Cambridge Active Transportation Report

Monthly Grrreastime at Broadway Bicycle School! This is a free open shop time for anyone who identifies as femme, trans, GNC, non-binary, and/or as a woman. Come clean up your bike, start a new project, share a bike story, teach a skill, or anything else! More information.

*NEW* Mass Ave: Share Your Stories of Cambridge's Essential Artery

Thursday, February 6, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

City Hall Annex, Gallery 344, 2nd Floor, 344 Broadway

Join Cambridge Arts for a free community conversation inspired by Mass Ave in Cambridge at the gallery at the City Hall Annex. This community conversation is inspired by the exhibition “Mass Ave, Cambridge: Photos by Karl Baden,” on view through Feb. 14, 2020.

Baden will kick off the conversation by recounting his experience photographing Mass. Ave. Then moderator Jean Dany Joachim—a Cambridge playwright and actor, Poet-in-Residence at First Church in Cambridge, and director of City Night Readings—will invite attendees to share their stories of their experiences of the thoroughfare. More information .

Bicycle Workshops

The City of Cambridge is proud to offer bicycle education workshops throughout the year, free to those who work or live in Cambridge. All classes are lecture-style workshops unless otherwise noted. To register for classes, please email [email protected] or call 617/349-4671. All classes are paid for by the City of Cambridge and every participant receives one free helmet each year. See below for current class schedule. To learn more about the classes, click here . To join the mailing list and be updated about future workshops, click here .

Winter Biking Basics

Tuesday, January 28, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM, Main Library Community Room, 449 Broadway

Bike Maintenance Clinic

Saturday, February 8, Drop in anytime 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Central Square Library Branch, 45 Pearl Street

Bike Light Installation Nights

As the days are getting shorter, make sure you're staying visible on the road with bike lights! This winter, Cambridge City staff and volunteers will be handing out free bike lights at different points throughout the city:

Monday, January 27, 2020: 4:30-6:30pm: Porter MBTA Station Plaza
Monday February 10, 2020: 5:00-7:00pm: The Port - Broadway at Windsor Street
Monday February 24, 2020: 5:00-7:00pm: Harvard Square Plaza

Announcements and Actions

Cambridge Launches Second Annual Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest

The City of Cambridge invites local artists to submit their original work to the second annual Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest . The program, designed by the Community Development Department and Cambridge Arts, supports local artists and energizes neighborhoods by filling empty store windows with reproductions of locally-made art.

For the 2020 contest, five winners will again be chosen through a jury and public voting process and each will be awarded a one-time honorarium of $1,000. These winning designs will be available for Cambridge property owners to print and display in vacant ground-floor storefronts throughout the city. More information .

Members Sought for Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal

Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking persons interested in serving on the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal (BZA). Board of Zoning Appeal members must be residents of the City of Cambridge; women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Made up of five members and up to seven associate members, the Board of Zoning Appeal reviews applications for special permits and applications for variances from the terms of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance, in accordance with G.L. c.40A and the Zoning Ordinance. The BZA also hears and decides appeals of orders and determinations made by the Commissioner of the Inspectional Services Department pursuant to G.L. c.40A, §8 and the Zoning Ordinance. Additionally, the BZA reviews applications for comprehensive permits, pursuant to G.L. c.40B. In evaluating applications and petitions, the Board conducts public hearings and votes on the application or petition’s conformance with the provisions of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance.

The Board of Zoning Appeal meets twice each month on Thursday evenings for approximately 3-4 hours. The Board of Zoning Appeal is subject to the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, G.L. c.30A, §§18-25, and all deliberations of the Board occur at public meetings. The meetings are also audio recorded and may be video recorded. As part of their time commitment, Board members are expected to review application and petition materials prior to each meeting. Materials may include development plans, impact studies, narrative descriptions, provisions of the Zoning Ordinance, information from city departments, written comments from the public, and other documents. More information .

2020 Cambridge Science Festival Call for Entries

The Cambridge Science Festival is a 10 day (and night!) celebration of 250+ events that make science accessible, engaging, and fun for everyone. In 2020, the Festival will run April 17-26. The Call for Entries is now open to submit a proposal to offer a festival program or host an event. Entries are rolling, and final details need to be in place by January 15 . Learn more and apply .

2020 Curiosity Challenge

Calling all 5-14 year olds! What are you curious about? Write an essay or poem, create a drawing, or take a picture about your curiosity and tell us how it prompted you to explore your world.

Winners will be honored at the Curiosity Awards Ceremony during the Cambridge Science Festival and published in the annual Curiosity Challenge book! Additional entries will be exhibited at CCTV during Cambridge Science Festival. Deadline to submit entries is Friday, February 7 . More information .

Pearl Street Post-Construction Survey

The Pearl Street Reconstruction project was completed in fall 2018 and consisted of the reconstruction of sidewalks and roadway on Pearl Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Granite Street. Please help the City evaluate the project by completing this brief post-construction survey .

Current Board Vacancies

The City is currently looking to fill the following board vacancies . Applications to serve on these committees can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply . A cover letter and resume or applicable experience can be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue.

News

About the Active Transportation Report

This weekly e- newsletter provides information about upcoming meetings, events, news, and actions related to walking, bicycling, and an active lifestyle, as well as items of general interest for transportation in Cambridge.

If you were forwarded this newsletter, and would like to be on the mailing list to receive it weekly, please subscribe here . For more information on transportation in Cambridge, please visit https://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Transportation.

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