Mass Ave Bike Path work

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

I noticed they are doing some work where the bike path crosses over Mass Ave in Cambridge. Are they finally going to make it easier to cross the street while staying on the path? I tried a google search and nothing came up. Anyone know any more info about this?

Comments

[ron_newman]

Yes. Here is an e-mail I received from the Porter Square Neighborhood Association:

The Department of Transportation (Mass DOT) is making significant improvements to the intersection of Cedar St and Massachusetts Ave, which will provide improved access to the Linear Park Path. The plan includes re-aligning the intersection of Cedar St and Massachusetts Ave so Cedar St meets Massachusetts Ave at a right angle. An adjacent landscaped area will be relocated to the opposite side of Cedar St and new trees planted. Crosswalks of Cedar St and Massachusetts Ave will be located at this new intersection and will allow path users to cross during each cycle of the traffic signal without having to push a pedestrian button.

Mass DOT’s contractor, J.J. Phelan & Sons, will soon begin improvements to the Linear Park Path, on Cedar St at Massachusetts Ave. Construction at this location is expected to take 2-3 months to complete. During a portion of the work (about 3 days), Cedar St will be closed during work hours, and a detour will be in place. An additional notice with information on the detour will be distributed in advance of the work.

For more information see: http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cdd/et/infra/linear/crossing.html

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

thanks for the info Ron. This is great news.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

now if only something could be done about the bike path going through arlington center :)

[ifotismeni]

that's fantastic. here's hoping they make similar improvements to where the minuteman path crosses mass ave in arlington one day...

[ifotismeni]

wow, jinx!

[ceo]

Other than putting up NO BIKE RIDING ON SIDEWALKS signs all over the place, you mean?

[ifotismeni]

lol yeah, because that totally helped :)

[ron_newman]

I don't know what the current proposal is but you may want to talk to the folks at the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee. I get their agendas and see this item mentioned there, but I haven't gone to any of their meetings.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

hah:)

i've always though some sort of catapult/ramp system would work well.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

omg, i have totally wondered about this myself. ....

[dcltdw]

Anyone know if those are actually strictly enforced? My hope was that it was to prevent cyclists from mowing down people on sidewalks (okay, that's pretty reasonable), but not to hassle cyclists who are yielding to pedestrians.

Because yeah, unless there's a catapult/ramp system, the whole "bike commuter path" thing just goes out the window at that intersection.

[ceo]

They are, in my observation, universally ignored, at least as regards the bit of sidewalk between the northern path entrance and the northeast corner of the Mass Ave/Pleasant St intersection.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

You are my new transportation czar. I eagerly support your continued ascendancy.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

The slideshow answers some of my questions, but not all. It provides traffic light timing for the Cedar Street intersection, but doesn't describe synchronization with any other lights, not even at Harvey/Cameron a few feet away.

The synchronization on Mass Ave inbound is terrible right now, except during the morning rush hour. You'd have to go about 50 mph to avoid having every single red light between Route 16 and Porter turn red just before you get there.

I'm disappointed that they chose not to add a crosswalk on the west side of Cedar. Path users will have to waste time waiting for two separate walk lights. They said they considered a diagonal crosswalk with an all-way walk phase, but if there were crosswalks across Mass Ave on both sides of Cedar, path users would only need to wait for Cedar's green.