

 

 

What drives our street design?

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.

"Quick Build" Projects versus "Construction" Projects

This is a quick-build project, which means we are not digging into the ground or making changes to the width or shape of the road. Instead, we will make improvements using paint, flex-posts, stencils, new signage, changes to parking regulations, and traffic signal adjustments. Quick-build projects allow us to make changes to our streets more rapidly and to make adjustments even after a design is installed.

A construction project would involve more extensive changes, including moving curbs and/or removing medians. Work becomes more complex any time we dig into the ground, and construction projects usually include work on underground infrastructure such as traffic signal wires and water, drainage, and sewer pipes. When roads are reconstructed as part of the City’s Five-Year Plan for Streets and Sidewalks, roads designated for greater separation in Cambridge’s 2020 Bicycle Network Vision, including existing quick-build bike lanes, are turned into permanent separated bike lanes.

About Separated Bike Lanes

Separated bike lanes provide dedicated spaces for bicycles, physically separated from traffic by a vertical structure like a curb, flex-post, or other barrier. Compared to traditional bike lanes, more people are comfortable biking in bike lanes that are separated from traffic with a barrier or curb. The experience is also much more comfortable than riding in traffic with cars, buses, and trucks.

Separated bike lanes also increase safety for people walking by reducing crossing distances at crosswalks and visually narrowing the roadway width. 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.

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. 

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.

The left image shows Inner Mt Auburn St with a standard bike lane, travel lane, and a parking lane. The right image shows Inner Mt Auburn St with a bike lane, buffer area with flex posts, a travel lane, a parking lane, and daylighting.

 

Other Streets and Transportation Projects

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.

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