See What's In Somerville's First-Ever Bicycle Network Plan

SOMERVILLE, MA – Somerville has released its first-ever Bicycle Network Plan to expand access to safe bike paths across the city, officials announced on April 11.

The plan outlines the city’s community-based vision for an 88-mile network of connected streets and paths for people to bike safely and comfortably.

Today, Somerville has a fragmented 30-mile network of bike paths. The new plan would envision a future with vastly more biking infrastructure and better connectivity so that residents, workers, and visitors can bike to schools, parks, jobs, businesses, and other key destinations in Somerville and across the region.

“It’s imperative that we lay the groundwork now to create a safe, sustainable future for transit in Somerville,” Mayor Katjana Ballantyne said in a news release.

The plan identifies a high-priority 40-mile network of bike facilities to be installed by 2030, with the full 88-mile network forecasted to be installed within 20 years.

The network includes a mix of protected bike facilities, off-street paths, and traffic-calmed backstreet routes called “neighborways.”

The plan designates some type of bikeway on 54% of Somerville’s streets. The city will continue to hold public engagement processes before installing any facilities identified in the plan, and expects to evaluate the plan every 5 years.