MassBike Boston Bikepath Plowing Report, January 24, 2000

MassBike Boston Bikepath Snow Plowing Report
January 24, 2000

Bikepaths are an integral part of the bicycle transportation network, and these reports are provided to encourage their use by bicyclists who might otherwise not venture out in the snow, and to encourage their proper maintenance (which includes snow plowing) by the responsible agencies given in bold type below.

Our second snow of the winter of 1999-2000 started on the afternoon of January 20. The paths I use were all plowed on Friday morning, but some were drifted pretty badly. I rode them again on Monday to see if there were any improvements through a weekend when it stayed below freezing. Please send updates and reports on the conditions of other paths in Massachusetts to Doug Mink dmink@cfa.harvard.edu.

Arnold Arboretum
1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic with no intersections
Boston Parks and Harvard University Friday's packed powder has turned to ice, but there was more clear pavement. It was rideable for an experienced ice biker.
Jamaicaway Bikepath
1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights
Boston Parks Deparment This was all plowed once, but the path between the Boathouse and Perkin St. is still impassable due to 6 inches of drifted snow. The parallel footpath was clearer, and the path around the pond is often bare pavement. There was more drifting downwind of Daisy Field, north of Willow Pond Ave., but is is not too deep to ride through. A second pass with a plow is needed.
Olmsted Park Paths
3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over River Road, , across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway.
Brookline Park Department These were not plowed.
Muddy River Path
12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections
Brookline Park Department and DPW This path has melted to clear pavement, often dry, due to last week's application of salt and sand.
B.U. Bridge
Icy approaches, with bare pavement on the sidewalk over the water. The Cambridge side has rough ice at the turn onto the Charles River bikepath.
Charles River Bikepath
Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections
Metropolitan District Commission The Cambridge side was plowed from the B.U. Bridge to Hawthorne St. (west of Harvard Square). Where there was drifting, it is a bit difficult, but I made it through. Much of the path now has at least a strip of clear pavement.
Southwest Corridor Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections
Metropolitan District Commission no report yet

Arnold Arboretum 1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic with no intersections Boston Parks and Harvard University	Friday's packed powder has turned to ice, but there was more clear pavement. It was rideable for an experienced ice biker.
Jamaicaway Bikepath 1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights Boston Parks Deparment	This was all plowed once, but the path between the Boathouse and Perkin St. is still impassable due to 6 inches of drifted snow. The parallel footpath was clearer, and the path around the pond is often bare pavement. There was more drifting downwind of Daisy Field, north of Willow Pond Ave., but is is not too deep to ride through. A second pass with a plow is needed.
Olmsted Park Paths 3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over River Road, , across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway. Brookline Park Department	These were not plowed.
Muddy River Path 12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections Brookline Park Department and DPW	This path has melted to clear pavement, often dry, due to last week's application of salt and sand.
B.U. Bridge	Icy approaches, with bare pavement on the sidewalk over the water. The Cambridge side has rough ice at the turn onto the Charles River bikepath.
Charles River Bikepath Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections Metropolitan District Commission	The Cambridge side was plowed from the B.U. Bridge to Hawthorne St. (west of Harvard Square). Where there was drifting, it is a bit difficult, but I made it through. Much of the path now has at least a strip of clear pavement.
Southwest Corridor Bikepath Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections Metropolitan District Commission	no report yet

MassBike Boston Bikepath Snow Plowing Report January 24, 2000

MassBike Boston Bikepath Snow Plowing Report
January 24, 2000