By The Times Staff

On Tuesday, April 11, the City of Somerville announced that it has adopted a plan for a bicycle network. A public statement was released stating the following:

After more than a year of engagement, research, and analysis, the City of Somerville has released Somerville’s first-ever citywide Bicycle Network Plan.

The Plan documents Somerville’s community-based vision for an 88-mile network of connected streets and paths where people of all ages and abilities will be able to bike safely and comfortably. Compared to the fragmented 30-mile network that exists today, the Bicycle Network Plan envisions a future with vastly more biking infrastructure and better connectivity so that residents, workers, and visitors can bike to schools, parks, jobs, businesses, and other key destinations in Somerville and across the region. Somerville joins Cambridge as the only municipalities in Massachusetts to establish a citywide bicycle network plan.

“It’s imperative that we lay the groundwork now to create a safe, sustainable future for transit in Somerville,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “Our residents want city government to act with urgency to save lives on our streets, to reduce carbon emissions, and to create more freedom and choice in how we get around. The Bicycle Network Plan establishes our path forward to do just that. I’m grateful to the more than 1,000 community members who helped shape this vision for Somerville’s future. I continue to direct City agencies to work together to implement the Plan in a transparent manner consistent with public input.”

The Bicycle Network Plan identifies a high-priority 40-mile network of bike facilities to be installed by 2030, with the full 88-mile network forecasted to be installed within 20 years. The network includes a mix of protected bike facilities, off-street paths, and traffic-calmed backstreet “Neighborways” routes. The Plan designates some type of bikeway on 54% of Somerville’s streets. The city will continue to hold public engagement processes before installing any facilities identified in the Plan. The city expects to evaluate the Plan every 5 years.

“In recent years, Somerville has made important progress in creating streets that are safe and inviting for people riding bikes,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “Even so, I often hear from constituents who are eager to bike more but are deterred by safety concerns. As a long-time bike rider myself, I understand those concerns first-hand. We need to expand and improve our infrastructure so that biking is a safe, convenient option for traveling from one place to another. Our new Bicycle Network Plan will help the city move even faster to keep people safe on our streets.” 

Somerville’s Bicycle Network Plan was produced through extensive community engagement, with a focus on reaching groups historically excluded from planning processes. City staff held community meetings and mapping workshops, hosted pop-up events in parks and schoolyards, conducted public surveys in multiple languages, offered community bike rides, and made presentations to the Somerville City Council. A draft of the Plan was published in December 2022 and revised based on public comment. The priorities expressed by the community, as well as those established in the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan, Somerville Climate Forward climate action plan, and SomerVision comprehensive plan, guided the development of the Bicycle Network Plan.

“The Somerville community has long called to be the most walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented city in the country, and establishing Somerville’s first Bicycle Network Plan is crucial to making that commitment a reality,” said Somerville Mobility Director Brad Rawson. “A well-connected bike network will encourage ridership and expand equitable access to transit. With our vision clarified, we can accelerate our work with the community to create safer streets in Somerville.”

The Bicycle Network Plan will be a key resource for both the city and the Somerville community. Documenting the future bike network will create predictability for residents and workers and help them anticipate changes to streets across the city. The Plan will also help guide public and private investment street by street, and it forecasts the financial resources needed to plow snow and perform other crucial maintenance activities as the bicycle network grows.

To read the Bicycle Network Plan, learn about its development, and stay informed about implementation, go to somervillema.gov/bikenetwork.