City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Give me Shelter!

Committee: Streetsmarts

Total Cost: $100,000

Location: The Cambridge Main Library

Short Description:

Provide a secure and dry option for cyclists at the Cambridge Main Library by building a year-round covered bike shelter.

Long Description:

The Main Library branch in Cambridge sees well over half a million visitors each year, many of whom are bicyclists. Bicycle use in Cambridge overall increased more than three times from 2002-2012 with numbers continuing to grow every year. Surveys conducted by the City show that 2/3 of households own one or more bicycles. This year, the Eco-Totem in Kendall Square, which counts bicyclists with in-ground loop detectors, has registered an average of more than 32,000 riders a month on that street segment alone.

This significant growth in cycling means that the City needs to provide more bicycle parking to support the increase of bicyclists in and around Cambridge. Without adequate bike parking in our shared public spaces any and all other surfaces (benches, lamp posts, street signs, trees) are used to secure bikes which can impede access to sidewalks and cause frustration to both bicyclists and pedestrians.

Covered bike parking at the Main Library would create a specific location for bicyclists to lock their bikes, protect the bikes from the harsh New England elements, and help create more space for pedestrians and those enjoying the green space outside the library. Encouraging and supporting cycling also aligns with the Net Zero Action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create climate sustainability, as well as supporting the Cambridge Bicycle Plan’s “Bikeable Future.”

Example of sheltered bike parking