Mill St. Bike Lane Showdown: Worcester Council To Talk Removal

WORCESTER, MA — For bike lanes that apparently no one uses (according to some Worcester residents), the ones along Mill Street have become one of the biggest issues of the year.

The new Mill Street parking-protected bike lane configuration will be back up for discussion at Tuesday's council meeting, with councilors set to discuss how much it would cost to remove them "in as quick a manner possible," according to At-Large Councilor Moe Bergman order. Bergman is also asking that any similar future projects go through a council review first, and to hire an independent traffic engineer to review the safety of the Mill Street redesign.

The new configuration places bike lanes next to the sidewalk, which means drivers have to park about 7 feet from the curb alongside the travel lane. The city's Department of Transportation and Mobility used the design — one now common across Massachusetts and the nation — to give extra protection to cyclists, who are at risk of being "doored" using bike lanes placed between parked cars and traffic.

The new design has angered some who feel that cars now have to park "in the middle of the street," creating a safety hazard for drivers. The new configuration has led to a new interest in crashes along Mill Street. Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said in a report to council this week that there have been about 20 crashes along the redesigned section since December, on par with other years.

"Going back to December 2016, excluding December 2019 to June 12, 2020, and December 2020 to

June 12, 2021, time periods which had fewer crashes citywide as a result of the COVID
pandemic, the number of crashes for December to June 12 has ranged between 16 and 23,
averaging 19.6. While the sample size is small because the project is still new, the changes do
not appear to have notably changed crash rates in either direction in the first six months since
they have been implemented," Saucier said in a memo to councilors.

Some crashes, police have said, happened due to drivers speeding and continuing to use the parking areas for passing and other reckless driving. A motorcyclist was severely injured a few weeks ago after plowing into the back of a parked Prius. The motorcyclist was seen speeding and driving on sidewalks before crashing, police have said.

The new bike lanes along Mill Street have been a bright spot for bicyclists in a city with few bike amenities. On Sunday, dozens of adults and children took part in a Father's Day ride up the road, with Worcester police tagging along to protect the riders. The Seven Hills Wheelmen biking group also hosts regular Sunday morning rides along the road. MassBike, the state's biggest bicycling advocacy group, has asked its supporters to show up at Tuesday's council meeting to support the Mill Street changes.

There's also an order on the agenda from At-Large Councilor Khrystian King asking if a new $2 million federal grant to redesign Mill Street could be used to change the new layout. In a memo to councilors, Department of Transportation and Mobility Commissioner Steve Rolle said the money can only be used for design work. The city is planning a bigger overhaul of the street with new sidewalks and more in the coming years.

Whatever happens Tuesday, Mill Street will undergo some changes soon. Rolle's department has purchased new flexible posts to install along the road to better separate the travel, parking and bike areas.