Transportation Evaluations and Studies

In trying to better understand the transportation system in Cambridge and get the most out of projects we undertake, the City collects data when needed on modes of travel, completes various studies and performs post construction evaluations on projects. See the pages at left for information on each of these.

Evaluations

Post Construction Evaluations Are Complete for the Following Projects

Porter Square
Lafayette Square (located south of Central Square along Massachusetts Avenue)
Blanchard Road (southern section)
Yerxa Road Underpass
Western Avenue

Transportation Studies

The City of Cambridge looks to internal and external studies to evaluate transportation projects and inform decisions on best practices in facility design. Below are some transportation studies with which the City has been involved.

New Mobility Blueprint

The New Mobility Blueprint will develop actionable recommendations for policies, programs, and regulations that will help the City ensure that new mobility options, such as scooters and automated vehicles, are implemented in a way that aligns with and advances existing goals and policies. The Blueprint is a methodical, data-driven effort to position the City to better plan for these new mobility options. It will result in concrete actions, and is not a visioning or goal-setting exercise. The New Mobility Blueprint will be adapted over time as the mobility landscape changes.

Click here read about this study.

Alewife Transportation Planning

On June 19, 2014 the Cambridge City Council Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Utilities asked the Community Development Department to “address the traffic, transportation and access to transit issues in the Fresh Pond/Concord Avenue/Alewife area with a view toward understanding the impact of recent development trends in the area.” Staff created and delivered a presentation at the Tobin School meant to give the Council and public an understanding of how the transportation elements of the Concord-Alewife Plan were being implemented, an understanding of current development taking place and its impact on area transportation, an explanation of the nature of Alewife transportation and vehicle trips, as well an update on recent trends and projects that the City and others have completed, are in progress and hope to pursue in the future.

Click here to view the Alewife Transportation Update (2014) presentation given on June 19, 2014 to City Council Subcommittee on Transportation and Utilities at the Tobin School.

CTPS Alewife Bus and Traffic Operations Study

In 2007-2009, the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) at the request of the City of Cambridge, completed a study aimed at optimizing bus access to Alewife Station. This study was completed in two phases. The results of this study can be found below:

Executive Summary

CTPS Bus Access Memo

View bus rider origin evaluation

CTPS Acorn Park Drive Rerouting Technical Assistance

In 2017, the City of Cambridge and Town of Arlington asked the Central Transportation Planning Staff to study the travel-time benefits of changing bus routes to use Acorn Park Drive approaching Alewife Station from Route 2.

CTPS Route 2 Alewife Access Technical Assistance

In 2018, the City of Cambridge and Town of Arlington asked the Central Transportation Planning Staff to study bus priority measures for buses travelling to/from Alewife Station. CTPS studied the feasibility of creating bus-only lanes on the highway ramps to and from Route 2. Click here to read the technical memorandum.

Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Alewife Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Study

This study, finalized in 2009, detailing existing conditions as well as many planned and long-term projects for the Alewife area may be found here.

Hampshire Bicycle Lane Study

In 2003, the City of Cambridge undertook a study to evaluate the influence of bike lanes and other pavement markings on how motorists and bicyclists travel on the road (using Hampshire Street as the study site). The study was particularly focused on how far away bicyclists travel from parked cars, since the threat of being hit by a car door opening suddenly is a serious one. The study found that bike lanes are beneficial, and a survey of cyclists showed that cyclists overwhelmingly favored the bicycle lanes.

Click here to read the Hampshire Bicycle Lane Study.

National Cooperative Highway Research Program Study

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program is conducting a study in Cambridge evaluating various ways of marking bicycle lanes. As part of the study, researchers will be surveying motorists and bicyclists.

Click here to read about this study.

Shared Lane Marking Study

Cambridge was one site for a study undertaken by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) evaluating the efficacy of Shared Lane Markings (also known as "sharrows").

Click here to read the FHWA report.

For More Information

For more information about project evaluations, contact Bill Deignan at 617/349-4632 or wdeignan@cambridgema.gov. For more information about transportation studies, contact Cara Seiderman at 617/349-4629 or cseiderman@cambridgema.gov.