Fwd: Reminder -- Regional Greenway Meeting Tomorrow (Thursday) 6:30 pm
Tom Connors
From: Steven Miller <St...@livablestreets.info>
Date: Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 2:58 PM
Subject: Reminder -- Regional Greenway Meeting Tomorrow (Thursday) 6:30 pm
To: Steve Miller <st...@livablestreets.info>
ALL:
It doesn't look like the snow will be bad enough to prevent our meeting from happening....so I hope to see you all 50 people who have RSVP'd so far!
We will be meeting in Room G-2 of the Kresge Building at the Harvard School of Public Health. The main entrance is on Huntington Ave, but it might be easier to walk around the building to the rear and use the entrance next to the cafeteria.
Room G-2 is located down the stairs in the front of the cafeteria. (Go down the stairway, turn left, G-2 is straight ahead on the right.)
Huntington Avenue is on the "E" branch of the MBTA's Green Line. If you are driving there are several parking lots in the area. If you are coming by bicycle, there are a lot of bike racks in the rear of the building at the rear of the plaza.
Happy winter to all!
Steven E. Miller
Executive Director, Healthy Weight Initiative, HSPH, Dept. of Nutrition
Board of Directors, LivableStreets Alliance
cell: 617-686-1050
Blog: "Transportation, Health, and Livable Communities" -- http://blog.livablestreets.info/
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SOME Q&A ABOUT THE GreenRoutes IDEA
Q. “GreenRoutes” -- where did the name come from?
-- We just made it up. It’s simply a placeholder until we all agree on something else.
Q. Is this simply about creating an inter-connected series of bicycle networks?
-- No. The GreenRoutes vision includes hiking, open space/parks, and cycling facilities – a “greenway system.”
Q. Greenway…GreenRoutes….what’s the difference?
-- Our current thought is that the GreenRoutes system would constitute the “backbone” or “skeleton” of a denser cycling, walking, and/or greenway network in each municipality – the kind of existing or desired local infrastructure that local groups have been and will need to continue to push for. GreenRoutes would include the major radial and circumferential “corridors” connecting various cities in the metro area to each other and to Boston. Extending out from the GreenRoutes would be local greenways, bike networks, walkways, hiking paths, parks, and open spaces.
Q. Ok, then what is the difference between a “greenway system” and a “bike network?”
-- A bike network creates continuous, often dense, routes within a neighborhood, city, or other area. It may have to include segments on heavily trafficked roads or other “high stress” routes. For example, Mass Ave in Boston is an essential part of the city’s planned bike network. In contrast, when it comes to bicycle usage, our vision for the GreenRoutes system is that it is composed of “low stress” routes on multi-use paths (often within parks or other open space, or alongside streets), or on traffic-separated “cycle tracks” or “buffered bike lanes” next to roads, or on low-traffic tree-lined residential streets (“neighborways”). These routes would be inviting to cyclists of all ability levels and all ages for both recreational and commuting/transportation purposes. Bike networks will definitely want to use as much of these user-friendly routes as possible, but they will extend beyond and be much denser than the greenways.
Q. Doesn’t a lot of this already exist in the form of regional hiking trails (e.g. Bay Circuit) or multi-use paths (e.g. Minuteman) or undeveloped space (e.g. the MWRA aqueduct system)?
-- Yes. The GreenRoutes effort will build on that existing inventory and focus on filling the gaps between them or on those areas that need significant upgrading in order to serve as a regional “corridor.” In addition, there are some “empty” areas which will be vital links in a future regional system but where the right-of-way may be lost without quick action.
Q. Would the Coalition take responsibility for finding funding or creating a design or doing programming to activate any projects?
-- No. The Coalition would essentially be an advocacy group. There may be times when the advocacy effort would be helped by the development of drawings or conceptual designs or even preliminary engineering plans for various high priority projects. If funding is available, it would also be good to provide some kinds of technical assistance to local groups. But the current idea is that the final engineering design, construction, and maintenance of the infrastructure would be done by the current set of state, municipal, and non-profit agencies.
Q. If this is all about regional connections, how will it benefit my local project (trail, park, path, bike lanes, etc.)?
-- Local projects have greater value, and become more fundable, when they are part of a larger system. Having a regional vision (and map – see below) will help ensure that local planners know how to connect what they’re working on to the “next segment.” Finally, it never hurts to have a lot of allies to call upon for support when you’re trying to push through bureaucratic obstructions or seeking funds!
Q. Is anything already underway towards this vision?
Several groups (MAPC, NEU) are already working on creating a unified map of existing inventory, currently planned additions, and potential gap-filling needs. MAPC is also working on creating a phone app that would allow the public to look for nearby park & other facilities as well as suggest good ways to get there. NEU students have already done conceptual designs for several needed segments in Boston and the city is developing a major bike network plan. Lots of local groups al around the region are moving forward with their currently separate projects. A state-wide Rail-Trail group (Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory Board; MARTAB) is trying to re-energize itself. The East Coast Greenway has put some effort into eastern Massachusetts routes. MassDOT is now requiring that each regional MPO take responsibility for some percentage reduction of transportation-related greenhouse gases. If the federal Transportation Enhancement and CMAQ programs survive Congressional attacks, MassDOT has set up an incentive program to encourage MPOs to direct funds towards bicycle projects (both in support of the dormant Bay State Bike Plan and separately). The MWRA has announced a new policy to make some of their extensive holdings available for certain kinds of use. Other groups are beginning to talk about “branding” – a logo, wayfinding signage designs, a website, etc. that would help visibly knit together the region’s existing routes. (Check out plans in the Philadelphia region and also a completed system in Quebec for a model of what we could create…. http://completethetrails.org/ and http://www.routeverte.com/routeverte_carte/index.php?langue=en )
Q. What do you hope to accomplish at this meeting?
-- This is a kick-off meeting. We will maps showing existing inventory, currently planned additions, and potential needs. We will discuss examples of similar projects in other locations and criteria for selecting our own “gap closing” priorities. If attendees agree that we should work toward developing a regional greenway system, we hope to set up an “Interim Coordinating Committee.” And then move on ...
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DRAFT GREENROUTES DESCRIPTION:
“GreenRoutes is a web of regional radial and circumferential corridors comprising hundreds of miles of off-road, multi-use paths and trails in parks and park-like settings, supplemented by separated-from-traffic cycletracks and buffered bike lanes and by tree-lined, low-traffic streets (“neighborways”). The multi-use paths, bike networks, hiking trails, parks, and open spaces extending out from the GreenRoutes corridors reach every neighborhood and municipality in metro Boston, linking them to each other as well as to centers of employment, shopping, and cultural and recreational interest. GreenRoutes is a highly valued recreational and tourism resource, connecting and extending our parklands into adjacent neighborhoods and serving as the “armature” for additional green areas – from urban pocket parks and playgrounds to more extensive suburban conservation areas. In addition to reducing car trips and providing an often faster method of moving around, the regional greenway system of which GreenRoutes is an important component has significant environmental, climate protection, public health, economic, and social justice benefits, making it easier for people in low-income or under-served communities to access the region’s resources. Local projects have additional value and appeal by being part of this larger vision. And regional coordination helps insure that local projects include appropriate linkages to the many segments of the envisioned GreenRoutes corridors that already exist or will be eventually built, avoiding the creation of dead-ends and “paths to nowhere.” The GreenRoutes Coalition focuses on coordination and information sharing among the many projects within the region, and mobilizes support for state-level action and funding to close gaps and expand the overall system. Within the larger vision and a unified overall map of existing resources, major desire lines, and possible connection points, local Project Committes will take the lead on specific efforts.”