Somerville Bicycle Network Plan

Somerville Bicycle Network Plan
Name	Somerville Bicycle Network Plan
Settlement type	Urban transportation plan
Established	2015

Somerville Bicycle Network Plan The Somerville Bicycle Network Plan is a municipal transportation strategy developed to expand cycling infrastructure, guide capital investments, and integrate multimodal connections across Somerville, Massachusetts, Greater Boston, and the Boston metropolitan area. The plan sets priorities for protected bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, intersection redesigns, and bicycle parking while coordinating with regional agencies such as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Metro Boston Planning Organization, and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It aligns with statewide and federal policies including the Massachusetts Complete Streets Prioritization Plan, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, and funding programs administered by the Federal Transit Administration and the United States Department of Transportation.

Overview

The plan articulates a vision to create a connected network of high-comfort facilities linking major destinations such as Davis Square, Union Square (Somerville), Assembly Square (Somerville), Inman Square, and Medford and to coordinate with regional corridors like Massachusetts Route 16, Massachusetts Route 38, and the Mystic River. It identifies typologies—protected bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, and shared-use paths—along corridors that interface with transit hubs like Porter Square station, Lechmere, and Sullivan Square station. The plan references design guidance from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

History and Development

Development began amid local advocacy from organizations including Somerville Bicycle Committee, BikeWalk Commonwealth, and MassBike, and followed precedents set by projects in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Brookline, Massachusetts, Camden (UK), and Copenhagen. Early policy context included the Somerville Strategic Plan, municipal ordinances such as the Somerville Zoning Ordinance, and capital plans coordinated with Middlesex County and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Funding and technical support drew on competitive grants from entities such as the Federal Highway Administration, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and philanthropic partners like the Barr Foundation. Public workshops referenced case studies from Portland, Oregon, New York City, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Barcelona to inform design choices.

Network Design and Infrastructure

Design elements prioritize separation from motor-vehicle traffic, signal timing changes at intersections like McGrath Highway, and end-of-trip facilities at institutions such as Tufts University, Tufts Medical Center, and corporate employers like Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The plan maps corridors connecting transit stations, parks like Davis Square Park, open spaces such as Crystal Lake (Somerville), and regional trails including the Minuteman Bikeway and the Mystic River Reservation. Infrastructure types include two-way protected lanes on arterial streets, neighborhood greenways near Union Square (Somerville), and riverfront shared-use paths along the Mystic River. The plan cites bicycle-parking standards from the U.S. Green Building Council and recommends coordination with utility projects undertaken by Eversource Energy and roadway resurfacing schedules from MassDOT.

Implementation and Phasing

Implementation is staged across near-term quick-build projects, medium-term capital investments, and long-term corridors coordinated with transit-oriented development at sites like Assembly Row, Union Square (Somerville), and redevelopment near Tufts University Health Sciences Campus. Funding mechanisms include municipal bond measures approved by the Somerville City Council, grant applications to the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council, and federal competitive programs administered by the FTA and FHWA. Phasing aligns with regional initiatives led by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and capital programming by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority where roadway changes interface with MBTA bus service and Green Line Extension. Implementation partners include engineering consultants with experience on projects in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Community Engagement and Policy

Community outreach included public meetings at venues such as the Somerville High School Auditorium, pop-up events at Davis Square, online surveys circulated via Somerville Public Schools and neighborhood groups like Somerville Chamber of Commerce. Feedback processes involved neighborhood associations from Winter Hill, East Somerville, Prospect Hill, and Teele Square. Policy instruments referenced include the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law for transparency, incentive programs for employers modeled on CommuterChoice, and equity analyses informed by frameworks from the Health Resources and Services Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The plan coordinates with bicycle education initiatives run by Safe Routes to School, WalkBoston, and local nonprofits.

Safety, Enforcement, and Evaluation

Safety analyses use crash data from Massachusetts Department of Public Health, traffic counts from MassDOT, and collision mapping techniques applied in cities like London, Berlin, and Sydney. Enforcement and operational coordination involve the Somerville Police Department for traffic enforcement, the Somerville Department of Public Works for maintenance, and emergency responders including Somerville Fire Department for incident planning. Performance measures track mode share changes using American Community Survey data from the United States Census Bureau, helmet-use surveys aligned with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, and corridor-level evaluations patterned after performance frameworks from the Transportation Research Board.

Impact and Outcomes

Expected outcomes include increased bicycle mode share similar to trends in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Portland, Oregon, reductions in severe injury crashes as seen in Copenhagen and Seville, and economic benefits for retail corridors modeled on studies from New York City and San Francisco. The plan supports municipal goals for emissions reductions in coordination with Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act commitments and regional air-quality targets set by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Ongoing monitoring engages academic partners such as Tufts University and Northeastern University to assess public-health impacts and multimodal integration with regional plans from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

Category:Transportation planning