Permanent Bicycle Counter on Broadway

The Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department has collaborated with the Community Development Department on the installation of an Eco-Totem bicycle counter on Broadway near Kendall Square. Using loop detectors set into the bike lane, bike traffic is measure 24/7 and then daily and cumulative totals are displayed digitally on the Totem. The data is also available for viewing online here.

The Totem began operations on June 23, 2015, and within the first week had already counted over 7,000 bikes passing through. Although the Totem is not perfect – cyclists who are not traveling in the designated bicycle lanes are not picked up by the sensor – we are excited about the possibilities for the Eco-Totem data. We have a lot to learn about bike traffic at different hours, on different days, and throughout different months and seasons.

Finally, the Totem’s running counts visually display the presence and importance of cyclists in Cambridge, and will hopefully encourage residents and visitors alike to get more information not only about the Eco-Totem’s data, but also bicycling and other alternative forms of transportation.

The Eco-Totem was made possible through a grant from the Helen and William Mazer Foundation and was produced by Eco-Counter of Montreal. For more information on the Eco-Totem project, please see the press release on the City’s homepage or visit the Community Development Department’s page on the Eco-Totem and bicycle trends.