Days before a busy City Council meeting where councilors are expected to vote on delaying a construction deadline for Cambridge’s city-wide bike network, Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons warned against the rapid expansion of bike lanes at the expense of small businesses and the elderly.
“I really want cycling,” Simmons said in an interview Friday with The Crimson. “I love bike safety, but I also have to balance that with being a small business owner or senior citizen.”
On Monday, councilors are expected to vote on a policy order that would extend the deadline by which Cambridge needs to build about 25 miles of separated bike lanes under a local ordinance from May 1, 2026, to Nov. 1, 2026. in 2027. The delay will allow. the city to gather additional data on the impact of building bike lanes on small businesses — a long-standing concern of opponents of expanding bike lanes in Cambridge.
The city commissioned a study on the economic impact created by the bike lanes, but the results became inconclusive.
Simmons declined to say how he plans to vote on the policy order, but expressed concern that removing parking to build bike lanes could have a negative impact on small businesses, especially those located at the open ground of the buildings.
“If the ground floor business collapses, it goes away, there are fewer opportunities for people to be on the streets, going to restaurants and meeting their friends,” said Simmons.
She also said bike lanes pose safety risks for seniors in Cambridge.
“They always say, ‘I’m afraid to go out.’ I’m afraid of being hit by a bicycle. I can’t get to the pharmacy anymore,” Simmons said.
The construction of bicycle tracks was one of the most important issues in the country 2023 local elections and continued to bitterly divide many residents. When the policy order was discussed earlier this month, nearly 100 Cambridge residents spoke out against the extension, and hundreds more emailed the Council about the order before Monday’s meeting.
Simmons said that while it may be difficult to reach a consensus, she hopes the city will find an “unhappy medium.”
“We’re not all going to be happy, but hopefully we’re going to be better,” he said. “You have some, I have some.”
Asked if Cambridge should reduce its long-term dependence on cars to become more environmentally conscious, Simmons cautioned against transitioning away from cars too quickly.
“A number of my constituents in particular, they can’t get out of their cars,” Simmons said, adding that working-class Cambridge families in the city need cars to get to work and will be more affected by a distance from the car. use
“I’m not going to tell a family, ‘Your car burns fossil fuels, so you need to get out of it or buy a Tesla,'” he added.
She said the environmental improvements, while increasing the quality of life for Cambridge residents, also threaten to increase rents and property values, “valuing vulnerable residents and attracting new, more affluent residents.”
“If we want diversity, we have to be intentional,” Simmons said. “How do we balance this conversation? It’s not an either or. I want us to get away from one or the other.”
-Staff writer Ayumi Nagatomi can be reached at ayumi.nagatomi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on @ayumi_nagatomi.
-Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on @avaniiirai.
