Cambridge’s protected bike lanes here to say, though tweaks possible

Cambridge’s months-old protected bike lanes along Brattle and Cambridge streets in the busy, busy Harvard Square area are here to stay.

That was the message coming out of a Cambridge City Council meeting earlier this week, where the pros and cons of the 1.25 miles of lane were debated at length, according to Cambridge Day’s Marc Levy.

After all the back and forth, councilors and other officials reiterated that controversial though the routes remain, they will remain in place—but tweaks such as signals for bikers might be in the offing.

Why are the lanes so controversial, especially in bike-heavy Cambridge?

Mostly because they were installed quite quickly and, for some some businesses along their path, unexpectedly.

And they are obtrusive in places, interrupting vehicular and even pedestrian traffic patterns, never mind parking. Finally, the routes don’t necessarily benefit Cantabrigians so much as outsiders gliding through the city toward Harvard.

Still, the lanes will remain. They were installed in part in response to the deaths of two cyclists in 2016.

• Cambridge Street bike lane is staying put, not quite defusing resident, official debate [Day]
• Harvard Square buildings sell for $108 million [Curbed Boston]
• Cambridge’s new bike lanes spur opposition from locals, businesses [Curbed Boston]
• Cambridge bike-lane brouhaha heats up as critics vow grassroots takeover [Curbed Boston]