Town Meeting Materials: More on Article 17, the Route 30 Shared Use Path
One of the issues that is sure to fire up the excitement at Town Meeting is voting on the Route 30 Shared-Use Path. Some of you may have received an email from our anonymous think tank in town coming out opposed to the SUP, and the Owl has recently received materials from the Traffic and Sidewalk Committee to clarify the Town’s proposal. You can find the actual wording of Article 17 in the Town Warrant Book here, and you should note that the Finance Committee which is not anonymous and is not fond of spending money has voted unanimously in favor of it. As always, I would counsel readers to get their information from verified sources (that may or may not be me).
What is the Shared Use Path? Well, according to the Town’s Frequently Asked Questions page,
A shared use path is off-road infrastructure that is physically separated from motorized vehicle traffic and designed for use by people of all ages. They are designed for two-way non-vehicle travel options for a wide variety of settings, such as walking with a stroller, riding a bicycle, or jogging. Shared use paths are typically paved and ADA compliant to meet the versatile needs of users.
In the context of this project, a shared-use path will:
- Provide vertical separation from the roadway which provides a higher level of safety and comfort compared to an on-road facility.
- Provides a more comfortable and safer option than an on-road buffered bike lane, given the speeds and volumes of Route 30.
- Attract more cyclists who would otherwise be too hesitant to ride on the road, such as recreational riders and families.
- Create a connection to a larger shared-use path network to serve the regional area.
- Future connectivity to MassDOT’s bridge project (Route 30 over Charles River), which includes a shared-use path.
- Future connectivity to Newton’s Carriageway conversion to a shared-use path from Lyons Field to MassDOT’s bridge project
You can read along with the other Frequently Asked Questions on that page, and the Traffic & Sidewalk Committee has asked the Owl to post other clarifications including this one:
Please note that this past year our committee did not endorse new traffic signals at Winter and Oak (part of the 2022 plan), due to potential gridlock of cars along Route 30 at rush hours. Rush hour traffic already backs up on Route 30 at both Newton and Wellesley Streets due to the traffic lights. We felt that improving the Winter and Oak Street intersections with improved design features would be sufficient. We did recommend that the hybrid pedestrian emergency signal at Ash Street be preserved in the plans to allow the Ash Street pedestrians access to the proposed SUP. These are questions 10, 11, 12 from the FAQ.
Some folks have said this a path to nowhere, but it will actually connect Weston to Newton with new changes to the 95/Route 30 overpass and out to Natick along Route 30.
best,
Jay Doyle (Chair) and Linda Nelson (Member), Traffic & Sidewalk Committee
I think it unlikely that Natick and Newton consider themselves as “nowhere” and hey, can you imagine the high schoolers biking from school to the Natick Mall? Well, it could happen if we run out of room for Teslas at the high school parking lot. Love you, Weston.
Town Meeting is May 6. Be there.
Stay tuned for more from the Owl.
Happy Sunday!
This is a terrific plan adding to efforts to gradually add more bike options throughout the region. It is a multi-year effort with each project contributing. Taking even a few cars out of the traffic flow is a big win now and as options grow will eventually remove more cars. Remember how the town voted down the original bike path on the old rail line and the enormous success it is now? Change is hard sometimes! Join me in voting yes on this!