Vassar Street Critique - Bulbouts? Baloney!

"Bulbouts", or "curb extensions" are intended to prevent vehicles from parking near crosswalks, cross-streets and driveways, and to reduce the distance across the street for pedestrians. Bulbouts were promised for the Vassar Street project.

There is metered parking, discontinued close to the driveways, and there are bulbouts to make the driveway crossings less hazardous.

Kathy Watkins,
Community Planning Department,
City of Cambridge,
at a meeting with opponents
of the project, March 6, 2002

There are bulbouts in this project at mid-block crosswalks, but there are none at driveways.

The reality, February 20, 2004. No bulbouts (where arrows point), and parking
right up to the driveways. Parked vehicles hide bicyclists on the sidepath
from motorists turning into the driveways. Tall SUVs or vans are as likely
to park here as the passenger cars shown.