WAKEFIELD DAILY ITEM
Comments
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17,2004
PAGE 4
Bicyclists have to be ecstatic about the plan to turn the o1d freight railroad line running from the Junction to Reedy Meadow and beyond into a bike trail.
Local residents and others who belong to the Wakefield Bicycle Committee and the North Suburban Regional Bicycle Transportation Plan succeeded in getting the selectmen's support Monday in a couple of ways.
A local Rail to Trail Committee will be formed to handle the particulars of the potential granting of the rail line from the MBTA and line lessee Guilford Transportation to the town.
Also, the selectmen went public with their support of the plan, which may speed the process of turning over the line.
Bicycle enthusiasts have known for years that rail trails offer a safe and enjoyable alternative to riding on our congested streets.
The wildly popular Minuteman Bike Trail which runs from Bedford to Alewife station in Cambridge is a magnet for cyclists, in-line skaters, walkers and joggers, and provides a mix of urban and rural landscapes on its 11-plus-mile path.
A similar trail through the Reedy Meadow and beyond would be idyllic.
But there's lots of work to be done before the trail becomes a reality, not the least of which is getting rights to the rail line from entities that aren't known for moving too swiftly.
Lowell Street resident Emmett Halpin, a longtime bicycling enthusiast, said a portion of the North Suburban Regional Bicycle Transportation Plan involves converting the rail line cutting through the Junction to Water Street and into Lynnfield into the bike trail. The linear park is estimated to cost about $325,000.
Guilford Transportation has already notified Wakefield of its intention to abandon the rail line, and in the spring of 2003, Town Administrator Thomas P. Butler wrote to the MBTA that Wakefield has "considerable interest in obtaining rights" to the abandoned property.
The abandonment process, however, is moving slowly. Halpin told the selectmen he has spoken with Guilford representatives three times this year, and each time there was no reported movement on the abandonment.
State Rep. Michael E. Festa, who was at the selectmen's meeting Monday, vowed support for the plan and offered to help in any way he could.
It looks like a bit of pressure on Beacon Hill, from all of our legislators, and pressure from the public will go a long way in making the trail a reality.