Challenge
In 2019, the Cambridge City Council first passed the Cycling Safety Ordinance (CSO), requiring the city to construct separated bike lanes when streets are reconstructed as part of the City’s Five-Year Plan for Streets and Sidewalks. To comply with this ordinance, the City of Cambridge needed to quickly add separated bike lanes and associated roadway improvements along portions of Massachusetts Avenue to Brattle Street and Main Street to Sydney Street. However, each corridor featured constraints that limited the City’s ability to implement them, including complex intersections, high transit activity, and accelerated project timelines.
Solution
Kittelson led the traffic analysis and engineering design for the quick-build separated bike lanes along the corridors. Our work included leading an existing conditions inventory, operational analysis, and quick-build design for each corridor. Each quick-build design focused on achieving separated bike lanes using pavement markings, flex posts, signs, and signal improvements.
On Massachusetts Avenue, Kittelson designed the separated bike lanes to run along the curb through the vibrant and dynamic Porter Square business area. The design improved transit operations and balanced the need to provide safety and comfort for people bicycling with the loading and accessibility needs of people accessing adjacent businesses.
The separated bike lane design on Brattle Street is a continuation of the two-way separated bike lane that originates in Harvard Square. For this location, our team’s design incorporated two-way bicycling on the north side of Brattle Street through the historic West Cambridge neighborhood. Kittelson also designed two solutions for the five-legged, complex, unsignalized intersection of Brattle Street/Craigie Street/Sparks Street. The short-term design simplified the intersection using quick-build materials, which set the stage for a longer-term roundabout design.
Lastly, our team supported the public process by providing planning-level illustrations of quick-build concepts for community review.
The Outcome
Closing the Gaps in Cambridge, MA's Bike Network
Kittelson’s designs and final quick-build implementation plan enabled the City to create space for bicyclists along constrained corridors and to enhance crossing conditions for pedestrians while improving the safety and efficiency of the City’s streets for all modes. Now, there are separated bike lanes along those roadways for the community to use.
