Building a Strong and Safe Bike Community ($114,000)

Main Public Library and public schools 

Cambridge has cyclists aged under 8 to 80+. To educate and protect bicyclists and bicycles, we propose safety training for grade school students, offering free helmets, and the installation of an artistic bike shelter at the main library.

In the 2015 Cambridge Bicycle Plan, the city commits to making it possible for “people of all ages and abilities to bicycle safely and comfortably around the city.”

The city currently works with five elementary schools to provide bike safety training, and aims to work with students in all twelve Cambridge elementary schools. Massachusetts law requires that every cyclist, 16 years old or younger, wears a helmet. This proposal includes the provision of a free helmet, and training on how to properly fit a helmet, as part of the Cycle Kids and/or other safety workshops.

For everyone in the city, the Cambridge main library and the surrounding park are important and highly used neighborhood assets. On average, 1,700 people visit the library every day, with only 18 parking posts for bicyclists. When bike parking posts are full, cyclists are forced to lock their bikes to benches, inconveniencing both cyclists and people using benches to rest or enjoy the park grounds.

A sheltered bike rack for an additional 40 bicycles, designed as an art piece, will be an attractive and functional addition to the library grounds. We propose soliciting design ideas from the public and contracting with a professional designer to ensure a parking shelter consistent with the aesthetic of the park and library.

Possible Design ideas

All of the available library bike racks, completely full at midday.

Bicycles locked to benches when parking posts are full.