Somerville Bicycle Network Plan

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The City of Somerville developed a citywide bicycle network plan so that people of all ages and abilities can ride a bicycle to anywhere in the City safely and comfortably. The Somerville Bicycle Network Plan was developed via a one-and-a-half-year public engagement, research, and analysis process. The Plan maps out steps to expand and upgrade the current 30-mile network of bicycle facilities to a total of 88 miles that will create safe and connected routes to better protect bike riders of all ages. A total of 40 miles of bicycle improvements are designated on high-priority routes to be installed or upgraded by 2030, with the remaining miles to be completed over the full 20 years of the plan. The network includes a mix of protected bike facilities, off-street paths, and traffic-calmed backstreet “Neighborways” routes. As part of implementation, the City will hold public engagement processes before installing any facilities identified in the Plan.

Check out this website to learn more about the development of the Plan and read the full Somerville Bicycle Network Plan document.

The City of Somerville developed a citywide bicycle network plan so that people of all ages and abilities can ride a bicycle to anywhere in the City safely and comfortably. The Somerville Bicycle Network Plan was developed via a one-and-a-half-year public engagement, research, and analysis process. The Plan maps out steps to expand and upgrade the current 30-mile network of bicycle facilities to a total of 88 miles that will create safe and connected routes to better protect bike riders of all ages. A total of 40 miles of bicycle improvements are designated on high-priority routes to be installed or upgraded by 2030, with the remaining miles to be completed over the full 20 years of the plan. The network includes a mix of protected bike facilities, off-street paths, and traffic-calmed backstreet “Neighborways” routes. As part of implementation, the City will hold public engagement processes before installing any facilities identified in the Plan.

Check out this website to learn more about the development of the Plan and read the full Somerville Bicycle Network Plan document.

  • Somerville City Council Approves Bicycle Network Plan

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    On Thursday, September 28, 2023, the City Council voted to approve the Somerville Bicycle Network Plan following deliberation at the September 18 Traffic and Parking Committee and a public hearing on May 31, 2023.

    Some of the first next steps to implementing the Plan is to develop a Bicycle Design Guide and Community Engagement Guide over the next year. The Bicycle Design Guide will provide detailed standards and specifications for the construction of both Quick-Build and Permanent projects bike facilities. The guide will include preferred dimensions and surface treatments for protected bicycle lanes, requirements for acceptable traffic calming and volume reducing strategies for Neighborways, and standard details for off-street shared-use paths and multimodal shared streets. The Community Engagement Guide will outline approaches and strategies to engage and conduct outreach to community members for bicycle facility projects.

    Read the full plan or the Executive Summary, available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Nepali, Haitian Creole, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.

  • Somerville City Council Traffic and Parking Committee Public Hearing on the Somerville Bike Network Plan, Wednesday, May 31, 6 p.m.

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    The Somerville City Council Traffic and Parking Committee will hold a virtual (online) public hearing on Wednesday, May 31, on the City of Somerville Bike Network Plan. The hearing will start at 6 p.m. Community members may submit testimony either at the hearing or in writing according to the details below.

    The hearing will offer an opportunity for community members to share thoughts, ideas, and
    concerns about the Bike Network Plan. The plan was developed via a one-and-a-half-year public engagement, research, and analysis process. The Committee aims to understand community preferences and concerns around the roll-out of the already finalized Plan.

    The Plan maps out steps to expand and upgrade the current 30-mile network of bicycle facilities to a total of 88 miles that will create safe and connected routes to better protect bike riders of all ages. A total of 40 miles of bicycle improvements are designated on high-priority routes to be installed or upgraded by 2030, with the remaining miles to be completed over the full 20 years of the plan.

    The network includes a mix of protected bike facilities, off-street paths, and traffic-calmed backstreet “Neighborways” routes. Plan implementation includes that the City will hold public engagement processes before installing any facilities identified in the Plan.

    How to provide or listen to testimony:

    1. Attend online: To attend online and be heard, enter this link exactly as it appears into your internet browser any time before the meeting: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4392561478585691221. This link can also be accessed on the City Council’s calendar at somervillema.gov/councilmeetings. Once you arrive at the link, you will then be asked to register, and after registering, you will receive an email with instructions to join the webinar. 

    1. Submit written testimony: If you are unable to attend but wish to be heard, you may submit written testimony one of three ways. Your comments must arrive no later than Friday, June 2, 2023, at 12 noon, in order to be sure they are conveyed to the Council and included in the written record. The three ways to submit comment are:

      • Email: email your comments to cityclerk@somervillema.gov, or

      • Mail: send them by U.S. mail to the City Clerk, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA, 02143, or

      • Hand deliver: drop them into the secure drop box outside the back door on the School Street side of City Hall.

    1. Listen to testimony on-demand: The Public Hearing will be recorded and made available for later viewing by the City’s GovTV team. Watch on-demand with optional closed-captioning (select the CC icon) on YouTube.com/SomervilleCityTV. Or watch on cable TV at GovTV Comcast Ch. 22 and GovTV Astound (RCN) Ch. 13 & 613. Videos generally post within one to two business days of recording.  

    ACCOMODATIONS: Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

    INTERPRETATION: Interpretation into any language is available upon advance request by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somervillema.gov/ContactSomerViva or calling 311 at 617-666-3311.

  • Somerville Publishes Final Bicycle Network Plan!

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    Thank you to everyone who reviewed and shared comments on the draft Bicycle Network Plan. The City is excited to publish the final Bicycle Network Plan – a vision intended to guide the City’s work to improve and expand Somerville’s bicycle facilities.

    The Plan proposes an 88-mile citywide network of connected protected bicycle lanes and low speed and low volume residential streets – Neighborways - where people of all ages and abilities will be able to bike safely and comfortably. Compared to the fragmented 30-mile network that exists today, the Bicycle Network Plan envisions a future with vastly more biking infrastructure, safer facilities, and better connectivity.

    Shifting travel away from single-occupancy vehicles and toward sustainable modes like biking is essential to meet the City’s Vision Zero public safety goals, Somerville Climate Forward goals, and SomerVision comprehensive planning goals. The Bicycle Network Plan goals reflect and reinforce these Citywide planning objectives:

    • Goal 1: Increase biking as the primary mode of transportation for daily trips and aim for 15% of residents traveling by bike by 2050.

    • Goal 2: Provide infrastructure throughout Somerville that is safe and comfortable for all residents to use, regardless of age, ability, gender, and background.

    • Goal 3: Ensure that every resident in Somerville has access to a bicycle and can safely reach their everyday destinations by biking

    The final Bicycle Network Plan identifies a priority network of 40.2 miles to be installed by 2030 (29.8 miles of permanent protected bike lanes and 10.4 miles of Neighborways). Priority network streets were selected based on criteria that focus on equity, connectivity, destinations, topography, and safety.

    Implementation will include City-led quick-build projects, City-led permanent street infrastructure improvements, and state- and developer-led street construction. Once a street is selected for implementation, City staff will launch a street-specific public engagement and design process, which will include traffic data collection and parking analysis.

    The Bicycle Network Plan includes the following components:

    The Mayor and City staff will present the final plan to the City Council and ask for their endorsement.

    The City is excited to move forward to implementing the plan which includes on the ground changes and developing supporting guides such as the Bicycle Design Guide, Outreach and Engagement Guide, and Operations and Maintenance Manual.

    Thank you to everybody who has helped with the creation of Somerville’s first Bicycle Network Plan! We are on our way to providing more safe and comfortable biking options for all and we hope you continue to join the City in its effort to reach goals set by Somerville Vision 2040, Climate Forward, and Vision Zero. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Mobility Division at transportation@somervillema.gov if you have any questions and stay up to date with implementation through the Mobility Monthly Newsletter.

  • Read the Draft Bicycle Network Plan!

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    Information also available in:

    After a year of community engagement, data analysis, and policy research, the City of Somerville has finalized a draft of Somerville’s first Bicycle Network Plan. This plan is a visioning document, developed with broad, diverse community input, that identifies a connected network of streets where people of all ages and abilities can bike safely and comfortably across the city. The Bicycle Network Plan is a living document, intended to guide the next 30 years of work to improve and expand Somerville’s bicycle facilities.

    The Bike Network Plan envisions 88.1 miles of connected streets for safe biking –that’s 58 more miles than Somerville’s existing network. This means some type of bikeway will be found on about 60% of Somerville’s streets! The network includes a mix of protected bike lanes, Neighborways, off-street paths, and Shared Streets. Protected bike lanes would include existing ones, upgrades to existing quick-build lanes, and newly installed separated bicycle lanes.

    The City of Somerville has committed itself to becoming America’s most walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented community. This Plan is the first step in expanding bike ridership, which is essential to meet our Vision Zero public safety goals, Somerville Climate Forward goals, and SomerVision comprehensive planning goals. The Bicycle Network Plan will accelerate the pace of progressive change in our city’s transportation system. It will also improve predictability for all community members, helping residents, businesspersons, advocates, and agency partners plan for the future.

    The draft Bicycle Network Plan includes five components:

    • Chapter 1: Bicycle Plan Goals

    • Chapter 2: Bicycling in Somerville Today

    • Chapter 3: Community Outreach

    • Chapter 4: Network Vision

    • Chapter 5: Implementation

    Appendices (A, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, B, C) are available on the project website in the documents toolbar, in addition to an executive summary. The executive summary highlights plan details and is available in English, Español, Português, Kreyòl Ayisyen, नेपाली, 简体中文版, 繁體中文版.

    We want to hear from you! Please read the draft plan and share your feedback. The public comment period is open from now until January 16, 2023. Send your comments or questions to the Mobility Division via email at transportation@somervillema.gov. You can also provide comment by mail. Please address your comment letter to 93 Highland Ave., c/o Mobility Division, Somerville, MA 02143. Public comments will be included in an appendix of the final version of the Plan.

  • Thank you for submitting your comments on the Draft Network Vision!

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    Thank you to everyone who provided comments at the pop-ups, community events and on the public input map. We are excited to share the Bicycle Network Plan in early October. A public comment period will follow the release of the plan. At the end of the public comment period, the City will host a community meeting.

    Subscribe to our email list to stay up to date, or reach out to us at transportation@somervillema.gov if you have any questions. Thank you!

  • Provide your feedback on the Draft Network Vision!

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    Thank you to all who were able to join the Draft Network Vision meetings. We are excited to share the Draft Somerville Bicycle Network Vision.

    If you weren't able to join, please check out the recording for our virtual meeting and review the presentation slides.

    We have the map available as a PDF or Public Input Map for your review. We also have a handout describing the vision, how we developed it, what we heard in outreach, and the criteria used to develop the vision available in English, Español, Kreyol Ayisyen, नेपाली and Português.

    There are multiple ways you can provide feedback on the draft network map as we move towards the full plan.

    • Email your comments to transportation@somervillema.gov
    • Directly add your comments to the map on our Public Input Map
    • Join us at one of our upcoming pop-ups or community events:
      • July 12, 4:30pm - 6:30pm, Community Path and Cedar Street Crossing
      • July 16, 11:00am - 5:00pm, ArtBeat Festival
      • July 21, 4:30pm -6:30pm, Foss Park near Broadway
      • Rescheduled July 28, 3:30pm - 5:30pm, Assembly Square on Great River Road
    • Invite us to your organization's meeting or event

    If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at transportation@somervillema.gov. You can also subscribe to updates through our Mobility Monthly Newsletter.


  • Join us to discuss the Draft Bicycle Network Vision

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    Meeting Flyers in:

    Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and City staff invite you to discuss the Draft Bicycle Network Vision.

    The City of Somerville, in collaboration with Street Plans, is developing a citywide bicycle network plan to designate corridors for various bikeway facilities, connect gaps in the current network, and provide a guide for future improvements.

    Join us in-person or virtually to learn about the draft bicycle network map and provide your feedback to the team!


    Community Pop-Up

    Date: Friday, June 17 (Rain date: Wednesday, June 22)

    Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm

    Location: Argenziano Playground, 290 Washington St

    Virtual Meeting

    Date: Thursday, June 23

    Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

    Virtual Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O-LwlrxpQl2hS4wXrxvw5Q

    To join by phone:

    • One tap mobile: US: +13017158592,,83239480962# or +13126266799,,83239480962#
    • Or dial a number based on your current location and use the Webinar ID
      • For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.
        US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 720 707 2699 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
      • Webinar ID: 832 3948 0962

    For any questions, please email transportation@somervillema.gov.

    Interpretation into Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Kreyol, or Nepali may be available upon advance request by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somerviva@somervillema.gov or calling 311 at 617-666-3311.

    Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.

  • Save the dates for upcoming Somerville Bicycle Network Plan engagement opportunities!

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    We are preparing to release the draft network plan, which will be available on the project website. Save the date to join us at upcoming in-person and virtual opportunities to learn more and share your feedback:

    • Community pop-up, June 17, 4:30pm - 6:30pm, Lincoln Park, 290 Washington Street
    • Virtual community meeting, June 23, 6:00pm - 7:30pm, virtual meeting link to come.
    • And more pop-ups to be scheduled throughout the City.

    Stay tuned and subscribe to email updates.

  • Join the Project Team at Bike Night at the West Branch Library!

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    Join members of the Project Team at Bike Night at the West Branch Library! We will be sharing info on the Somerville Bicycle Network Plan vision and goals, promoting the survey, and sharing handlebar survey packets. Come ask you questions and provide your feedback. Check out the details about the event below!

    West Branch Bike Night!

    Date: MONDAY, MAY 16

    Time: 4:00—7:00 PM

    Location: West Branch Atrium & Backyard West Branch, 40 College Ave, Somerville, MA, 02144


    Description: Do you have a bike that's been in storage all winter? Are you new to riding in the city and looking for safety tips? Have an old bicycle you'd like to donate?

    To celebrate National Bike Month, bring your bicycle to the West Branch library and get ready for fun and safe spring rides around Somerville. Join us in the backyard for activities like:

    Learn more at https://somervillepubliclibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/west-branch-bike-night/

  • Take the Bicycle Network Plan Survey!

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    We invite Somerville residents, workers, and visitors to complete this survey!

    This survey will provide vital insights into current biking patterns and public priorities that will guide future planning. The Somerville Bicycle Network Plan will guide the design for our streets so that everybody, regardless of age and ability, can ride a bike to anywhere in the City feeling safe and comfortable.

    The survey is available in English, Español, Portugues, Kreyòl Ayisyen, नेपाली.

    The survey deadline is Monday, April 25, 2022.

Page last updated: 20 Oct 2023, 01:50 PM