Bike Paths – Page 4 – Belmont Citizens Forum

Update on the Belmont Community Path

Bike Paths, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

May 202016

by John Dieckmann As reported previously, the town of Belmont has set aside $100,000 from its capital budget, and the state of Massachusetts has also allocated $100,000 for an in-depth engineering feasibility study of the routes outlined in the report from the Community Path Advisory Committee (CPAC). This is a key step in construction of a bicycle and pedestrian path through Belmont, from Brighton Street to Waltham, as part of the Mass Central Rail Trail from Boston to Northampton. In essence there are two primary route alternatives, one on each side of the commuter rail tracks. On the south side [READ MORE]

Seven Community Benefits of Bikeways

Bike Paths, May 2016, Traffic, Transit, Uncategorized Comments Off

May 202016

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council passed along this article to our office recently. It was written in 2014 by Taz Loomans, addressing congestion in her native Phoenix. Points of it apply to Belmont and our surrounding communities as well. We have edited it considerably; but you may read the full article at BloomingRock.com. 1. Bikeways make places more valuable. A 2006 study found that in Minneapolis, median home values rose $510 for every quarter-mile they were located closer to an off-street bikeway. In Washington DC,, 85% of nearby residents say the 15th Street bike lane is a valuable community asset. [READ MORE]

Friends of Lexington Bikeways Serves Town

Bike Paths, January 2016, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 132016

Friends of Lexington Bikeways Serves Town

By Peggy Enders The Friends of Lexington Bikeways (FoLB) is a nonprofit 501c(3) volunteer organization that promotes and supports biking and the shared use of bicycle routes in and around Lexington. FoLB was established in 1991 as the “Friends of the Minuteman Bikeway” at a time when the building of the Bikeway was underway but still had many residents concerned about possible negative impacts, including the loss of backyard privacy and declining home values. Those fears were never realized, and today the Bikeway is considered one of the most popular recreational (not to mention economic) resources in the area. Today, [READ MORE]

Bike Paths Open In Somerville, Cambridge

Bike Paths, Newsletter, November 2015 Comments Off

Sep 162015

Bike Paths Open In Somerville, Cambridge

By Meg Muckenhoupt Two new bicycle paths opened in Somerville and Cambridge this summer: an extension of the Somerville Community Path from Cedar Street to Lowell Street; and a path through Flagstaff park in Harvard Square for bicyclists heading north on Massachusetts Avenue. At the ribbon-cutting for the Somerville Community Path on August 18, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone made remarks recorded by the Friends of the Community Path: “Somerville as a community has a certain set of values that we believe in and we planned and envisioned the future together based on those values .. and an important part of [READ MORE]

Town Meeting Votes $100K for Path Study

Bike Paths, July 2015, Newsletter Comments Off

Jul 102015

By Meg Muckenhoupt On June 3, Belmont Town Meeting approved $100,000 for a feasibility study for a Community Path, a shared-use path for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, in-line skaters, and other non-motorized travel. According to Russell Leino, chair of the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee (CPIAC), it will work on a request for proposals over the summer and expects to engage a design/engineering firm to carry out the study this fall. The results should be available in spring 2016. “Once the feasibility study is in hand, the next step is to make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen based on that,” [READ MORE]

Path Neighbors Can Choose Trees For Privacy

Bike Paths, May 2015, Newsletter, Open Space Comments Off

May 122015

Path Neighbors Can Choose Trees For Privacy

By Meg Muckenhoupt Community paths allow more people to travel without using cars—and a lot of people want to do just that. It is estimated that more than 2 million people walk, run, and bike the Minuteman Bikeway in Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford each year. Understandably, neighbors living in homes abutting new paths are often concerned about the effects of having so many visitors passing by their yards. Different communities have varying approaches to living with bike trails. Today, 22 years after the Minuteman Bikeway officially opened, about a quarter of properties abutting the Bikeway in Arlington have no [READ MORE]

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