Holland St & College Ave Mobility Improvements

Car parking takes way too much space that could be used for much more valuable purposes.

In addition the best way to increase traffic is to provide free parking at the destination. So by preserving parking you are indirectly increasing traffic, pollution and decreasing air quality for everyone.

Arterial roads should provide transit for people - they connect important spaces. Storing cars in these areas not only creates congestion for the one travel lane in each direction (as drivers cruise for parking, and the buses, bikes, and cars compete for space), but it also sends the message that Somerville would prefer that I drive to Davis and park there instead of riding my bike or taking a bus. After all, for at least 21 hours of the day, in this plan, I would be stuck in the same traffic as the bus if I drove, so what's the benefit of taking the bus? Both these streets can provide more transit if the parking lane is a travel lane. The drivers still have many parking options in Davis. Infrastructure is dynamic, and a plan that protects parking over transit - especially over sustainable transit - will keep the roads Somerville less safe and more congested, all while keeping our community reliant on and immersed in high carbon emissions. At the same time, because car owners tend to be wealthier than non-car owners, prioritizing their convenience over that of bus riders or bikers is further entrenching an inequitable transit system. Somerville worked so hard to state the city's values in Somervision2040, but they are not reflected in this plan. I would like to see the city do better.

Hello, this new redesign seems to be anchored in the past. As too often the priority is to maintain car parking, which has been proven to be an incredibly inefficient use of public space. The economic argument to support parking is not supported by multiple studies on the matter. A modern city like somerville deserves a more ambitious plan, especially given the clear appetite of its population for more bike friendly transportation. Why does the opinion of inhabitants get repeatedly ignore? Where is the ambition regarding climate change that Somerville supposedly have?

I'm overall pleased with the proposals for Holland St and College Ave, although I would have liked them to be more ambitious, with 24-hour bus and bike lanes rather than peak-only. Especially during and likely post-COVID, peak hour is not so relevant anymore, whereas separation of modes and speed management matters more. I would really prefer full reallocation of on-street parking to bus and protected bike lanes. Short of that, without protected bike lanes, I think it is critical to reduce motor vehicle speeds in the direction with no bike facilities (i.e., away from the squares). Self-enforce a max speed of 20 mph using traffic calming devices such as speed cushions or speed humps, to minimize the speed differential between drivers and bicyclists. These can be incorporated every couple of blocks, similar to Powderhouse Blvd, without drainage impacts. With speed cushions, fire trucks and buses could be able to straddle the cushions and proceed without slowing, avoiding discomfort to passengers (or damage to fire apparatus).

A few site-specific comments: (1) Please complete the missing crosswalk at the College Ave and Morrison Ave intersection so that one can cross College Ave on the west side of Morrison, to access the library. (2) Widen the narrow sidewalk in front of Middlesex Bank between Highland Ave and the MBTA Busway, making permanent the painted bumpout currently there. (3) Tighten the right-turn radius from College Ave onto Holland St. (4) Narrow Holland Street at the Cameron Ave intersection and shorten the crosswalks.

Thanks for all your work on this exciting project. I am hopeful it can be further improved in the above ways to transform these corridors into family-bikeable and walkable places that are also vibrant business clusters and fast transitways.