Somerville Named Bike Friendly Community

The League of American Bicyclists has commended the city’s expansion of bike paths, campaigns to promote cycling and other initiatives by naming it a “bicycle friendly community,” according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

The city applied for the recognition and received a bronze award for its efforts, placing it on par with cities like Northampton, Mass., Kansas City, Mo., and Raleigh, N.C.

Charlie Denison, the vice chair of the Somerville Bicycle Committee, said that during the past few years, the city has concentrated on embodying the five bike-friendly qualities the league looks for when considering applicants: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation.

With regard to engineering, Denison said the most obvious display of the city’s commitment to cycling is the continued expansion of its bike lanes, sharrows and bike parking. Last year, the city added 10 miles of bike lanes and sharrows, which mark sections of streets that motorists and cyclists should share. This year the city plans to create 11 more miles of them as part of its “11 in 2011” campaign.

One way the city encourages cycling, Denison said, is by organizing two annual citywide rides: the upcoming May 22 historic tour and the “Tour de Somerville,” which happens in the fall.

And soon the city will launch a bike safety campaign, which will call on pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to abide by traffic laws and share the streets safely. 

Reaching the Next Level in Bike Friendliness

Somerville received the lowest ranking from the league. But the city could move from bronze to gold next year or aspire to the platinum ranking that Portland, Ore., received this year with some improvements. For instance, Denison said that the city could place higher if it continued to extend the network of bike lanes and build lanes separate from those for vehicles, which is something the City of Boston has considered doing.

Janie Katz-Christy, who directs the Green Streets Initiative, said the city could better promote Walk/Ride Day, the last Friday of the month when the initiative invites residents to walk or cycle to school or work.

“I think it would be great to see more public officials bike for transportation,” she said.

Forthcoming Bike Paths and a Bid for a Community Path Extension

The city plans to paint new bike lanes along Somerville Avenue, between Prospect Street and Medford Street, and Medford Street, between Somerville Avenue and Ward Street, according to the press release. 

Already the city has painted sharrows on Lowell Street. Next it will paint them on Highland Avenue, School Street, between Somerville Avenue and Medford Street, and Medford Street, between Ward Street and the Cambridge City Line.

Meanwhile, the city has bid for a contractor to design an extension of the Community Path from Cedar Street to Lowell Street. The city plans construction to begin in 2012, according to the mayor’s office.

“We’re extremely excited to be taking the next step for the Community Path,” Mayor Curtatone said in a press release. “When this new section is added, people will be able to bike, walk, run or rollerblade from Davis Square to Magoun Square."