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Project doubles Somerville bike lanes
The length of Somerville streets marked for bicycling has more
than doubled after a string of summer re-lining projects, the city said
this week.
Ten new miles of roadway was marked
for two-wheeled travel in recent months, bringing the total length of
marked pavement up to 18 miles, according to a statement released by
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone's office. The
projects were either stand-alone line painting efforts or came attached
to other larger repaving or redesign projects, said Michael Meehan,
spokesman for the city.
New bicycle markings
were installed along 2.3 miles of Somerville Avenue, 1.7 miles of
Powderhouse Boulevard, 1.4 miles of College Avenue, 1.3 miles of Cedar
Avenue, 4/10 of a mile along Cameron Avenue, and along Washington
Street between Somerville Avenue and McGrath Highway, the city said.
The announcement comes ahead of the second systematic count of
bicyclists in the city, which is set for Oct. 5-7, Meehan said.
Curtatone
said in the statement that many residents, particularly the city's
young adults, pedal a bike as their primary form of
transportation. About 43 percent of residents are between 20 and
34, according to the most recently published population estimates
released by the US Census Bureau.
"To a degree
this is a public safety issue," Curtatone said. "We need to make sure
cyclists aren’t in danger as they ride around Somerville."
Somerville's
large population of young people flock to bicycling for not just
lifestyle, but financial choices, Meehan said.
"We
have a young population who may not even want to own a car," he said.
"And if they can get places by riding a bike and using public
transportation, that's real money back in their pockets."
The
study conducted by the city in May counted more than 5,000 bicyclists
at 35 locations during a three-day period. The study also showed that
the busiest intersection for morning commuters was Mossland Street and
Somerville Avenue, while Beacon Street -- which has had marked bike
lanes since 2008 -- was found to be the busiest bicycle thoroughfare.
The
same 35 locations will be examined again in October, Meehan said, with
the hope of adding more measurement points throughout the city if
volunteers come out in force.
“What the
data from Beacon Street tells us is that cyclists will gravitate to
well-marked streets,” said Monica Lamboy, director of the city Office
of Special Projects and Community Development.
A
complimentary component to the new lanes was the installation of more
than 100 bike racks throughout the city, according to the mayor's
office, and the city is preparing to solicit for bids to complete the
design of an extension of the Community Path from Cedar Street, it's
current end point, to Lowell Street.
The
community path is a multi-use paved trail that currently terminates
near Davis Square. Local activists have advocated for the extension of
the pathway to the Charles River near Lechmere.
Meehan
said he was unsure if data exists for the number accidents involving
bike-vehicle collisions, but he expects safety to improve for riders
who use the new lanes. The cost of the lanes was not available, Meehan
said.
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