Broadway, Ball Square corral. – Photo by Bobbie Toner

Curbside Structures Enhance Safety, Convenience for Cyclists; Improve Pedestrian Flow by Reducing Bike Parking on Sidewalks and at Parking Meters

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced  that city workers are nearing completion on installation of ten curbside bicycle corrals across the city. The structures are designed to provide secure parking for up to up to 14 bikes in the same space that would typically be used for a single parked car. Bicyclists can use the corrals instead of locking their bikes to street signs or parking meters, which reduces congestion on sidewalks and promotes easier access to meters in business districts. The corrals will remain in place until late fall, when colder weather typically causes a decline in bicycle traffic.

“Somerville is home to a large and growing number of bicycle commuters, recreational riders and residents who use their bikes as everyday transportation. We experimented last year with bike corrals on Bow Street and Elm Street, and they were an immediate hit. With more corrals in more key locations, the city is making good on its commitment to promote and support safe bicycle ridership as a green and healthy alternative to driving—in every neighborhood in Somerville,” said Sarah J. Spicer, Senior Transportation Planner in the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD).

“This year, we’ve expanded the program to ten corrals – with at least one in each of the City’s seven wards. We chose the locations based on proximity to major destinations and commercial areas, demand for bike and vehicular parking, and proximity to our bike lanes and sharrows,” said Spicer. “We’ve worked closely with the city’s Traffic and Parking Dept. to ensure that there’s no adverse impact on parking supply for vehicles.” Corrals are installed at the following locations:

• Broadway, East Somerville – Mudflat Studios
• Broadway, Ball Square
• Union Square, near the Plaza
• Medford Street, Magoun Square
• Somerville Avenue (Union Square)
• College Ave at Powderhouse Circle
• Bow Street, Union Square (re-install)
• Elm Street, Davis (re-install)
• Broadway, Winter Hill
• Broadway, Teele Square

A brochure describing the describing the program is available for download at www.somervillema.gov/bikecorrals. Residents or businesses with questions about bike corrals may call OSPCD at 617-625-6600 x 2519.