Ambulance, fire, police could not move because of traffic caused by wide bike lanes, which made roads too narrow. How would u feel if your loved one was in the Ambulance!

Ambulances are being blocked by vehicle traffic. Not a bicycle issue.

Yes it is. Bike lanes are too wide. Hope someone you love wasent in the ambulance!

Looks like issue was cars refusing to move out of the way in places where they could move into the bike lane, and a postal truck turning in front of the ambulance??? and parking being in the way of the cars moving.. If we eliminated parking much of the problem would be solved!

100% due to cars not moving.

I think the report should read "The ambulance, fire, police could not get to hospital for a long time because of too many cars on road." I'm sure since the police were on scene it was reported up their chain accordingly.

What a nothingburger! One pic shows a PO truck turning in front of an ambulance. And the ambulance lights aren't even lit! The others are showing nothing interesting. Good job.

@ Anon-40000: "If we eliminated parking much of the problem would be solved!". This is the dumbest comment ever !!!!!! Cyclists are spoiled in Cambridge, we have to change this asap.

The only effective change is to severely limit the number of cars traveling. I am in favor of restricted licenses which only allow people to drive on certain days. Unless you are handicap no one "needs" a car. There are plentiful amounts of public transportation- trains, buses, waterways. You can always ride a bike! They even have adult tricycles, which I know you would need to use.

Hey i mostly agree with you but dont use having a mobility issue or other reason to use a trike as an insult

If you need an tricycle I am sure no one would fault you for it.

Cambridge is unable to limit the number of cars. And Cambridge Street isn’t even seeing that many cars per hour on the scale of a typical city through street. It only takes a few cars to block an ambulance when there’s no space to pull over.

What is under the city’s control is restoring the previous road configuration, which easily provided enough space for queued cars to squeeze over and let emergency vehicles through.

Another benefit of restoring the prior configuration would be eliminating the blind corner conflicts where cyclists are directed to ride behind parked cars, such as the one on Cambridge Street westbound at the hospital driveway.

then why did you use it as an insult by saying that the OP would need to use it? Just don't do it period

If you need an tricycle I am sure no one would fault you for it.

or we could eliminate the parking and get rid of the blind corners and make more space for cars to move over - maybe make a dedicated bus lane! (of course all of those cars had the option of taking a right turn on a side street and many of them could have moved into the bike lane so really the solution was already there and drivers chose not to take it)

@CaptainCyclist:
You are one of the main reasons why cyclists in Cambridge have such a bad reputation. Selfish, and completely outside of reality. You live in a City, not in the countryside, and you have to accept it.

Any pictures demonstrating this is remotely related to a bike lane? I kind of don’t believe it wasn’t just all the cars.

@Trowbridge street_neighbor: If you want to drive you huge gas-guzzling polluting environment-murdering SUV you should move to the country. In a densely packed city the priority must be given to those modes of transportation which takes up the smallest footprint and serve the largest number of people. One person driving a huge SUV is not conducive to a city and is completely selfish.

Sure it's always the "bike lanes" fault and not the unwillingness of cars moving out of the way or parking. I know that there'd be more ambulances taking bike riders to hospitals after being hit by drivers' cars without the protected bike lanes.

OMG there was a bike in the bike lane! So if cars went there they would have hit her! You should move out of the city where u can ride all u want.

I see lots of space in the bike lane that cars could have moved into.. and oh wait side streets and oh wait the real blocker being a USPS truck.. were the ambulances running lights and sirens even b/c if they weren't this whole post is a giant mess of nothing

but thanks for the laugh at the idea that cyclists should be banned from the city and we should continue to encourage lots of driving (which is what actually blocks ambulances).. sure lets clog our roads with huge inefficient deadly and polluting modes of transit that is super awesome for everyone's safety and health those darn bikes taking up very little space, far less likely to kill people and no pollution are totally the problem lol

Oh Anon there was a women on a bike in the bike lane so cars should crash those white posts and bikers!!

there was lots of bike lane w/out that woman in it and any of the cars could have moved over after she passed and it looks like plenty of room to have moved over with space for her to stop

this of course is assuming the ambulance was actually running lights and sirens (if they weren't they didn't need anyone to move out of their way).. i am skeptical that they were running lights and sirens given that the USPS truck turned in front of it

the issue is all the cars and parking - that is what blocked the ambulance

Run over the post? Dont be ridiculous, omg even the fire department complained about it!!!

No need to run over the post you can pull over between them

Try getting a Amazon truck thru there..

When and where did the fire dept complain? Where's the evidence?

Yep esp since the FD has to sign off on major street changes

Mayor and Anon
I know people!!!!
I dont care if you believe me. Go ride your bikes!
Oh My friend and i also saw motorcycles using the bike lanes to turn right on red and go thru red lights! Watch out for them!

A possible street change that would help emergency vehicles would be to eliminate all parking on one side of Cambridge Street, and combine both bike lanes onto that side. Emergency vehicles can then use the resulting wider lane to bypass traffic, and any bicycles in that lane can easily get out of their way. I have seen an emergency vehicle use the cycletrack along Fresh Pond Parkway to bypass the usual huge traffic jam, and was one of the people moving their bike out of the way, completely off the paved surface.

Another possibility would be to impose a congestion tax zone to discourage car overuse in Cambridge, at least around rush hour. This has been successful in other cities around the world, it would probably work well here. There are probably "reasons" we can't do this, but if we were serious about addressing traffic problems we would use proven solutions that other cities have already tested.

I was biking to work in Cambridge before any of these protected lanes were installed, there were traffic jams then, too. One possible mitigation is to provide better alternatives; we really, really, really need to get the T working again. Cambridge and Somerville and employers in those cities should probably do more to publicize some of the biking improvements; those of us who bike, see the improvements, and the places where they have started to form a network, but those who don't, don't know the routes, and if they try to bike, end up choosing terrible routes by mistake (STAY OFF MASS AVE, IT IS STILL TERRIBLE) and then get discouraged. Those people wedded to their cars will keep driving, but getting a few more people out of cars would help unclog traffic.

Viewed as part of a network, Cambridge Street connects Garden St (via Cambridge Common and Harvard) to Hampshire, meaning that the paths around Fresh Pond almost connect all the way to Kendall Square and into Boston and even the lacking part (Bay State Road and the first part of Garden) is relatively calm and low-traffic. Recent rush-hour videos of Hampshire traffic show more bicycles than cars; the network and protected lanes there are working well.

I have an idea: bicycle ambulances. The city’s goal is to make driving slower than biking, so a bike-powered ambulance cart could skip traffic using the bike lane.

(THIS IS SARCASM.)

actually bike ambulances are a thing and a very effective thing for many many many of the calls amubulances go to

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/29/how-an-e-bike-ambulance-can-save-lives/

the cities goals is for everyone to be able to get around safely - its all the people who insist on driving everywhere that are causing the slow traffic.. blaming the people not contributing to the traffic for the traffic is absurd..

(also effective as a faster first response for a call where a patient will later need to be transported by a larger ambulance)

if you were really concerned about ambulances getting through faster you would be advocating for removing all parking and making wide lanes reserved for emergency vehicles and bikes and buses... removing bike lanes doesn't actually fix the issues caused by excessive cars and excessive parking

Anon I talked to some councilers and they were horrified by the pictures and said something has to be done !!! Bike lanes can be much smaller! So i am advocating, for emergency vehicles! You r a karen.

narrowing the bike lanes will not make enough space for a dedicated emergency vehicle lane.. getting rid of that parking sure would! - combine parking w/ bike lane and there would be a beautifully wide lane that emergency vehicles could use at anytime (assuming selfish people don't decide to continue to park in it but again that is on drivers not bikes)

narrower bike lanes are not safe b/c of the issue of dangerous drivers opening doors w/out checking first

really the issue is drivers driving dangerously, driving when they don't need to etc etc don't blame cyclists and bike lanes for a problem created by driving

I fully agree with the latest comment !
Nobody needs such wide bike lanes in Cambridge ! Cyclists are really spoiled in this city !!!!
Anon, u r definitely a Karen !!!!!!
All your comments are nonsense.

Dr2...so you want small businesses to suffer? Its not all about you! Not everyone can bike!
And there are more cars than bikes and bikes do not follow the rules!

for clarity I mean combine current parking space with the current bike lane to make a dedicated emegency vehicle and bike (and maybe bus too!) lane.. that would move emergency vehicles much faster than any scenario where they are moving with regular traffic

Anon the streets in Cambridge are too narrow for all that.

Trowbridge...absolutely!!!

cambridge street (the street is question) isn't too narrow if you remove the parking and combine that space with the bike lanes for the dedicated lane... address the actual cause of the congestion not try to cause more emergencies but making it unsafe for cyclists

Anon maybe get rid of bike lanes thats the cause of congestion. Not everyone can ride a bike. Thats like saying everyone should skateboard!
Ive seen motorcycles in the bike lane to be able to take a right on red, and not to have to stop at a red light. The bike lane on Cambridge st. Is too wide. And small businesses will suffer with no parking for cars. But what do u care.

congestion existed before the bike lanes - the bike lanes are not causing the congestion at all - you are now just making up stories for yourself.. take a break and come back when you can write posts that are honest

and noone has said everyone should bike.. there are lots of ways to get around the city that don't involve driving - many people drive when another option would work. If someone decides to make that choice they should expect to deal with inconveniences.. and definitely don't blame people choosing other transit modes for problems you create by driving when you had other options

Bike lanes are good for the environment and businesses. They're here to stay, so get over it.

Anon, have you asked small business owners what they trying about your idea to remove the few remaining parking spots on Cambridge Street ?
You are probably too selfish to care about this but they are very upset about the whole situation with these ridiculously wide empty bike lanes.

Mayor Ted,
Let’s talk again in a few years. You might be surprised that they will then be gone.

ah ha towbridge - as I suspected the issue really isn't making sure ambulances can get through unimpeded.. if it was you would support something that would actually guarantee that!

thank you for showing that this was never about ambulances but just another person who hates bike lanes for no legitimate reason

Studies and experience in other cities has demonstrated that bike lane increase business activity. It's a win-win.

@ Anon.
Forget it, you do not understand anything and are too biased to have a normal conversation.

@ Ted.
I do not believe bike lanes are good for small businesses. However, I am interested in reading the studies you are referring to.

Here's a report about a Portland St Univ study;
https://www.pdx.edu/news/portland-state-study-finds-bike-lanes-provide-positive-economic-impact

Congestion did exist before. But there used to be enough spare width for cars to squeeze over for emergency vehicles. That’s no longer possible.

It’s not the fault of bicycles or cars or any other individual members of the public. It’s the fault of a poor road design.

No evidence that emergency vehicles can't pass through traffic.

Oh mayor ted...I told you before I talked to Firemen (did not talk to fire women) and they said they complained about it. I know you dont believe me, but i did work there for many years. You just dont want to think its true. Its a badly designed street!
I also showed pictures to councilers one told me that people dont know the post will fall once the cars pull over and the city needs to let people know about that. Of course if they move to the right fast and a bike is coming..oh well!

I'll believe it once the fire chief makes a statement or when I see it happen. I've lived in the neighborhood for decades and have never witnessed emergency services unable to pass. It's all hearsay until then.

Ive lived here a long time too. Ask Acting Chief Cahill, karen

Plus these bike lanes were not here years ago.
Call them!!! I worked there many years and the PD too. Believe what you want...