Cambridge Council Receives Inconclusive Bike Lane Economic Study, Advances Safety Department Launch

CAMBRIDGE — February 12, 2024 — Cambridge City Council unanimously received an inconclusive economic impact study on its Cycling Safety Ordinance and heard that its new Community Safety Department will begin responding to 911 calls in March 2024. The Volpe Center study found that businesses along bike lane corridors were statistically more likely to report revenue declines than control-area businesses, but objective measures including vacancy rates and employment data showed no confirmed harm — a result Councilor Marc McGovern and others called expected given the data limitations. Community Safety Department Director Liz Speakman appeared with her full team and reported 2,789 community outreach interactions logged since December, none of which were emergency responses, with a Monday-through-Thursday daytime 911 launch planned for next month. City Manager Yan Wang disclosed that HART, a community-based alternative-response nonprofit, has drawn down only about $54,000 of a $300,000 ARPA grant, with the full amount required to be spent by December 31, 2024, and said HART's December 2023 proposal lacked a program services budget. The council also unanimously adopted policy orders directing the city to begin a Central Square rezoning process, hold public hearings on racial and gender disparities in city contracting, and research the city's legal authority to regulate electric micromobility devices including e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards.