Cambridge business owners say bike lanes are keeping customers away

CAMBRIDGE – The metropolis of Cambridge is being sued to avert the installation of far more bicycle lanes. Harold Gilmer owns Elite Barber Shop on Mass. Ave and has been cutting hair in the community for 21 yrs. “It really is affected everybody close to below, the small business is not the exact,” Gilmer claimed.

He claims the city’s existing biking protection ordinance, which calls for bike lanes all together Mass. Ave, is hurting neighborhood company homeowners.

“We’ve been owning parking up and down Mass. Ave for this whole time and to pay your payments you will need to have men and women be capable to pull above and take a look at the outlets,” Gilmer claimed.

Other proprietors concur, the new deficiency of parking implies fewer buyers by way of their doorways.

“We could not appropriately construct a consumer base, people were not walking in so we experienced to modify to endure we had to do extra takeout and delivery,” said Som Pogosov of Phoenix Kitchen.  

Proponents of the bicycle lanes position out the city will be taking away the median concerning Roseland and Beech Road by the conclusion of July to produce a lot more parking places in the Porter Square location.

Chris Cassa, a volunteer with Cambridge Bicycle Security, provides practically two-thirds of the Cambridge group rides bikes and safety continues to be the major issue.

“We treatment deeply about earning positive that there is ample parking but also want to make guaranteed that folks acknowledge that safer streets that support individuals move more successfully through the streets are likely to help aid compact companies,” Cassa reported.

“Specifically on Mass. Ave from 2015 to 2021 six persons have died on our streets who are biking and 250 people who ended up biking have been involved in a crash that was with a motor automobile that resulted in an damage or far more than $1,000 problems.”  

“If we go out of company we are going to have a ton of fantastic bike lanes, but it will be a shallow area,” Sam Pogosov stated.