Message from the City Manager

We live in a connected urban landscape and how we travel from one place to another is foundational to how we live our lives. Whether we are commuting to work, buying groceries, visiting friends, or shuttling children, transportation is the line between where we are and where we need to go. And we all deserve to be able to travel safely, efficiently, and sustainably.

In Cambridge, there is a lot to celebrate. We have been named the most walkable city in the country. Walk Score went as far as recognizing Cambridge as a “Walker’s Paradise” and a “Biker’s Paradise” with the highest scores for each category in Massachusetts. According to PeopleforBikes’ latest ratings, Cambridge ranked #2 out of 604 medium-sized U.S. cities (50K to 300K) for bicycling, behind only Davis, California. We are rich in public transit options including five Red Line stops, a newly revamped Green Line station at Lechmere, Commuter Rail, 26 MBTA bus routes, and multiple publicly-accessible shuttles.

Yet there are also many concerns. Traffic and congestion have increased since the pandemic. As we have added more modes of transportation, our streets have become more complex to navigate. While we have made cycling safer, we have seen three cyclists die on our streets over the last four months, leaving holes in our community and a reminder that there is so much more work to do. And we continue to hear from our seniors and residents with disabilities that it’s harder to travel around the city or receive services.

This issue highlights how we are seeking to balance the competing challenges on our streets. There aren’t simple answers, but I hope these stories show how we are continuing to work to make travel safer, more efficient, and more sustainable for all our residents.