As this information clearly states, the proposed trail is primarily for biking “enthusiasts”. How, during a major recession, can the we afford to pave over riparian corridors for the purpose of generating recreational opportunities, especially when communities have had to make cut backs in true needs, like schools and libraries? There is no free money from the state or the feds; these are our tax dollars. Furthermore, communities will still have to pay for maintenance, amenities and policy patrol necessary on the rail trail.
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (unlike the Minuteman trail) does not follow commuter routes and won’t be used for transportation. So the result of this massively expensive project is the need for more paved parking for recreational riders to leave their cars.
Anyone biking or driving is acutely aware of how dangerous it can be when bikes and cars share the road. What the state has to do is make the roads safer for bikes so that biking is in reality and not rhetoric a reasonable alternative to driving.
No matter how vocal and political the biking special interest group is, we have to face the fiscal, safety and environmental realities of this plan: too much money for recreation, urgent safety issues unmet, and habitat destruction without making transportation environmentally better.
2. Bruce Cherner (07/22/2010)
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is an investment which will pay for itself in straight dollar terms within five to ten years. The ROI, however, will continue long after the initial cost has been forgotten. For example, consider
As it now stands, the possibilties for use as a commuter corridor are not so great here as with the Minuteman. However, if the citizens of The Commonwealth have the vision and willpower necessary to link up our system of rail trails then possibilities for both transportational and recreational use become myriad.
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1. Lydia Rogers (06/28/2010)
As this information clearly states, the proposed trail is primarily for biking “enthusiasts”. How, during a major recession, can the we afford to pave over riparian corridors for the purpose of generating recreational opportunities, especially when communities have had to make cut backs in true needs, like schools and libraries? There is no free money from the state or the feds; these are our tax dollars. Furthermore, communities will still have to pay for maintenance, amenities and policy patrol necessary on the rail trail.
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (unlike the Minuteman trail) does not follow commuter routes and won’t be used for transportation. So the result of this massively expensive project is the need for more paved parking for recreational riders to leave their cars.
Anyone biking or driving is acutely aware of how dangerous it can be when bikes and cars share the road. What the state has to do is make the roads safer for bikes so that biking is in reality and not rhetoric a reasonable alternative to driving.
No matter how vocal and political the biking special interest group is, we have to face the fiscal, safety and environmental realities of this plan: too much money for recreation, urgent safety issues unmet, and habitat destruction without making transportation environmentally better.
2. Bruce Cherner (07/22/2010)
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is an investment which will pay for itself in straight dollar terms within five to ten years. The ROI, however, will continue long after the initial cost has been forgotten. For example, consider
http://endtherecession.blogspot.com/2009/02/spend-dime-get-back-cents-is-it-madoff.html
As it now stands, the possibilties for use as a commuter corridor are not so great here as with the Minuteman. However, if the citizens of The Commonwealth have the vision and willpower necessary to link up our system of rail trails then possibilities for both transportational and recreational use become myriad.