Broadway’s New Bus-only Lanes: Better Commuting But Some Concerns

Somerville, Mass., Dec. 17, 2019 – Broadway’s new bus lanes… more bus service and a new bike lane, but fewer parking spaces. That’s the trade-off that has gotten Somerville residents steamed up, some in favor, some against.

The dedicated bus and bike red lane on Broadway, the street that connects East Somerville to Arlington, has resulted in less traffic and an increase in bus service, according to data presented by Somerville Director of Mobility Brad Rawson at a Dec. 9 joint public hearing hosted by Somerville’s City Council and the Traffic Commission.

But it also resulted in 43 fewer parking places.

Since the new lane first opened last August as part of the City’s Winter Hill in Motion plan, some residents have opposed it, arguing that it is having a negative impact on local businesses and traffic. City officials called the Dec. 9 hearing to receive more feedback and suggestions from members of the public.

People packed City Council Chambers. Families with children, senior citizens and young people occupied every seat and before the beginning of the hearing, dozens were sitting on the floor around the witness stand for what would be an almost four-hour session.

Among those speaking against the lane was Arthur Moore, lead organizer of the Restore Broadway petition, which calls for City to remove the lanes and restore parking.

Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang, chair of the Traffic and Parking Commission, acknowledged Moore as the lead opposition voice and gave him five minutes, instead of the regular two every other witness had. As of Dec. 17, Moore’s petition has collected 2,138 signatures.

“Just so people understand, we are not against people on bikes,” he said during his statement at the hearing. “It’s the red lanes that are giving us a hard time.”

“They have to worry about the handicap and the mobility of people,” he continued. “We just can’t go to a lot of places with that dedicated bike lane.”

(Moore did not offer any proof that Broadway businesses have been impacted.)

But before people gave testimony, Rawson presented data on the new lanes’ impacts.

Brad Rawson, director of mobility for the City of Somerville, presented the history of the Winter Hill in Motion project, as well as early data about the impact on traffic and public transportation the program has had on Broadway since August 2019. Photo by Diego Marcano / Somerville Neighborhood News.

“The MBTA itself has recognized that as a municipality takes steps to improve bus mobility, they have the obligation to mirror our investments and to provide more frequent services,” Rawson said.

To match the city’s investment in public transportation infrastructure, the MBTA has added six trips per day on Route 89 and six trips per day on Route 101. Bus stops have also been consolidated to make the bus service go through traffic faster.

Rawson also gave preliminary data of the decrease in motor vehicle traffic. Prior to the new street design, the area had around 20,000 to 22,000 cars circulating every day. Now, 2,000 to 3,000 fewer cars drive daily down Broadway.

“When you think about climate footprint and pedestrian safety, I could argue that the indicators are looking in the right direction, even at this early stage,” Rawson said.

But the roll-out of the new lanes has not been smooth. At the hearing, officials owned up some mistakes. The mobility office should have organized traffic signal changes first and then opened the new red lanes, but things didn’t work out that way.

"We were not able to deliver on that. We did the lanes before the signal traffic changes occurred. And we own that. I apologize. I feel badly because I know this September was terrible," Rawson said.

Mellisa Dullea, MBTA’s senior director of service planning and a Somerville resident, said that Route 89’s Saturday trips increased by 41 percent and the Sunday trips have increased by 71 percent. Ridership is also up 49 percent on Saturdays and 92 percent on Sundays, she said.

"If we value sustainability, public health and mobility for all, including the most vulnerable among us, the city needs to support transit, cycling and pedestrians. And focus on how to move the most people safely through the streets. Not just on moving them through vehicles,” she told the city councilors and audience.

She also pointed out that City efforts to improve infrastructure for public transportation can create “virtuous cycles” of partnership with the MBTA to “improve the transit experience, attract new riders and result in further transit investments.”

In bits of two-minutes, person after person weighed in regarding the all-day, two-way bus and bike lanes on Broadway.

Cate Mingoya and Cole Springate-Combs sit with their daughter in a December 9 public joint hearing at Somerville’s Council Chambers at City Hall where policy makers heard feedback and suggestions from members of the public about the new bike/bus lanes on Broadway. Photo by Diego Marcano / Somerville Neighborhood News.

At the end of the hearing, councilors engaged in a series of questions and dialogue with the Traffic Commission. City Councilor at Large Wilfred Mbah noted the need to include all city residents when infrastructure changes are being planned and carried out.

“We are moving into a low-carbon mobility infrastructure. At the same time, thinking about the elderly, the disabled and local businesses, that also should be a top priority for the city,” he said. “If you don’t consider those folks, they’re being disenfranchised and they don’t even belong to the community. We can find a way to put everybody into that picture.”

Since City Council does not have the power to require any changes on Broadway it is up to the Mayor’s office through the Mobility Division of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development to have the final say on what happens with the new street design.