5 Projects that will change biking in the Boston Area in 2017: #3 The Beacon St Cycletrack

This is Part 3 in a 5 part series about infrastructure projects in the Boston area that will have a dramatic effect on biking in 2017. The projects were selected based on various criteria including improvements to safety and convenience and innovation in implementation and design.

By Doug Johnson, Community Organizer at the Boston Cyclists Union

If you’ve ever ridden a bike on Beacon St/Hampshire St in Somerville and Cambridge, respectively, then it might not surprise you to know that it’s one of the most highly traveled corridors for bikes in the entire Boston area. During the morning and evening rush hours, dozens of cyclists queue at red lights, and there is an almost continuous flow of people on bikes between intersections.

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A group queues at the red light in Inman Square. At least this many people were behind me as well. – Doug

Well, thanks to years of advocacy from the Somerville Bike Committee (SBC), a massive campaign by the Bike Union in 2012 and 2013, and continued stewardship of the project by the SBC during construction, Somerville’s first sidewalk-level cycletracks will soon be complete! In fact, most of the construction was completed this year, and the rest will be done in 2017. In the meantime, painted bike markings have gone down. Check out the video below to see the progress so far, sans paint, and look out for a comprehensive history of the Beacon St. Cycletrack this Spring!

We’d also like to acknowledge the tireless work of Ken Carlson, Chair of the Somerville Bike Committee, who has spent countless hours working with the City and advocates to mediate the adverse effects of construction, and Alan Moore, who proposed the Beacon St Cycletrack years ago, before the Bike Union even existed, and has continuously worked to make the cycletrack and other innovative bike projects a reality. 

This is the kind of progress that you help us make when you become a member or donate to the Bike Union! PLUS, when you join or donate between now and the end of 2016, you have a chance to win one of two bikes from our friends at Broadway Bicycle School in Cambridge or Wheelworks of Belmont and Somerville! Become a member today and help make 2017 the best year ever for biking in the Boston area! 

 

 

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