Special Traffic Commission Meeting to Discuss New Protected Bike Lanes & Parking Changes on Holland Street, September 21

Please join Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, City staff, and Traffic Commission members for a special meeting of the Traffic Commission to discuss new plans for protected bike lanes on Holland Street on Wednesday, September 21, at 5:30 p.m. 

At this meeting, the Mayor and City staff will present the new design to the Traffic Commission and answer questions. The Traffic Commission will then discuss the plan and hear public comment. Written comment will also be accepted after the meeting. The Commission will then reconvene for a vote in the coming weeks. 

In August, a 72-year-old Somerville resident was killed while biking in Teele Square. In response to the crash, the Mayor directed City staff to prepare an enhanced safety plan for Holland Street that includes protected bike lanes in both directions from Teele Square to Buena Vista Road. The new safety plan is proposed to be implemented this fall when Holland Street is repaved. 

This new safety plan maintains parking on one side of Holland Street but restricts parking on the other side in order to create protected bike lanes. Loading zones and accessible parking spaces will be increased. The full designs are available on the project website. To learn more and register to attend the meeting, go to somervillema.gov/hollandstreetdesign. 

Written comments can be sent by email to the Traffic Commission at trafficcommission@somervillema.gov (Please CC: transportation@somervillema.gov) or by mail to: Parking Department, ATTN: Traffic Commission, 133 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144.

Interpretation into Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Kreyol, Nepali, Mandarin, Cantonese, or other languages may be available upon advance request by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somerviva@somervillema.gov or calling 311 at 617-666-3311. 

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Adrienne Pomeroy, at 617-625-6600 ext. 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.