Another consistent problem is people turning the wrong way out of the Tobin driving and heading toward the parkway. This morning my neighbor was knocked off her bike by a car that made the illegal right turn out of Tobin. She was not injured but the car did not stop. I asked her to file a crash report.

Public Works - DA (Inspections) assigned this issue to Public Works - CW (Engineering)

This section of sidewalk also has a street sign mounted directly in the middle of the sidewalk, completely obstructing the path of strollers and wheelchairs. Please fix.

Good point by Doug. Removal of the street sign would effectively make the sidewalk more functional. You could also look into a painted bike lane on the street and a curb cut closer to the parkway for bikes wanting to cross over to Freshpond

DCR owns the grassy area and the paths through it to the crosswalk so that portion wasn't included in the work done at the time of the sewer project...you can see where the new sidewalk ends on Vassal Lane (about 50' back from the parkway). Now that the former Tokyo is being renovated I think both the city's sidewalk and DCR's piece would benefit from a close look at how to reduce conflicts among all the modes. The sight lines aren't great and the curb cuts should be wider.

Agree with both Jan and Larry. We also need to ensure that the sight lines are improved at the Tobin driveway exit, as this intersection is incredibly dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians traveling east on Vassal Lane from the Parkway.

Thank you for reporting your concern to City of Cambridge via Commonwealth Connect. The section of sidewalk adjacent to the former Tokyo Restaurant was reconstructed under the sewer separation construction project as a restoration to an area of impact from the construction activity and to allow for improvements to the crosswalk on Lakeview/Vassal intersection. The area beyond this is on DCR property and extends beyond the scope of the sewer separation contract and was therefore not included in that contract.

Per the above explanation from Public Works - CW (Engineering), we are closing this request.

If additional questions/comments raised in this post have not been addressed by this response please submit a new See Click Fix inquiry, or you can contact the following people directly: Cara Seiderman at cseiderman@cambridgema.gov for pedestrian/bicycle issues and Patrick Baxter pbaxter@cambridgema.gov for traffic related issues.

Reopening issue. Please address all the issues raised regarding the city-owned portion of the sidewalk (too narrow, blocked by signpost, blindspot at driveway, etc.). Thanks!

The traffic department will review the supplemental requests related to signage.

Work orders have been submitted to reinforce turn restrictions and one way designations near the driveway of the school. The sidewalk width is compliant and the sign post leaves 40in clear (36in is the ADA minimum) for passage.

Respectfully this response misses the point. While the sidewalk needs minimum ADA requirements for a walking path it does not meet the standard for a multi-use path which is the function it serves daily and on an increasing basis. The sight lines are terrible and the potential for conflict and crashes among bikes, peds and children is high. The existing path through the little green area meets the sidewalk at a pinch point and cannot be used safely. It needs to be reconfigured and widened. This will take working with DCR on creating a safe way to separate bikes and peds after the crosswalk over the parkway and merging onto Vassal Lane. We can close this case here but I will work with the staff and our state reps to try (again) to tackle what has been a recognized trouble spot for years.