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Walkshop: Urban Transit and Bike Streets in Cambridge

Walkshop: Urban Transit and Bike Streets in Cambridge

Massachusetts Avenue is the transportation “spine” of the Boston region. In recent years, Cambridge has redesigned two sections of “Mass Ave” to prioritize sustainable transportation. Our WalkShop will take us through these two sections, which have markedly different characteristics.

South Mass Ave, connecting Cambridge to Boston, is home to large employers and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The nearby neighborhood is racially diverse and hosts many dining establishments and cultural venues. Northern Mass Ave, which connects Cambridge with regional highways, public transit routes, and multiuse paths, is more residential and has many independent retailers.

Before recent changes, Mass Ave was a wide roadway oriented toward moving as many vehicles as possible, causing safety and operational challenges. People biking and walking faced crash hotspots, while bus and shuttle riders experienced severe delays. To make the street work for more people, Cambridge reallocated signal time, street space, and parking, which opened space to install separated bike lanes, dedicated bus lanes, and pick-up and drop-off zones. Using these quick-build implementation approaches, Cambridge has transformed Mass Ave into a transit and bike-centric street.

Mode: Walking, Transit