Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to news
news
Infrastructure
US city makes it the law to add protected cycle lanes when roads are repairedWester Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts (via StreetView)

US city makes it the law to add protected cycle lanes when roads are repaired

Move is designed to combat NIMBYism
by Alex Bowden
Sat, Apr 13, 2019 16:22
7

The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, this week passed a “first-of-its-kind” law obliging the city to add permanent segregated bike lanes whenever it carries out scheduled repairs on certain roads.

The Boston Globe reports that the rule does not apply to all roads – only those which have previously been identified to feature in the proposed 20-mile network of segregated lanes known as the Cambridge Bicycle Plan.

“With the Cycling Safety Ordinance, the Council codifies a lasting commitment to the users of our roadways that Cambridge intends to have a modern, safe, and accessible network of separated bicycle lanes for all residents regardless of their age or ability,” said the city’s mayor, Marc McGovern.

“This ordinance gives the bike plan teeth,” said Sam Feigenbaum, a volunteer with Cambridge Bicycle Safety, a local campaign group.

“The intent of the ordinance is that when the bike plan says a street needs a protected bike lane, that street will get a protected bike lane. That’s a huge step forward for the city.”

Feigenbaum said that previously when a street that was slated for improved cycling infrastructure came up for reconstruction, “a noisy minority of folks would complain, and the city would slide back on its commitment to putting in that lane.”

Now, when NIMBYs try to hold back new lanes, officials can override them by pointing to the law.

“It’s more of a long-term solution,” said Feigenbaum. “You’re not going to all of a sudden see a flood of protected bike lanes.”

Cambridge is a seven square mile city and he estimates only about a mile and a half of segregated cycle lanes will be built in the coming year. Nevertheless, the hope is that the whole of the Cambridge Bicycle Plan will be completed within five years.

Massachusetts
Cycle Lanes
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

Well, if we've gone up to "rare" and allow financial restraints...

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

ktache wrote:

Well, if we've gone up to "rare" and allow financial restraints...

At least it puts the onus on them to demonstrate why they're not building them rather than having to make a case for building them.

We could do with something similar in the UK, but I'd be concerned that financial constraints would be the norm rather than the exception.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

ktache wrote:

Well, if we've gone up to "rare" and allow financial restraints...

At least it puts the onus on them to demonstrate why they're not building them rather than having to make a case for building them.

We could do with something similar in the UK, but I'd be concerned that financial constraints would be the norm rather than the exception.

We do have something similar in the UK, the Welsh Active Travel Act, which mandates walking and cycling provision, but my friends in Wales assure me that nothing has changed and walking and cycling are consistently opposed and obstructed by vested interests.

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

I read about this somewhere yesterday.   A point made in that article mentioned that there will be no need to add cycling provision in "exceptional circumstances".  Hmmmm....

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

ktache wrote:

I read about this somewhere yesterday.   A point made in that article mentioned that there will be no need to add cycling provision in "exceptional circumstances".  Hmmmm....

That might have been the link I posted in the forum: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2019/04/protected-bike-lanes-traffic-safety-cambridge-bicycle-plan/586876/

Quote:

Only in “rare circumstances” where the city manager must cite physical or financial restraints will there be exceptions.

 

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
4 likes

Great idea.  Can't see my local authority going for it, even if they do have policies which say exactly that already, they rarely, if ever, manage to carry them out.  They'll put in a token section of cycle lane, but as far as decent provision goes, they just can't be bothered, and the policies are purely decorative.

I wonder if a local authority in this country would be brave enough to actually pass a law, and would it make any difference.

Avatar
CumbrianDynamo replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
3 likes
burtthebike wrote:

Great idea.  Can't see my local authority going for it, even if they do have policies which say exactly that already, they rarely, if ever, manage to carry them out.  They'll put in a token section of cycle lane, but as far as decent provision goes, they just can't be bothered, and the policies are purely decorative.

I wonder if a local authority in this country would be brave enough to actually pass a law, and would it make any difference.

I wonder if any local authorities in this country would be brave enough to identify a coherent 20-mile long network of bike paths.

Latest Comments