Personal Wheels Safety Committee

The Personal Wheels Safety Committee (PWSC), a sub-committee of the Institute’s Committee for Transportation and Parking, promotes personal wheels safety for all MIT riders, drivers, and pedestrians through proactive collaboration, engagement, and communication. The committee advances initiatives, shares best practices, and coordinates efforts among stakeholders, including Campus Planning, Campus Services and Stewardship, Emergency Management, EHS, Government and Community Relations, MIT Health, MIT Police, Parking and Transportation, and VPF Strategic Sourcing. The committee works to advance educational campaigns, improve infrastructure, support responsible enforcement efforts, and advocate for safety measures for the MIT community, aligning with MIT’s broader safety goals. These efforts include coordinating and sharing information with internal groups such as the Graduate Student Council Bike Safety Working Group as well as the City of Cambridge and other external stakeholders as appropriate.

Personal Wheels Safety Campaign

This campaign aims to foster a culture of safety for PW riders, drivers, and pedestrians. Key components include the PW guidelines as well as a toolkit of posters, AV screen ads, and social media graphics, which are deployed by our team and available for use by MIT DLCIs. Email our team to request access to the toolkit.

Throughout the year, our team shares safety information at orientation events, pop-ups, expos, and resource fairs. Our ongoing initiatives are designed to engage the MIT community, raise awareness, and build safety skills. Please reach out about upcoming events or to invite us to participate in your safety and PW events.

We welcome questions, ideas, and suggestions to enhance and evolve the campaign. Thank you for helping us promote safe practices on campus!

Truck and Shuttle Safety Measures

MIT’s vehicle fleet is outfitted with safety features, such as side guards, to protect pedestrians and PW operators. The Department of Facilities also requires its leased or contracted large trucks, including recycling and trash vendor vehicles, to have these features. Convex mirrors, which provide enhanced visibility of blind spots, are installed on all vehicles that can accommodate them, including MIT shuttles. These safety measures align with The Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities, established by the Commonwealth to protect vulnerable road users. In addition to these safeguards, MIT requires its shuttle and Facilities vehicle operators to participate in regular safety training.

In fall 2024, to further advance safety, a PWSC working group assessed the progress MIT vendors have made in implementing these truck safety measures, across their fleet of large box trucks operating on and around campus. The working group gathered and reviewed information from vendors and is considering actions MIT will take to encourage or require these safety features as a condition for doing business with the Institute. Read the truck safety report findings and recommendations.

Collaborations that advance safety for all

While the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Cambridge, and MIT have been keenly focused on PW access and safety over the last decade, the growing number of riders and pedestrians on City and campus streets means additional actions are needed to further improve safety. By working together on policy development, infrastructure improvements, and educational outreach, we are helping to create safer conditions for PW operators, pedestrians, and drivers. A few efforts completed or underway include:

• Staff from the Office of Campus Planning and Office of Government and Community Relations serve on the City's Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit Advisory Committees, ensuring that the MIT community's needs are represented in city planning efforts. The Cambridge Department of Transportation has implemented improvements on key corridors including Vassar Street, Albany Street, and Massachusetts Avenue, such as installation of bike lanes, bike boxes, bike-specific traffic lights, and curb changes designed to slow turning traffic. Recent and ongoing work includes:
• Improved signal timing at Massachusetts Avenue and Albany Street and installation of bike boxes to provide cyclists with a safe, visible waiting space ahead of stopped vehicles
• Vassar Street bike safety project featuring paint and flexposts (fall 2025); intersection improvements at Vassar and Main Streets targeting fall 2026 completion
• Installation of a new crosswalk on Albany Street (2025), with two additional crosswalks in planning
• Following an MIT request, Vassar and Albany Streets designated as Safety Zones (spring 2025), reducing speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph
• Ongoing review of future safety improvements along the Massachusetts Avenue corridor through campus as part of the Cambridge Roadway Safety Audit Program
• MIT installed separated bike lanes on Ames Street between Main Street and Memorial Drive as part of the Kendall Square Initiative, with additional installations planned on Potter Street, Fifth Street, Broadway, Binney Street, and Third Street as part of the Kendall Common development.
• Coordination with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on safety conditions along Memorial Drive abutting the MIT campus has included installation of flashing signage at pedestrian crossings and maintenance of the westbound bike lane entering the BU Bridge rotary.