Rail Trail Newsletter 7-19-2018 #23
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Greetings!
This will be the last newsletter before our big event on the 27th and 28th. I wanted to get it out today to remind people that there is still time to register and there is still room for more attendees.
The big thing in this newsletter is a link to the booklet for the conference, which I think you'll enjoy. Much different from the conventional. If you register for the conference, we'll mail one out to you.
Craig Della Penna
413 575 2277
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"In the News"
and Updates About the Longest Rail Trail Project in New England
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News about the Golden Spike 2018 Conference this July
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FOR GOLDEN SPIKE 2018
Our registration system is now up and running.
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Communities on the
on the MCRT and their websites
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Did you know that many communities (or groups like land trusts) on the MCRT alignment are working on their section of the trail?
Here are links to websites where you can learn who the contact person is, when these groups meet, when hearings are being planned and how to sign up to get notices sent to you directly.
Belmont: Link
here to the town appointed committee.
Belmont:
Link
here
to the Belmont Citizens Forum.
Somerville: Friends of the Community Path's Facebook page is
here.
Waltham: Link
here to the Waltham Land Trust's site. Link
here to the Waltham Bike Committee. And link
here to the City's page on the MCRT.
Sudbury: Link
here for the N-S intersecting trail--Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
Berlin: Link
here goes to the town's Rail Trail Committee. Once on that page, you can sign up to get notices of meetings, agendas, minutes, etc. They also have a pretty nice website w pix of the future trail. Link
here.
Wachusett Greenways area: Link
here.
East Quabbin Land Trust service area: Link
here.
Ware: Check out the new FaceBook page. Link
here.
Belchertown/Northampton area: Link
here.
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More news about the MCRT and Golden Spike 2018
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CHECKOUT THE PROGRAM FOR GOLDEN SPIKE 2018.
You are going to love this.
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5 Things To Know About The Rail Trail under development in Weston and Wayland, Mass.
1) Ice Cream available on the trail! - Fresh Richardson Ice Cream is served at the Wayland Mini Market. Also, there are 11 restaurants with easy access to the trail. 4 of the 5 restaurants in the Weston have outdoor eating Theo's, Off Center, Brueggers and Dumpling Daughter. Ye Old Cottage is a great get for breakfast or lunch and serve ice cream.
Read more
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On Thursday June 28 Valley Bike opened for business.
VB is the first bike share program in the Pioneer Valley and the first pedal-assist bike share program in New England. The pedal assist allows bike share to the majority of users who don’t tend to use bike share and be more equitable about who is served.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM
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AND IN OTHER NEWS
AROUND THE REGION
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Two Wheels
And 3,000 Miles To Go
The people-powered East Coast Greenway is coming—and it’s good.
If you travel much on US 17, you’ve probably seen at least one of them, churning away at the pedals on a bike laden with overstuffed saddle bags. Most likely, these intrepid bicycle adventurers are following the route of the East Coast Greenway, a network of cycling and walking trails covering much of the Eastern seaboard. A third of the route is on protected paved trails, while the rest consists of streets and roads—for now. When it’s finished, the East Coast Greenway will provide a safe path of more than 3,000 miles, connecting hundreds of cities and unique natural areas from Florida to Maine.
Read more
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WITH THE RISE OF BIKE-SHARING PROGRAMS, A RAIL TRAIL THROUGH LYNN IS IN THE WORKS
BY
T
homas Grillo
June 12, 2018
LYNN — With hundreds of bikes hitting city streets this month, the time is right for a rail trail, say transportation advocates.
In the first public meeting to advance the Northern Strand Community Trail through Lynn, the state environmental agency, the city’s Department of Community Development, along with a Boston landscape architect firm, welcomed more than five dozen residents to the Lynn Auditorium Tuesday night. “This is the introduction to the project and a chance to express your interest and help us determine what this will mean for the path in Lynn,” said Kurt Gaertner, director of land policy and planning at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Read more
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[btw Kurt Gaertner is the keynote speaker at Golden Spike 2018. CDP]
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Adirondack Rail Trail for all
by Dick Beamish
I read with interest your June 28 story headlined
“Railroad unveils rail bike design.”
As the Adirondack Park Agency once again ponders the fate of the Tri-Lakes rail corridor, the return of a temporary, for-profit rail-bike business is being considered for the stretch of track between Saranac Lake and Lake Clear.
The popularity of these machines gives a hint of
the
potential benefits that will accrue from a bike path on this state-owned right of way once the tracks are removed.
Read more here.
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More Stories about WHY Rail Trails
and
E-Bikes
are IMPORTANT
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Forget the Car, Biking Is the Best Way to See Your State
For us and other cyclists we’ve met along the way, rail-trails are passages to the mysteries of a state that are concealed from the window of a vehicle.
Cruiser bikes—those retro-looking bikes, which usually only have one gear—are not uncommon on a paved bike trail. The woman I’m passing has a basket on hers, whose intrepid passenger is a small Yorkshire terrier. The wind parts his hair and he has an “I’m on an adventure” steely-eyed gaze.
Read more here
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North Buffalo Rail Trail and Minnesota Linear Park – At the Crossroads of Creativity
When it comes to quality of life, rail trails and linear parks are some of the best features around. These amenities allow people to get outside for hikes, bike rides, and simply to enjoy their neighborhoods. They not only keep us healthy, they keep us socially engaged with our neighbors. They allow us to reconnect with nature. Everyone enjoys these types of engaging outdoor settings, no matter age, gender, or ethnicity.
Read more here
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An invitation to share a bike path in Boulder
By JAN BURTON
Last August, I sold my 2007 SUV to a musician friend who needed something cheap and big enough to haul his keyboard.
Instead of immediately buying a replacement, I decided to test the concept of living without a car. After all, I was living in a city that is very bikeable and walkable. Several of my friends were interested in electric bikes (e-bikes), and I had watched my 40-something counterparts biking their kids all over town in little carts. Why not try a car-free lifestyle? I was already a big walker, an occasional biker, and a bus rider, so I felt this wouldn't be a big stretch for me.
Read more here
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