Overview of the Bicycle Facilities Inventory Project

The Massachusetts Bicycle Facilities Inventory project was conducted in 1995 by the Bicycle Coalition of Massachusetts (now MassBike) under contract to the Massachusetts Highway Department. Meeting notices were sent to a mailing list of bicyclists, bicycling organizations and public officials for two series of 15 public meetings each, held in all parts of the Commonwealth. Input was accepted at the meetings and by mail about existing and planned bicycle facilities projects, as well as desired improvements. The project also included selection of a system of bicycle touring routes. The collected information was compiled into a database and a report.

The report, now posted here, is valuable as a survey of bicycling conditions, project proposals and opinions. Rather than representing the point of view of MassPaths, the report represents the opinions of citizens -- from seasoned road cyclists to trails advocates -- and of government officals who provided input. Existing projects and suggestions varied greatly from one part of Massachusetts to another. In a few of the regional planning agency districts, the agency's opinions differed from those of citizens who showed up at public meetings. The report was subject to approval by the agencies, and so in these cases, the report reflects the agencies' judgment.

Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Helene Weitzenkorn managed the project. Paul Schimek developed the database. John S. Allen compiled the route suggestions and wrote most of the report. Andrew Rubel of Rubel Bikemaps composed the maps. Liaison with the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction was through Massachusetts Bicycle Coordinator Josh Lehman and his assistant, Patrick McMahon. Preparation of this Internet posting was by John S. Allen, with thanks to Andrew Rubel of Rubel Bikemaps for providing the data files for the maps..