Cambridge residents and businesspeople at a meeting on a proposed fix for one of the city's most dangerous intersections say they fear a new traffic pattern would eliminate too much parking.

The plan, which would cut 30 out of 61 metered spaces in Inman Square, is the latest iteration of the City of Cambridge's ongoing redesign for the notorious and complicated space. Representatives from the city's Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department presented the plan at a packed public meeting at Cambridge Public Library on Tuesday night. More than 100 Cantabrigians and Somervillians turned out to weigh in.

Plan a hybrid of previous options

The proposed redesign is a hybrid of three plans that the city presented at a public meeting in January 2017. This hybrid plan would involve installing separated, raised bike lanes throughout the square, as well as building an additional open space across the street from the existing Vellucci Plaza. It would add pulled-out right-turn lanes to the square and new pedestrian crossings at the heart of the intersection. It would shorten the traffic signal cycle from 160 seconds to 90 seconds. It would require floating bus stops, where buses stop in the travel lane, instead of cutting across bike lanes, and it would relocate the 91 bus route to Prospect Street.

Several attendees at the meeting voiced concern about how the parking cuts would affect both business owners and patrons.

"You can go to Dunkin' Donuts for a bagel, or Cheesecake Factory for a cheesecake, but there are reasons why people come to Inman Square. I'm talking about the business people in the square," said S&S Restaurant owner George Mitchell.

Phyllis Bretholtz, a Cantabrigian activist, said she worried the bus stop proposed instead of parking in front of Inman Pharmacy would displace the pharmacy's customers. Other residents voiced concern about parking for patients and families with children who are visiting the Cambridge Health Alliance on Cambridge Street.

Scores of crashes since 2008

Joseph Barr, director of the Cambridge Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department, emphasized that this is a plan in progress, and said he and other officials are working on the parking problem.

"We know that the health of the square is the business. We're committed to working through this and finding additional parking, more shared parking, more off-street parking," Barr said. "We don't have all the answers yet, but that's something we want to move forward with: how to replace that parking while still making the square as safe as possible."

The safety of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists in Inman Square has been a major concern for Cantabrigians and Somervillians for years. Seven streets converge in this signalized intersection, with nine pedestrian crosswalks, three MBTA bus routes passing through, and heavy bicycle traffic. From 2008 to 2012, the square saw 69 crashes, about twice the average statewide. Fifteen of those crashes involved cyclists, while five involved pedestrians.

In 2015, the city embarked on a traffic study of the square, which it presented at a public meeting in June of last year. The next day, a 27-year-old cyclist died in the square after colliding with a landscaping truck on Cambridge Street.

Since then, the city has tried to ameliorate the danger in Inman Square through small tweaks, such as banning left turns from Hampshire Street onto Cambridge Street and adding more pavement markings. But small tweaks aren't enough, Barr said.

The city is planning to hold a third public meeting for further feedback before completing the final project design in summer 2017, then hold a fourth public meeting and breaking ground on the project in fall 2017.

Rotary design dropped

Several residents, especially cyclists, expressed disappointment that the city had decided not to pursue a fourth plan that was proposed at January's meeting, which would have transformed the square into a peanut-shaped rotary. This option, proposed by the Boston Cyclist Union, won the support of forty percent of respondents to a survey sent out by the city earlier this year.

"I thought that dog bone idea ... was a clever and safe way of getting through the square," said Maggie Booz, co-chair of Cambridge's Committee on Public Works.

But Barr said the roundabout would have restricted access to Inman Square Fire House on Cambridge Street and would transform Springfield Street into a one-way, which would have been detrimental to many residents.

Separated bike lanes praised

Other concerns voiced by residents:

The new four-lane Cambridge Street reminded them of a highway instead of a neighborhood streetThe plan doesn't provide loading zones for Uber and other ride-sharing servicesThe new plan might lead to more traffic congestion in the squareA proposed no-left-turn rule on Springfield Street would be detrimental to Somerville residents.

But some residents praised aspects of the plan, especially the off-road bike lanes.

"We're a little disappointed about the roundabout, but we want to applaud you for coming up with separated raised bike lanes throughout the intersection," said Steve Bercu of the Boston Cyclist Union. "That's a big win."