MassBike Bikepath Snow Plowing Report
Friday, February 6, 2004

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. Paths with significant foot traffic become unskiable within a day, and remain a mess for everyone if they are not plowed while the snow is still soft.

The snow start falling around 7:00 am and was light and fluffy. I rode the Southwest Corridor in the early morning with just a dusting and the Charles River Bikepath in the late morning with a couple of inches of snow. The only plowing I saw was around Ruggles MBTA station. By evening, the City of Boston and the Town of Brookline did a pretty good job, not quite bare pavement, but a very ridable thin layer of slush. The Division of Conservation and Recreation seems to have gotten to the Charles River Path sometime over the weekend.

Note the addition of the Norwottuck Rail Trail this time

Please send updates and reports on the conditions of other paths in Massachusetts to Doug Mink dmink@massbike.org.

Arnold Arboretum
1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic with no intersections
Boston Parks and Harvard University
I didn't bike through the Arboretum until Monday. The road between Bussey Brook and Hemlock Hill had some large icy patches, but the other the park roads were almost entirely clear.
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 path was plowed by Friday night. There is still sand on the path so there weren't any icy stretches on Monday morning. There is a snow pile between the northern bollards which you have to ride around.
Olmsted Park Paths
3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over Riverdale Road, across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway.
Brookline Park Department
The bike path was plowed by Friday evening, the first time I've seen it plowed this year.
Muddy River Path
12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections
Brookline Park Department and DPW
This path was plowed by evening to bare pavement.
B.U. Bridge
The sidewalks were mostly plowed by Wednesday evening, but the Cambridge approach remained icy for over a week.
Charles River Bikepath
Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Division of Urban Parks and Recreation
This path was a slushy ride on Friday evening, but it looks like the DCR plowed the path sometime over the weekend, because it was almost totally clear by Monday morning, even in the shaded areas which have been icy for weeks. Thank the DCR for plowing the path at their feedback web page.
Southwest Corridor Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Division of Urban Parks and Recreation
It was plowed around the MBTA stations, but I'm not sure about the rest. If you want it plowed, let the DCR know at their feedback web page.
Melnea Cass Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path
Boston Parks or Transportation Deparment
Not checked yet.
Neponset Trail
Mostly paved Bike/Ped path
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Division of Urban Parks and Recreation
This path is not plowed.
Cambridge Bike Lanes
Striped lanes of varying widths on major and connecting streets
City of Cambridge
There still isn't enough snow to force cars away from the curb, so the bikelanes are pretty usable.
Fresh Pond Bike Path
Parallel to Fresh Pond Parkway in Kingsley Park
City of Cambridge
Not checked yet.
Minuteman Bikeway
From Cambridge through Arlington and Lexington to Bedford
Each town
It may be plowed in Arlington, as far as Varnum Street, but don't count on it. The rest of the path westward is unplowed on purpose.
Northampton Bikeway
East-west across the City of Northampton
City of Northampton
No report yet.
Norwottuck Rail Trail
Northampton to Amherst
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Division of State Parks and Recreation
A portion of the Norwottuck Rail Trail from roughly Baker St. to S. Pleasant St. has been plowed after the past few snowstorms. The plowed section allows travel from the UMass Bikeway Connector to S. Pleasant St. I'm not sure who's doing this... There is one thick icy patch of a few tens of feet, but the path is otherwise rideable.
-Alex von Braun