The City of Somerville has scheduled a follow up meeting regarding the Beacon Street reconstruction and streetscape project. More detailed information on the meeting will be provided in the coming weeks and posted on the project website. We look forward to seeing you there.

Who: Alderman Heuston, city staff and you
What: Follow-up meeting regarding the Beacon Street reconstruction and streetscape project
When: March 5, 6:00PM
Where: Argenziano School Cafetorium – 290 Washington Street
Why: To present changes to the project design

For more information on this project please visit www.somervillema.gov/beaconstreet

Read more about the Cycletrack plan and process here

By Alex Epstein, Mark Chase and Christine Casalini

On Monday the City of Somerville changed up their public meeting style at Somerville’s Argenziano School to help bring the community together around their plan for a cycletrack on Beacon Street. Rather than presenting and letting the audience react, the city appointed one person each to speak for residents, businesses, cyclists and pedestrians in turn, followed by short Q & A sessions, and then broke out into evenly divided groups to try to find solutions. Audience members were encouraged to wear colored dots that allowed them to represent their many overlapping interests.

Alderman Maryann Heuston led things off, representing the official resident interest. Key points she raised addressed crosswalks and included how to better manage parking for businesses and residents; she specifically mentioned a parking meter policy and putting to better use the many off-street private lots on Beacon Street.

During public comments, one landlord feared that the project would devalue his house and that no one would want to rent his apartments anymore. This perspective was quickly countered by another Beacon Street homeowner who believed that cycletracks and a renewed streetscape will boost his property value and the desirability of the neighborhood. By the sound of the clapping in the room it appeared that proponents outnumbered opponents by at least two to one. As the meeting went on it became clear that the proponents were not just cyclists. Those who spoke in favor included several Beacon Street residents and one prominent business owner.

Following Alderman Heuston, Beacon Street Laundromat owner Domenic Ruccio made a very short presentation asserting that the project would make at least some of the businesses on Beacon Street “inviable” and that empty storefronts would follow. This was countered by the Biscuit bakery owner Andrew Platt, who expects it to bring more customers and economic benefits. He noted that at first he too was skeptical, but now sees many benefits to the project. He urged fellow business owners to embrace the changes. Platt is the first business owner to speak out publicly in support, though others have confided support to neighborhood volunteers working on the cycletrack effort.

One resident lamented the increase in traffic on Beacon Street as Kendall Square builds out millions of square feet of employment. Kendall Square was recently noted, however, for a 14 percent decrease in car traffic even as more office space has been added.

Alex Epstein, Beacon Street resident and Chair of the Somerville Bicycle Committee followed as the representative of cyclists. Donning a haircut from Kiki’s and noting the many local businesses he patronizes, he spoke about how Beacon has been reinvented before and how critical bike improvements on this corridor are for SomerVision (the city’s comprehensive plan). He defined what a physically separated cycletrack is and how its benefits address years of community input to the Bike Committee, such as eliminating dooring crashes and encouraging residents who are interested in cycling but concerned about safety to get on their bikes. Along the way he debunked the myth that most of the parking spaces are to be removed for cycletracks (in fact only 30-35 reasonably well used legal spaces would be eliminated). Alex wrapped up showing that over 70% of Beacon Street’s customers walk or bike and since research shows bicyclists outspend drivers at restaurants, bars, and convenience stores, more bikes mean more business.

Astrid Dodds from Agassiz, Cambridge was a surprise addition (being from Cambridge) and spoke for pedestrians. She made detailed points about the need for more crosswalks along Beacon, particularly between Somerville Avenue and Sacramento Street. At the same time she expressed concern about bicyclists riding on the sidewalk and hitting pedestrians. In the design, the cycletrack is separated from the sidewalk by street furniture and some advocates have called for changes that would put the cycetrack at a third level in between street and sidewalk levels, to help indicate to the vision impaired and others that a crossing exists. In Denmark, cycletracks through pedestrian areas are commonly sunk just .75 inches to indicate the crossing.

During the breakout sessions, conceptual drawings were displayed on easels and people plastered them with sticky notes to record their feedback. Loosely organized tables of attendees then reported on their feedback, which was usually detailed: how to handle a specific type of parking space, lane markings, types of crosswalks, and more.

Some feedback was to keep the cycletrack raised at minor side streets (just as it will be level across driveways) and to dash and color green the bike lanes through every intersection. Also, for pedestrian safety, installing proper crosswalks at every block seems important, since especially with parking on one side, more people will be crossing the street.

Overall the meeting gave the supporters of the cycletrack a great deal of positive momentum, but whether or not that momentum will carry through to the more important state public hearing on the 25 percent design for the street this Monday remains to be seen. At this meeting, all comments are recorded and those in favor and against will be counted by the MassDOT, helping it determine whether or not to approve the project. If the cycletrack concept is approved, the next stage will be to reach the 75 percent design where many details will be ironed out. Advocates plan to watch this process closely and continue to improve design before it is built in 2014.

Public Hearing
Monday February 4th, 6:30 PM
JFK Elementary School (rear entrance)
5 Cherry Street
Somerville

If you can’t attend the hearing, send a letter! It’s very important to make your voice heard. Only together can we make an impact on safer street designs. Send your comments to:

Thomas F. Broderick, P.E., Chief Engineer
MassDOT
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116
Attention.: Project Management Section, Project File No. 607209

and/or

dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us

Written comments will also be accepted at the hearing. Mailed statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the public hearing transcript must be postmarked within ten (10) business days of this Public Hearing.

By Alex Epstein

Another Beacon Street Community Meeting was held Monday January 28 at the Argenziano School in Somerville to further discuss reconstruction of Beacon Street. The format was constructive and civil, allowing a diversity of people to speak. It was a real team effort, between Somerville Bicycle Committee, Boston Cyclists Union, LivableStreets Alliance, and most importantly the people who live and do business in the neighborhood. MassBike unequivocally went on record supporting the project. I was honored to speak on behalf of local cyclists and hope that I fairly represented the community.

During public comments, one landlord feared that the project would devalue his house and that no one would want to rent his apartments anymore. This perspective was quickly countered by another Beacon Street homeowner who believed that cycletracks and a renewed streetscape will boost his property value and the desirability of the neighborhood.

The Beacon Street Laundromat owner, Dominic Ruccio, said that the project would make most of the businesses on Beacon Street “inviable,” but this was countered by the Biscuit owner Andrew Platt, who said he expected it to bring more customers and economic benefits.

One resident lamented the increase in traffic on Beacon Street as Kendall Square builds out millions of square feet of employment. Though no one explicitly countered this, I would comment that one of the main goals of cycletracks is to get those new trips to Kendall Square to be bike trips and not car trips!

Alderman Maryann Heuston did a great job relating the concerns and opportunities for residents, such as providing adequate crosswalks and how to better manage parking for businesses and residents, including meters and putting to better use the many off-street private lots on Beacon Street.

When I spoke, I made sure to debunk the myth that most of the 100+ parking spaces are to be removed for cycletracks–accounting for the new sidewalk, illegal spaces, and underused meters, only the removal of 30-35 reasonably used legal spaces has anything to do with the proposed cycletracks.

Astrid Dodds from Agassiz, Cambridge was a surprise addition and spoke for pedestrians. She made detailed points about the need for more crosswalks along Beacon Street, particularly between Somerville Ave and Sacramento Street. At the same time she expressed concern about bicyclists riding on the sidewalk and hitting pedestrians. I spoke with her and got the sense that she hadn’t quite gotten that the cycletrack is separated from the sidewalk by trees and furniture, and that it could (and should) also have a curb between bikes and peds.

The conceptual plan view drawings were displayed on easels and people plastered them with sticky notes to record their feedback. Mixed tables of attendees reported out their project feedback, which was mostly of a detailed nature: how to handle a specific type of parking space, lane markings, types of crosswalks, etc.

My thoughts for our advocacy going forward were that perhaps we should push to keep the cycletrack raised at minor side streets (just as it will be level across driveways) and to dash and color green the bike lanes through every intersection. In this way turning traffic could be made more aware of the cyclists passing through. Also I added sticky notes for installing proper crosswalks at every block since, especially with parking on one side, more people will be needing to cross the street.

I look forward to us all continuing the conversation and improving the details next week at the 25% design MassDOT public hearing! At this more formal meeting, all comments will be on the public record and MassDOT will use them in deciding whether to approve or disapprove the overall design. So this means bring yourself and five to ten neighbors!

Beacon Street 25% Design Public Hearing
Monday, Feb. 4, 6:30pm
John F. Kennedy Elementary School
5 Cherry Street
Somerville, MA 02144

By Alan Moore, Somerville Resident

I’ve been thinking about a cycletrack for Beacon St. since 2006 when I first heard that Beacon St. was to be reconstructed. Recently, I summarized my thoughts on the benefits of the project and process to date.

Beacon St. will be fully re-constructed for about $4.5 million, as Somerville Ave. was a few years ago. As part of this reconstruction, the City has proposed a cycletrack for part of the route. A cycletrack is a type of bike “lane” on a street where the bicyclists are physically protected from traffic. There are many different design options where planners separate car and truck traffic from cyclists. The proposed Beacon St. design has the cycletrack between parking and the sidewalk on one side and between trees and utility poles and the sidewalk on the other side. Cyclists, especially the possibly timid, young, and elderly are more likely to bike when there are cycletracks. The bike committee and other groups would like to increase the number of cyclist in the City and region, and constructing safe infrastructure for cyclists is an effective step.

Cycletracks are new and rare in the US, but have been rapidly adopted over the past five years by cities in North America (NYC, San Fran,Portland, Montreal, etc.) as their safety and value for increasing biking became clear. In the Boston region, Beacon Street would be the fifth cycletrack after Vassar St., Concord Ave, Western Ave. in Cambridge (under construction), and Western Ave. in the Allston portion of Boston. In contrast, The Netherlands has over 18,000 miles of cycletracks for bicyclists! This is in a country about the size of MA, CT, and RI. As far I know, the length of cycletracks in these three states are the two miles in Cambridge and Boston just mentioned.

These cycletracks are a principal reason that The Netherlands boasts 27 percent of all trips by bicycle (45 percent of all trips under five miles, with some cities at 50 percent of all trips) while the US has less than one percent of trips by bicycle. Cycling in Denmark is similarly high and has many many cycletracks and a healthy citizenry. The Dutch would have cycletracks on most streets with the speed and traffic of Beacon St., not just simple bike lanes. We all know that more cycling infrastructure leads to more bikers, less emissions, less traffic and a healthier populace.

Here’s one simple video of a Dutch cycletrack you have to see

And this video about cycletracks and bicycling in The Netherlands is narrated and explained for an American audience

There is also this Dutch Bicycling Infrastructure website that has lots of photos.

Beacon St. is one of the busiest streets for cyclists in metro Boston, certainly Somerville. During rush hour, about 300 cyclists per hour are traveling down Beacon St. This is a significant percentage of total traffic (400-600 motor vehicles per hour average, I don’t know the peak traffic counts). This is a lot of bicycle traffic but it could be more with a cycletrack rather than the present bike lanes. Therefore, the Somerville Bicycle Committee proposed to the City that a cycletrack be constructed when Beacon St. is rebuilt. The bike committee’s initial proposal to the city proposed removing one side of the two sides of parking to have cycletracks along the entire length of Beacon St. from Oxford St. to Inman Square. It’s important to note that there’s insufficient width for cycletracks without removing parking. We also did parked car counts along Beacon St. to show that there would still be enough spaces most of the time for the number of parked cars.

While considering our proposal, the City’s engineering firm did their own parking counts  and concluded that parking could be removed from one side only on between Oxford St. and Washington St., because there was too much parking demand from Washington St. to Inman Sq. for a cycletrack there as well. The City therefore proposed cycletracks (on both sides of the street) only from Oxford St. to Washington St., removing parking on the south side (Cambridge side) of Beacon Street. Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone has said that this will be the first federally funded cycletrack in the USA. The City’s website with the plans are here.

The Bike Committee would prefer a cycletrack for the full-length of Beacon and the Boston Cyclists Union is still asking for this. Here is their Beacon cycletrack factsheet. 

The City has had two community meetings about the plans. After the first meeting, some merchants (mostly on the south side) on Beacon St. and some residents complained loudly about the loss of parking. Some people, some cyclists included, have also said they prefer bike lanes to cycletracks regardless of the loss of parking. However, it’s my opinion that most of the opposition to the cycletrack plan because of the loss of parking on one side of the street. They feel that residents and shoppers will be inconvenienced looking for parking that may be a little further away and that businesses will lose businesses. However, based on surveying done by the Boston Cyclists Union (see their factsheet link above), only 11% of customers even come by car. By this evidence it would seem that there would not be a significant impact on business. Some studies in other cities have even shown that pedestrians and cyclist shop more than auto drivers.

Based on these complaints, the City has since changed the cycletrack design such that parking for some distance of Beacon will be removed from the north side instead, thereby providing parking in front of the concerned business owners on the south side. It’s true that Beacon St. is too narrow to provide optimum conditions for all users: motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclist and parked cars. Motorists would like to always find a space right in front of their house, pedestrians might like to have wider sidewalks, cyclists would like wider lanes and/or wider cycletracks. But, I think that removing some parking to provide a cycletrack still gives all users sufficient accommodations. It’s a fair distribution of this limited street width.

by Christine M. Casalini

In past public meetings about the proposed Beacon Street cycletrack, and undoubtedly in the upcoming design change meeting to be held on Monday, Jan. 28 and the state public hearing on Feb. 4, a recurring sticking point is parking.

Some fear the loss of parking on one side of Beacon Street would negatively impact businesses and inconvenience residents. However, parking management professional and Somerville resident Mark Chase says there is little structure to Beacon Street’s existing parking arrangements and points to ways we could make room for a cycletrack and increased pedestrian access on his blog.

With a mix of businesses and residences, he writes, there are many different parking needs on the street but also opportunities for creative solutions. A mix of short and long term, on and off street parking could address the needs of business owners, customers, and residents.

Currently, there is very little short term parking on Beacon Street, which creates a challenge for drivers looking to run a quick errand. To ensure access to businesses, Mark suggests a mix of short (e.g. 2-hour only) and long term parking (e.g. resident sticker or unregulated), with longer-term parking placed farther away from businesses. Research has shown that the longer a person is visiting a local business, the farther away they are willing to park. Along with this, short-term parking could be created curbside to businesses for those running quick errands. In these spaces meters would ensure that parking turns over rapidly. For businesses with ample off-street parking like the Star Market, Mark suggests negotiating rental of spaces making them available for public use either for businesses or residents—a solution the City of Somerville is already pursuing.

There has been some discussion online about whether the City’s parking study adequately captured the student population or took into account the effects of street sweeping. Chase took that to heart and examined overnight parking trends on street sweeping nights. While many driveways and streets were tight, he wrote, there were still areas with available parking despite restrictions. He even noticed some driveways that were empty that could be shared or rented by other neighbors.

To further ensure safe and convenient parking for residents, Chase also suggested a more radical move: raising the price of second and third car permits for residents to discourage multiple car ownership and encourage alternative transportation. Finally, to ensure compliance, Mark suggests clear signage and marketing to inform residents, businesses and customers of the range of parking options available.

What do you think? Will more structure in parking and clear designation of short versus long term spaces help to manage activity in the area?

Diagram of proposed Beacon Street revisions.

I moved to Beacon Street in Somerville not long before the current bike lanes were added. In hindsight, moving to the area at the time these lanes appeared, seemingly overnight, made my decision to join this community of triple deckers and businesses a wise one. Beacon Street is a true live-and-shop neighborhood where my wife and I walk across the street to buy groceries, get a scone, meet friends for big bowls of pho, and get a haircut. Stores like Star Market, Sully’s, Petsi’s, Zoe’s, Pho & Rice, Mixtura, and Seven Hills Liquors provide everything we need, right in our community. We even had our hair styled at Kiki’s for our wedding!

My wife and I moved to Somerville from the suburbs in part so that we wouldn’t have to own a car anymore.  The suburbs were great for driving everywhere… but not good for much else. Year round, I bike to work using Beacon Street for a good part of my ride. It’s convenient, fast and I love running into my neighbors along the way and saying hello.

I’m a fairly competent bicyclist, but even with bike lanes, my commute most days is treacherous. The bike lane, four feet narrow, appears and disappears where the lines have been patched over or worn away. Crater-like potholes require quick reflexes to avoid and drivers parked along the roadside invariably swing their doors open in front of me a couple of times a week. Avoiding car doors means swerving, stopping short…or crashing. Have you ever faced a metal door opening in front of you when you’re cruising between a tractor-trailer on one side and parked cars on the other side?  With no physical separation between me and cars and trucks, it can be downright scary.

Four years ago, painting the simple bike lanes on Beacon Street also sparked controversy. But times change. The burned-down VFW that stood for four decades next to Zoe’s is gone, a new store coming in its place. The defunct car shop next to the drug clinic is becoming a diagnostics center. Today, no one can imagine Beacon Street without bike lanes. Bikes already make up one of every three vehicles at morning rush hour!

When we have kids, my wife and I want to be able to ride safely with them. I want my friends who only feel safe enough to ride on the Community Path, to be comfortable to bike on my street with us. That’s what physically protected cycletracks are for and that’s why Cambridge, Boston and cities across the country and the world can’t build them fast enough. A cycletrack will keep us protected from parked car doors and from moving cars and trucks. It will place bikers farther away from vehicle exhaust, which is a lungful at rush hour. A cycletrack will calm traffic, allowing vehicles to drive free of worry of colliding with riders. The new sidewalk by the Academy and improved crosswalks will make walking along Beacon Street—which is how most people get to these stores—safer and more pleasant. Cycletracks just make sense and this one would be the fifth in metro Boston, part of a safe new cycling network for the next generation.

Together with sensible parking solutions that preserve car spaces in front of businesses and meter them, tweaking resident permitting, and negotiating shared-parking agreements with private lots, we can make room for cycletracks and  invest in a more livable Beacon Street, one where my wife and I want to buy a house.

Let’s think about how to best combine these solutions and improve our community. Studies (and my own experience) show that customers who bike and walk spend more money at restaurants and corner stores than customers who drive. Just ask Bloc 11, Voltage, and other businesses in Somerville and Cambridge that have benefitted from on-street bike corrals. With more people able to comfortably bike and walk on Beacon Street in the future, fewer will drive and more cyclists and pedestrians will invest in the community. That’s a win-win!

Written by: Alex Epstein

The question of whether or not to get a cycle track on Beacon Street has been a topic of hot debate lately. There’s been a lot of discussion (although that might be too civil a word for it) about the potential pros and cons of the reconstruction project, although I think we can all agree that some utilities work and re-paving would be advantageous (who likes potholes?).

While I haven’t been living in Somerville as long as some, I’ve loved my time here. A couple of the things I really enjoy:

• Lemon poppyseed muffins and coffee at Cafe Rustica, and the postcards they put up on their walls,
• Petsi Pies (what can I say, I’m a sucker for pastry),
• Coveting the beautifully crafted book shelves and bureaus at the Book Case Factory Outlet,
• Saying hi to neighbors when I go out,
• That quirky Fraggle Rock Tunnel next to Star Market.

Things I dislike about living on Beacon Street:

• Street cleaning,
• The noise trucks make when they hit that huge pothole in front of my house at 6a.m.,
• Traffic when I’m driving,
• Getting doored when I’m biking.

I bike to work almost every single day, regardless of the weather. After getting doored twice in Somerville, once on Beacon Street, I am very excited about the prospect of a cycle track. Even though my accidents were a year ago, I’m still dealing with the injuries. Not only will a cycle track keep me safer, but it will calm the street down a bit for drivers as well (also something I’m excited about). And, if more people can bike because they’re not afraid of the morning rush on Beacon, that will mean less cars on the road and less traffic for everyone.

The city’s current plan calls for the removal of street parking on the southbound side of the road and local businesses have expressed concern that this will negatively impact them. Since I live here and this reconstruction project will directly affect my neighbors and myself, I helped two groups, LivableStreets Alliance and the Boston Cyclists Union, carry out a customer intercept survey to get a better sense of the shopping and transportation habits of people on Beacon St. Indeed, the study revealed that there is a small amount of risk, but only if parking is perceived as ‘harder to find’. It turns out that the majority of customers are pedestrians (68%) while drivers make up 11.4%. Those drivers who might go elsewhere (if parking seemed harder to find) represent just 3.4% of all customers.

I drive a car and have to park on Beacon. I get it. Parking is a big deal. But at the same time, is my neighbor’s ability to park directly in front of his or her house or favorite store more important than my ability to get to work without being terrified that I’m going to get hit again and this time not be so lucky?

What I really want to talk about are the MANY options available to preserve parking while still getting a cycle track that will make Beacon St. safer and more pleasant for bikers, drivers, and pedestrians. A combination of the following options could make this reconstruction project a win-win.

• Alternate-Side Parking: Switch the side of the road with parking based on which side of the road hosts the majority of businesses.
• Metered Parking in front of businesses: Currently, Beacon Street has unlimited parking for Somerville residents and two-hour parking for non-Somerville Residents. Metered parking can be priced so that there is always parking availability and creates higher turnover among customers, increasing business for shop owners and allowing for increased resident parking availability. Plus, we could ask the city to direct the proceeds right back into the community.
• Resident Parking Stickers: Unlimited parking would be available only to residents with a resident parking sticker, keeping Somerville residents who do not live on Beacon St. from leaving cars for long periods of time.
• Additional Parking Spaces: An agreement with business owners who have access to large and most times sparsely used parking lots would provide additional overflow parking, especially during street cleaning nights or during snow emergency events.

There are lots of options. Let’s talk about them.

Written by: Liz Flanagan