Green Line train pulling into the old Lechmere Station.
Public Transit
Overview
Cambridge has many options for travelling within and to neighboring cities. In Cambridge, the MBTA has 27 bus routes, 2 rapid transit lines, and the Fitchburg Commuter Rail line. Using public transit is an effective way to mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions. By taking buses, subways, and the commuter rail, we can reduce our impact on climate change.
Public Transit
Weekday Average Rides
Cambridge is also increasing the number of miles of dedicated bus lanes. Dedicated bus lanes make bus travel more reliable, meaning more people chose to make a trip by bus. Currently, there is a total of 2.17 miles of dedicated bus lanes. This number will grow by 0.44 miles with the completion of two street redesign projects in 2023 and 2024.
2012 and 2013 bus data unavailable.
Public Transit
Weekday Average Rides
Please note that Lechmere closed from March 2020 through March 2022 and full service did not resume until December 2022 with the opening of the Green Line extension.
Bike Facilities
Overview
Many people in Cambridge choose to use a bicycle to get around. Some do it for convenience, others for exercise, and yet others because it is economical. The City promotes bicycling as a sustainable and equitable form of travel. Bicycling also supports both individual and public health goals of promoting healthy exercise. It is important that our roads not only accommodate people who bicycle but invite them to do so – whether they are eight years old or eighty years old.
Visit the Community Development website to learn more about what the City is doing with bike planning, data and tracking, reporting, and advice for getting around!
UNIT | We measure bike facilities based on the total length of bike lanes, paths, and marked roadways designed to support cyclists. | MilesMiles of Bike Facilities |
| We measure bike facilities based on the total length of bike lanes, paths, and marked roadways designed to support cyclists. | MilesMiles of Bike Facilities |
Bike Facilities
Bike Facility Miles Installed by Year
The City of Cambridge continually looks for opportunities to expand the city’s network of bicycle facilities to improve safety and comfort for bike riders of all ages and abilities.
Bike Facilities
Bike Facilities by Type
The most commonly found bicycle facilities in Cambridge are bike lanes and paths. When feasible, the City prioritizes the inclusion of separated bike facilities in all roadway construction projects and utilizes quick-build projects to implement separated facilities through changes to roadway markings.
Bike Facilities
Cambridge Bicycle Ridership
Cambridge typically counts bicycle riders every other year, however this process has since been interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Updated ridership counts will be made available when the data has been collected and analyzed. We can see that there has been a steady upward trend since 2002. This makes sense as the City has made great improvements to the cycling infrastructure around the city from protected bike lanes, street calming measures, and increased the availability of Bluebikes. As more improvements are made, we can expect to see more and more riders as surveys have shown that people want to bike around Cambridge!
Read the Cambridge Bicycle Plan 2020 here.
Bicycling has increased 4x since 2002
Bluebikes
Overview
Bluebikes is Metro-Boston’s bikeshare system, with more than 4,000 bikes at over 423 stations throughout Cambridge, Boston, Brookline, Somerville, Everett, Chelsea, Revere, Newton, Salem, Somerville, Arlington, and Watertown. Bluebikes is an important part of Cambridge’s transportation network, offering an accessible, affordable, and sustainable option for biking without the need to own a bicycle. Riders can sign up as annual or monthly Bluebikes members, or rent on a per-use basis. Check out how the City is partnering with Bluebikes to bring more stations and bikes into Cambridge.
UNIT | One way to measure the success and popularity of Bluebikes, both in Cambridge and systemwide, is by looking at the growth in annual memberships. | MembersNumber of Members |
| One way to measure the success and popularity of Bluebikes, both in Cambridge and systemwide, is by looking at the growth in annual memberships. | MembersNumber of Members |
Bluebikes
Annual Bluebikes Members from Cambridge
Bikeshare membership among Cambridge residents has increased every year since the creation of the system in 2011. This data only includes members who signed up with a Cambridge address, so the real number is most likely larger if college students in temporary residences are accounted for.
The number of annual members has also grown significantly over time for the entire Bluebikes system. The system currently reaches 11 communities in the Boston-metro area. Cambridge currently hosts 78 stations. The system continues to expand to key destinations adding more members in these areas. Cambridge has also seen continued growth in its member as more stations have become available.
Bluebikes
More Riders = More Rides
As the Bluebikes system has expanded and become accessible to more people, the number of rides being taken per year has also gone up. In December 2021, Bluebikes surpassed 15.5 million total rides!
*Cambridge-specific data is unavailable prior to 2017.
Electric Vehicles
Overview
Electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by electricity rather than fuel (gasoline or diesel) and do not release any harmful emissions from the tailpipe. EVs also help reduce GHG emissions. As our electricity supply becomes cleaner, so do the electric vehicles.
One major challenge to widespread adoption of EVs by residents of dense urban neighborhoods like Cambridge is the lack of reliable access to electric vehicles supply equipment (EVSE). In other words, access to a charging station. By supporting a network of EVSE throughout Cambridge, the City can help facilitate the switch from vehicles that run on fuel to vehicles that run on electricity. Workplace and public charging also ensure EV owners will be able to charge while on longer trips.
Stay up to date with what Cambridge is doing around electric vehicles and charging.
UNIT | To understand how many people are switching from fuel to electric powered vehicles, the City tracks the percentage of registered vehicles that are EVs. | % of EVsEVs as a % of Total Vehicles |
| To understand how many people are switching from fuel to electric powered vehicles, the City tracks the percentage of registered vehicles that are EVs. | % of EVsEVs as a % of Total Vehicles |
Electric Vehicles
Total EVs Owned by Residents
The City currently uses the number of EV rebates given to Cambridge residents by the Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles program to approximate how many EVs are in our community. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is currently working on updating their vehicle census, which was last completed in 2014. This census will provide more accurate data than the MOR-EV program as not every vehicle is eligible to receive a rebate, some people might not have applied for a rebate, and the program is subject to the availability of funding. If you’re interested in getting an electric vehicle be sure to check out the MOR-EV program and other incentives offered by the Federal Government.
The City uses MOR-EV data as a proxy for vehicle ownership. More accurate data will be available later in 2023.
Electric Vehicles
Total Public Charging Stations in Cambridge by Year
The Alternative Fuels Data Center reports that there are over 190 public charging stations around the City. However, some of these may be listed as ‘public’, but could exist within parking garages or be reserved for workplace charging. If you’re trying to find a place to charger, check out the maps provided by the AFDC, Chargepoint, Plugshare, or Google Maps plus many more.
20 of these stations are owned and operated by the City and made accessible to the public. Though, some of these locations such as those at 147 Hampshire Street are only open to the public during certain hours of the day. It is also important to note that some of the public chargers are located in parking garages like at the First St Garage. Additionally, the City has several stations that are not open to the public but are used by staff and faculty at the King Open School, and the Taylor and Lexington Firehouses.
The City is working hard to expand the EVSE network that it offers to the public with an established goal to have 100 charging ports installed between 2022 through 2027. To learn more about the city-owned and operate stations check out the city electric vehicle webpage.
Note: 2023 data is only available through the end of February 2023. Also, some City-owned stations have restricted access. Data is presented from the Alternative Fuels Data Center.
Electric Vehicles
Charging
The City owns a growing number of EV charging stations located throughout the city. As of the end of 2022, on average a station was available 62% of the time for which the station could be accessed. This means, that the duration, measured as the time a vehicle is plugged into a station including time spent charging and not charging, was 37%. Of the duration, the time actually spent charging was 69%.
Utilization is measured as the amount of time that a car is plugged in and actively charging against the total operating time of the station. For example, between January 1st and December 11th 2022, the station located at 76 Bishop Allen Drive is open 24/7 (or 8280 hours for this analysis), had vehicles plugged in for 2956 hours, and spent 2368 hours charging vehicles. Utilization varies a lot across stations for a number of reasons including hours of availability, location, and public awareness to name a few.
As more stations are added to the cities mix and more data is collected this utilization analysis will be periodically updated.
Data from January 1 - December 11, 2022.
Does not include city fleet vehicles. Stations located at the Dept of Public Works at 147 Hampshire St. are open to the public, but hours vary.
Electric Vehicles
Unique Drivers Charging at City EVSEs
For the past several years the City has tracked the use of key, city-owned and operated, publicly-accessible EVSEs in Cambridge. By tracking the number of unique drivers charging up in Cambridge, we get an indication of the number of residents and visitors that are making the switch as well as a check on the rate of increased demand for public charging.
Both the number of charging sessions and the number of drivers have increased. As electric vehicles have become more popular with the help of the state rebate the number of unique drivers has also increased between 2014 and 2021. It's interesting to note the drop and rebound between 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Where the Energy Goes
In fossil fuel cars, only 16-25% of the energy from gasoline actually makes to the wheels to move the vehicle. Electric vehicles on the other hand convert 86-90% of electrical energy in the battery into power at the wheels. Electrifying transportation will decrease the overall amount of energy we use for transportation in addition to avoiding fossil fuel GHGs.
How You Can Help
How You Can Help
