Doubling Down – Featured Items on the October 25, 2021 Cambridge City Council Agenda
Let me start by expressing my severe dissatisfaction with Councillor Zondervan’s characterizations last week of planned improvements in Central Square’s Carl Barron Plaza and his inflammatory and politically-motivated portrayal of an arrest that occurred near the Senior Center. Zondervan continues to prove that he knows Net Zero about Central Square and the people who spend considerable time there. You can add Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler as equally clueless and politically motivated. The fact that few councillors choose to push back in these matters shows the collective lack of any spine among our elected representatives. I would love for them to prove me wrong this Monday.
Charter Right #1. A communication was received from the community, regarding Carl Barron Plaza reconstruction. [CHARTER RIGHT – ZONDERVAN, OCT 18, 2021]
Referred 8-1 to Policy Order #4 (TT – NO)
Order #4. Public Hearing on Carl Barron Plaza Redesign. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone
Adopted as Amended 7-2 (DS,TT – NO)
7 Communications regarding plans for the North Mass. Ave. reconfiguration involving bus lanes, bike lanes, and removal of parking.
This week brings a follow-up Order calling for an additional public hearing on the Carl Barron Plaza Redesign – an extension of the River Street reconstruction project that has had many public meetings stretched over the last several years. The irony is that the sponsors of this week’s Order argue that “petitioners express frustration that their ‘input, ideas, and vision’ for the plaza have not been sought up to this point.” Meanwhile, hundreds of residents and business owners who have expressed concerns about lack of process with the North Mass. Ave. redesign that will install separated bike lanes, bus-only lanes, and which will remove considerable parking will be getting only a quick Zoom meeting in a few days where they have already been told that the meeting is purely informational and that nothing in the plans will change.
Something that our elected representatives and City staff need to understand is that there is no single way to characterize “community members who use Carl Barron Plaza on a daily basis” or of those who frequent other parts of Central Square. Some are friends of mine, some are people with substance abuse problems, some are unhoused, some have stable housing and simply like to hang out in Central Square, and many are the patrons who keep Central Square businesses afloat. There are also predators who instill fear in other community members. The patrons who wait for the #1 Bus at Pearl Street are community members who have been driven away from the bus shelter by the intimidating behavior of other “community members.” It’s unfortunate that our elected officials (and City staff) routinely enable the predation and intimidation rather than take steps to realize the vision that many of us hold of a “family-friendly Central Square.”
Manager’s Agenda #3. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $180,500 from Free Cash to the General Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account to support the expansion of Equity Roadmap’s Friday Night Hype program in Cambridge.
Order Adopted 9-0
As the Manager’s note says: “Friday Night Hype provides Upper School students with a safe space, a warm meal, mentorship, and various enrichment opportunities. Friday Night Hype was created to target inequities such as the opportunity and achievement gaps for young people and families.”
Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relative City departments on ways to report pedestrian and cyclist accidents in real time to residents. Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0
Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the City Solicitor and the appropriate staff to review the language of this proposed ordinance amendment [regarding gasoline service station regulations] and to report back to the City Council in advance of the next City Council meeting. Councillor Nolan, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted 9-0
This Order revisits the June 13, 2016 proposal from Councillors Devereux, Mazen, and McGovern on “requiring gas pump labels with information about the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels at all gas stations in the City.” This kind of messaging opens up a potentially large can of worms. Will other consumer choices soon have accompanying messages? Will we soon be revisiting the “sugary drinks” proposals? Will our new cannabis outlets have warnings on all their products?
Order #5. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to consult with the Community Development Department, the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department, and any other appropriate City department to discuss implementation of a plan which charges EV customers for electricity and not parking at municipal EV charging locations. Councillor Nolan, Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui
Order Adopted 9-0
In other words, free parking for those who own and can afford electric vehicles.
Order #6. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with DCR on the possibility of again extending closures until at least the final Sunday in December 2021, if not longer, weather permitting. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (Toomey – ABSENT)
Not a bad idea to fully embrace the longer seasonal weather delivered courtesy of climate change.
Order #7. Debt-Free Public Higher Education. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Toomey
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0
I had a debt-free public higher education courtesy of the City University of New York – Queens College. Well, there were fees, but my Regents Scholarship more than covered the cost of the books and fees and I had enough left over to fund a cross-country trip via thumb and Greyhound.
Order #8. That the City Council go on record in support of implementing key safety improvements on the Harvard Bridge, including flex post-protected bike lanes by the end of the year and bus lanes as soon as can be feasibly coordinated with the MBTA. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Nolan
Order Adopted 9-0
I am not a member of the “separated bike lanes or bust” crowd, but I have always believed that they make sense on roads where there is considerable “friction” between cyclists and motor vehicles with a significant speed differential. The Harvard Bridge is one such location. I won’t say whether the current proposals are the right proposals, but I do agree that something needs to be done. What may become problematic is the traffic congestion and spillover traffic that may result from the combination of lane reductions on the bridge in conjunction with other reductions and reallocation of road width elsewhere along Mass. Ave. in both Boston and Cambridge.
Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee met on Sept 21, 2021 to continue a hearing on an amendment to Article 22 of the City of Cambridge Zoning Ordinance “Emissions Accounting” (Ord # 2021-13).
Report Accepted, Placed on File, Adopt Order 9-0
The greatest wisdom expressed in this report was from Sarah Gallop, representing MIT. “She stated that climate change is an urgent issue, but the zoning petition is an example of policymaking that is taking place outside of a thoughtful City-governed framework. She expressed concern with a number of piecemeal zoning petitions that have been passed recently. Each of these new zoning efforts has been advanced in a vacuum rather than in a comprehensive manner. She asked the council to return to a more collaborative approach to policymaking.”
This characterizes a lot of what has been coming out the the City Council over the last few years. I once wrote an essay entitled “In Search of a Progressive Definition” in which I noted that the word “progressive” is routinely left undefined or purposely vague. Since then I have come to the view that “progressive” most often is meant to describe the belief that “we know what is best for you, so just shut up and one day you will agree with us.” In this sense, “progressive” and “democratic” are actually antonyms. – Robert Winters