Why put bicyclists on the street; why not on sidewalks or on bike paths?
Bicycles are legal vehicles and bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists in traveling on any street in Cambridge. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, and in most cases, are not the safest place for bicyclists to ride in Cambridge. Bicycle paths, such as the path along the Charles River, are good facilities for some trips, but have limited usefulness for most. Someone traveling from North Cambridge to East Cambridge, for example, would not use the river path. Streets by their very nature serve bicyclists in the same way they serve every other user: they get people where they want to go. The street system is already in place and streets provide access to virtually all destinations: homes, businesses, shops, schools, parks, etc.
