The People for Riverbend Park Trust is the non-profit steward of the DCR parkland along Memorial Drive from Gerry's Landing Rd. to Western Ave. Check here for regular updates on the status of the park and ways you can support our work to enhance the riverfront landscape.

6/14/22 -- DCR announces 6/30 meeting on Memorial Drive redesign

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DCR will hold a virtual public meeting on Thursday, June 30, from 6:00-7:30 pm, to discuss plans for its Phase III reconstruction of Memorial Drive between JFK St (Anderson Bridge) to the Eliot Bridge. This section includes much of the Riverbend Park area. The proposed changes include a narrowed roadway (from 4 to 2 lanes), new pathways, tree protections, and improved stormwater systems. The Trust supports the overall goals of the project but has joined the Memorial Drive Alliance's member organizations in calling for a different design approach that would fully separate pedestrians from cyclists, effectively slow car speeds to 25 mph, better protect the iconic trees, and preserve the historic pastoral landscape.

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Register for the meeting. Public comment is due by July 21.

6/7/22 -- City Council tables Saturdays discussion

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The Cambridge City Council tabled the discussion on eliminating Memorial Drive Saturday closings until a further meeting.  The topic may be taken up again on Monday, June 27, during the Council's final meeting before their summer recess.

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6/3/22 -- Save Saturdays! Sign petition before June 6th City Council Meeting

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Cambridge City Council will discuss eliminating Memorial Drive Saturday closings at its next meeting, Monday June 6th. Councillor Denise Simmons originally placed a policy order on the City Council's May 23 agenda proposing to eliminate the Saturday road closings. We know that many residents of all ages and abilities have enjoyed visiting Riverbend Park on both weekend days since 2020. Please sign the online petition and write to citycouncil@cambridgema.gov by June 6 to express your opposition to Policy Order #5.

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5/27/22 - Trustee Jan Devereux speaks with The Harvard Crimson on Saving Saturdays

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On the results of our recent survey: “People were really enthusiastic about having it both days,” Devereux said. “It’s viewed as a great amenity for the Harvard Square area particularly, but really, people come from all over.”

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On her thoughts about the opposition to Saturday's in the park: "Devereux agreed that the city should consider various traffic mitigation measures, but said she does “not believe it is the job of the City Council to eliminate all inconvenience to drivers.”

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While she acknowledged that public meetings could “guide remedies,” she said the complaints of a group of residents “shouldn’t be a way of delaying or canceling” Council initiatives.

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Devereux referenced the thousands of signatures on the Cambridge Bicycle Safety petition as “a mandate.”

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“It’s important for a climate — for the riverfront environment — that we stop treating it like decoration for a highway,” she said.

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Full article here

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5/20/22 -- Sign Petition to Keep Saturday Road Closings!

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Councillor Denise Simmons placed a policy order on the City Council's May 23 agenda proposing to eliminate the Saturday road closings. We know that many residents of all ages and abilities have enjoyed visiting Riverbend Park on both weekend days since 2020. Please sign the online petition and write to citycouncil@cambridgema.gov by May 23 to express your opposition to Policy Order #5.

4/29/22 – Follow-Up Comments to DCR on Phase III Reconstruction Project

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The Trust sent additional comments to DCR following its early April public site walk on the proposed redesign of Memorial Drive west of Harvard Square. We remain concerned that the proposed pathway design does not adequately separate people on bikes from other park users and that the additional paved and aggregate pathways along the narrow shoreline, long retaining wall, and viewing platforms on the riverfront would greatly diminish the uniquely pastoral feel of this section, which along with the historic and beloved allée of London plane trees, defines the area's cultural landscape. You may read the letter here.

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4/24/22 – Riverbend Hours Extended to 8 AM to 7 PM Both Weekend Days

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The City announced that the Riverbend Park hours (when the road is closed to vehicles) have been extended to begin at 8:00 AM (instead of 11:00) through 7:00 PM on both weekend days. This great news for all who enjoy the relative serenity of early morning activity along the river!

4/17/22 – Riverbend Season to Begin on Sat., April 23, 2022

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The Riverbend Park season will again include both Saturdays and Sundays this year, and the first closing of Memorial Drive will take place on Saturday, April 23. The park hours (when the road is closed to vehicles) are from 11 AM to 7 PM on both weekend days (Note: these are the original hours, and this year's start time has since been changed to 8 AM). We look forward to seeing you there!

Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui is leading an open bike ride on Saturday, April 23, that will include Riverbend Park on its route. Meet at City Hall at 12 noon for tacos and then ride with the group to Harvard Sq. to visit some local businesses. More info and RSVP on the Mayor's Facebook page.

1/30/22 – Riverbend Trust Comments on Memorial Drive Reconstruction Project

People for Riverbend Park Trust joined the Memorial Drive Alliance in submitting comments to the Mass Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA) on its Environmental Notice Form (ENF) for Phase III of the state's Memorial Drive Reconstruction project. Following a more than two-year pause in the public process for this project, the ENF came as a surprise to our group and to many others. One of our trustees reported on what is proposed for Cambridge Day. While the Trust supports DCR’s plan for a road diet that would reduce vehicular travel lanes from four to two, we are opposed to specific aspects of the design for the pathways and landscaping along the shoreline and are very concerned about protecting and restoring the iconic allée London Plane ("sycamore") trees. Riverbend's full comments are available here.

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12/20/21 – Riverbend Park closed for winter; Funding Received for Olmsted Marker

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Riverbend Park's 2021 season ended on Sunday, December 19, and Memorial Drive is open for vehicular traffic. We expect that the Park's 2022 season will begin in mid-April and are hopeful that Memorial Drive will again be closed to vehicular traffic on both Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.. We will post the 2022 opening date when it is definite.

We are excited to announce that the State has awarded funding for the creation and installation of a historical marker commemorating the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Eliot in conceiving the original allee of trees along Memorial Drive; the first tree was planted on April 22, 1897. As 2022 marks the 200th anniversary of Omsted's birth on April 26, 1822, we are hoping to dedicate the marker at the start of the Park's 2022 season as part of the national celebration of Olmsted 200.

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