Cambridge Council Orders Intersection Safety Audits After Cyclist's Fatal Crash

CAMBRIDGE — June 17, 2024 — Cambridge City Council unanimously orders citywide intersection safety audits after a fatal cyclist crash at Mount Auburn and DeWolf streets. The full nine-member council adopted Policy Order 2024-82, sponsored by Councilor Sabrina Joie Wheeler and co-sponsored by all members, directing City Manager Yi-An Huang to develop a formal system for infrastructure audits at intersections where crashes cause serious injury or death — a practice public commenters said Cambridge lacks. In extended debate on a separate item, Commissioner of Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Brooke McKenna committed to a decision within one month on a full-time no-left-turn restriction from Brattle Street onto Appleton Street, which residents say carries more than 4,000 vehicles per day — roughly 700 more than before recent traffic pattern changes — while parallel streets have seen declines. The council also unanimously adopted late-filed Policy Order 2024-86, backed by Mayor E. Denise Simmons and Councilor Paul Toner, calling for a "thoughtful, deliberative, and collaborative" community process before any decision is made about the future of the Central Square Library and the Green Street Garage, after Manning Apartments residents submitted a petition opposing high-rise redevelopment on the site.