Community Path Passes Phase 1 Milestone

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, January 2022, Newsletter  Comments Off on Community Path Passes Phase 1 Milestone
Jan 042022
 
Community Path Passes Phase 1 Milestone

By Jarrod Goentzel, Sara Smith, and Eric Batcho  The town recently passed a major milestone in the development of the Belmont Community Path when town consultant, Nitsch Engineering, submitted the 25% Design for Phase 1 to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Phase 1 is the section of the Belmont path from Brighton Street to the Clark Street Bridge just beyond Belmont Center, including a spur to the Belmont High School and Middle School via a tunnel under the MBTA Fitchburg line (bit.ly/BCP-P1-25). The Belmont Community Path is a critical two-mile link in the Mass Central Rail Trail, a 104-mile, [READ MORE]

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Belmont Community Path Moves Forward

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, July-August 2021, Newsletter  Comments Off on Belmont Community Path Moves Forward
Jun 252021
 
Belmont Community Path Moves Forward

By Sara Smith, Jarrod Goentzel, and Eric Batcho Momentum is picking up again for the Belmont Community Path, a critical two-mile link in the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT), a safe, off-road path that will ultimately link communities between Boston and Northampton. The 25% design is nearing completion, and the town has appropriated funds to begin securing the right of way. Both of these steps move Belmont closer to obtaining state and federal construction funds and bringing the path to fruition. Community path 25% design phase The town’s contractor, Nitsch Engineering, will complete the 25% design of Phase 1 in [READ MORE]

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Bike Infrastructure Makes Belmont Safer

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, July-August 2021, Newsletter, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Bike Infrastructure Makes Belmont Safer
Jun 252021
 
Bike Infrastructure Makes Belmont Safer

By Jeff Roth Few Belmont residents use bikes to get around this small town of only 4.7 square miles, although most live hardly a mile from schools, recreation facilities, stores, transit stations, and restaurants. About 8.2% of Cambridge residents commute regularly by bike, but Belmont’s car-centered infrastructure likely is closer to the state average of 0.9%. Given that short, local trips are responsible for 60% of automobile pollution, how can we encourage car-free travel? Benefits of Walking and Cycling There are many benefits to expanding cycling and walking options in Belmont. People who cycle regularly for transportation and fitness have [READ MORE]

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2021 Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Board of Selectmen, Climate Change, Environment, March/April 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Select Board, Sewers, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality  Comments Off on 2021 Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions
Mar 012021
 
2021 Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

Each year, the Belmont Citizens Forum asks Select Board candidates questions about issues facing our town. This year, Mark Paolillo, who is running unopposed, provided answers. He was limited to 1,200 words. Describe your vision for preserving and enhancing Belmont’s quality of living, learning, working, and connecting. Preserving and enhancing Belmont’s quality of life must begin with making town finances stable and sustainable. This will require a more in-depth approach to long-term structural reform.  Belmont should consider the use of performance management budgeting which measures resource input against the resulting output of services for each department. That will help us [READ MORE]

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Bikeway Building Booms Beyond Belmont

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Environment, January 2021, Newsletter, Open Space  Comments Off on Bikeway Building Booms Beyond Belmont
Dec 302020
 
Bikeway Building Booms Beyond Belmont

By John Dieckmann. Photos by John Dieckmann In January, biking might not be on too many people’s minds, but with spring only a couple of months away, this seems like a good time to take stock of the regional rail trail network. The Belmont Community Path is a short but essential link in the long distance Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT), which connects to several other rail trails in its 104 miles from Northpoint Park in Cambridge, near the Science Museum, westward all the way to Northampton. This update covers the roughly 30 miles of the MCRT and connecting trails [READ MORE]

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Community Path Proponents Offer FAQ

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Newsletter, November 2020, Traffic  Comments Off on Community Path Proponents Offer FAQ
Nov 062020
 
Community Path Proponents Offer FAQ

By Sara Smith, Eric Batcho, and Jarrod Goentzel What is the Belmont Community Path? The Belmont Community Path is a proposed shared-use path running just over two miles through Belmont along the former Central Massachusetts Railroad line connecting Cambridge and Waltham. It is a critical link in the 104-mile Massachusetts Central Rail Trail (MCRT) between North Station and Northampton. See a map and more details on the MCRT at www.masscentralrailtrail.org/interactive-google-map. Who is it for? The shared-use path is for a wide variety of non-motorized users, including walkers, runners, bicyclists, roller skaters/bladers, wheelchair users, and people walking dogs on leashes or [READ MORE]

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25% Belmont Bike Path Design Presented

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2020, Town Committee Meetings, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on 25% Belmont Bike Path Design Presented
Sep 032020
 
25% Belmont Bike Path Design Presented

By Jarrod Goentzel Recent meetings offered a first look at the official 25% draft plan for the Belmont Community Path, which should include most significant features, and continued conversations with state leaders about how and when it can be built. On July 16, the Community Path Project Committee (CPPC) held a virtual public meeting for the design firm, where Nitsch Engineering presented draft 25% design drawings for the first two construction phases (bit.ly/20200716BCPpresentation). A video of the full meeting, including public questions and feedback, is available at Belmont Media Center (bit.ly/20200716BCPvideo). Phase 1 includes the rail trail from Brighton Street [READ MORE]

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Community Path Began Decades Ago

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, History, March/April 2020, Newsletter  Comments Off on Community Path Began Decades Ago
Mar 022020
 
Community Path Began Decades Ago

By Vincent Stanton, Jr. It has taken over two decades of stop-and-start development to bring the Belmont Community Path to its current state of planning and formal design, but a timeline for construction of the path is finally in sight. The design and engineering of Phase I of the Belmont Community Path, from Brighton Street to the Clark Street Bridge, started last fall and should take about two years to complete. In the next two years, path plans will progress through three major milestones: 25, 75, and 100 percent design, as part of a Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) guided [READ MORE]

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20 Years of Belmont Traffic

 Bicycles and bike paths, January 2020, Newsletter, Parking, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on 20 Years of Belmont Traffic
Jan 062020
 
20 Years of Belmont Traffic

By Sumner Brown Belmont has turned a corner about how we think of traffic. Twenty years ago, our hope was to find ways to make it easier for cars and trucks to pass through Belmont. Now our objective is to protect residential streets from rush-hour traffic and make life easier for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Belmont Citizens Forum has played a part in our traffic turnaround. In 2002, the Belmont Citizens Forum’s Planning and Zoning Committee brainstormed about Trapelo Road. They thought about bike lanes and lots of trees. The committee engaged graduate student classes at MIT and the Boston [READ MORE]

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Letter to the Editor: Bicycling on Residential Streets

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Newsletter, November 2019  Comments Off on Letter to the Editor: Bicycling on Residential Streets
Nov 042019
 

To the Editor: I read the article about traffic in the September/October BCF Newsletter  with interest. I frequently ride through Belmont on my bicycle and sometimes drive through. I strongly support the rail trail, the underpass at Alexander Avenue, and the connection to Concord Avenue. But also, I am hoping that Belmont will take more advantage of its dense network of residential streets to provide improved bicycling through routes. The barrier across Claflin Street between Farnham Street and Alexander Avenue offers a good example of such a treatment, though it could be revised to be more bicycle friendly. Clearly its [READ MORE]

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Mittens for Cold Weather Bicycling

 January 2016, Newsletter  Comments Off on Mittens for Cold Weather Bicycling
Jan 142016
 
Mittens for Cold Weather Bicycling

Cold hands are not a reason to stop bicycling in winter. You can fix cold hands with army surplus mittens that date from the Korean war. While there may be modern products that would work well for me, I have found that reasonable-looking bicycle gloves either do not keep me warm or are uncomfortable. I know other bicyclists who also consider these surplus mittens to be the best. My army surplus mittens are shells that have supple leather where I connect with my bicycles. They are intended to be used with knit liners. The liner material is wool and nylon. [READ MORE]

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