MassPaths Bikepath Snow Plowing Report
Monday, February 13, 2014 (Updated to Saturday, February 15)

Bike paths and lanes are integral parts 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. If they are not plowed while the snow is still soft, paths with significant foot traffic become unskiable within a day, and remain a mess for everyone until the ice melts.

It started snowing Thursday morning and and alternated between rain and snow into the night, with the temperature hovering around freezing. We got a bit more snow in Boston than was forecast, maybe as much as 6 inches. There is ice everywhere, both on paths and on the edges of roads, definitely a day when studded tires inspire more confidence. Neoprene Bike Mitts kept my hands pretty dry, too. Since I biked to and from work on different routes, I got to see a variety of conditions, most of which I would not term bike-friendly.

Please send updates and reports on the conditions of other paths in Massachusetts to Jessica Mink.

Arnold Arboretum
1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic with no intersections
Boston Parks and Harvard University
Not checked yet, but probably icy because they don't salt.
Blackwell Footpath
A half-mile gravel path connecting the Forest Hills MBTA station and the South St. Arboretum entrance
Boston Parks and Harvard University
I didn't check it, but it is certainly not plowed and icy
Roslindale Bike Lanes
Two miles of bike lanes on both sides of Washington St. from Forest Hills to Roslindale Square and to West Roxbury on Belgrade Ave.
Boston Public Works Department
Clear, but often blocked by parked cars, and the paint is really wearing away.
Arborway "Bike Lanes"
1 mile of wide paved shoulder which is unmarked but usually clear of parked cars during rush hour
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Narrowed
Morton St. Buffered Bike Lanes
Cemetery Rd. to Harvard St.
MassDOT
Buffer and 1/2 to 3/4 of lane clear to bare pavement by Saturday morning.
Franklin Park Roads
Much of the park loop road is closed to motorized traffic and there are bike lanes on the main road.
Boston Parks and Public Works Departments
Not checked yet.
Centre/South Bike Lanes
A mile of bike lanes through the heart of Jamaica Plain from Jackson Square and the Southwest Corridor to Forest Hills
Boston Public Works Department
Like Roslindale, the bike lanes were clear, but cars were parked on them due to snow piled at the curb.
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
By Thursday night, there was quite a bit of bare pavement with slush. There was ice at the bottom of the hill south of Willow Pond Ave., so I would recommend studded tires even here.
Perkins St. Bike Lanes
1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Narrowed to near extinction
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
Plowed to ice by Thursday night.
Parkway and Netherlands Rd. Contraflow bike lanes
Two one-block contra-flow lanes plus and contraflow cycle track
Brookline Park Department and DPW
Parkway contraflow lane is mostly clear to pavement. Netherlands Rd. contra-flow lane still not plowed. Contraflow cycle track plowed but only narrow clear path.
Muddy River Path
12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections
Brookline Park Department and DPW
Packed snow to ice with a few clear stretches. I encountered two trucks plowing on Friday morning, but they didn't quite get to bare pavement.
Commonwealth Ave. Bike Lanes
Connecting the B.U. Bridge to Boston University Boston Transportation Department
Very clear by Thursday morning, at least where there were no parked cars.
Brookline Bike Lanes
Town of Brookline
Harvard St. bike lanes were plowed, but cars parked into them all too often.
B. U. Bridge Bike Lanes
Boston to Cambridge Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department
Clear on Thursday morning.
B. U. Bridge west sidewalk
Boston to Cambridge
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department or B.U.
It looked icy Thursday morning but not checked after storm.
Harvard (Mass. Ave.) Bridge bike lanes
Cambridge to Boston Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department
Not checked yet.
Longfellow Bridge bike lanes
Cambridge to Boston Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department
Pretty clear except Boston end by Friday night.
Boston Common Paths
Boston Boston Parks Department
Despite the fact that bikes aren't allowed, these well-plowed paths, especially the wide ones allow access from Charles St., which is more bike-friendly than Cambridge St., coming off the Longfellow Bridge to Downtown Crossing. By Friday night, they were all clear, and I used the side one parallel to Charles St. as a contraflow lane to get to Boylston and a play at the Paramount Theater.
Charles River Bikepaths
Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Expecting them to be icy from the remnants of the last storm and late plowing, I have been avoiding them.
J.F.K. Park
Wide, shared bike-ped path from river to Harvard Square
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Plowed to slush on Thursday night.
Western Ave. Cycletrack
Cambridge Cambridge DPW
Not checked yet.
Western Ave. Cycletrack
Boston Boston DPW
Not checked yet.
N. Harvard St. bike lanes
Boston Boston DPW
Narrowed by snow and large puddles.
Lincoln St. to Cambridge St. MassPike Bridge
Bike/Ped connection from Harvard Square to Allston's Harvard Ave. district via Franklin St.
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
North approach was plowed, but very icy, but the bridge was clear. South approach was unplowed and difficult. Safer on studded tires than on foot!
Southwest Corridor Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation
From Roxbury Crossing to Forest Hills, the path was well-plowed, but poor drainage of melting snow led to unavoidable stretches of black ice by Friday night. It was an easy and fast ride on studded tires, but I would avoid it without studs.
South Bay Harbor Trail
Bike/Ped path from the Federal Court House up Fort Point Channel to the Southwest Corridor
City of Boston
Not checked.
Neponset Trail
Mostly paved Bike/Ped path
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet
Somerville Community Path
Wide rail trail from Davis Square to Cedar St.
City of Somerville
Not checked, but probably plowed.
Red Line Linear Park Path
Alewife MBTA station to Davis Square over Red Line
City of Cambridge City of Somerville
Not checked yet, but probably plowed.
Danehy Park Paths
City of Cambridge
Not checked, but probably plowed
Cambridge Bike Lanes
Striped lanes of varying widths on major and connecting streets
City of Cambridge
Not always plowed, and often parked over. The Hampshire St. lanes were often usable by Friday night.
Vassar St. Cycle Track
Buffered bike lanes from Main St. to Memorial Drive (almost)
City of Cambridge
Not checked.
Fresh Pond Bike Path
Parallel to Fresh Pond Parkway in Kingsley Park
City of Cambridge
Not checked yet
Alewife Brook Trail
DCR
Stone dust and boardwalk sections are never plowed. You could probably ride it with snow tires because pedestrians pack it down.
Fitchburg Cutoff Trail
DCR
Not checked yet.
Concord Ave. Cycle Track
Buffered bike lanes from Belmont to Fresh Pond Parkway
City of Cambridge
Not checked yet.
Alewife Parkway Bridge Sidewalk
Connection from Minuteman Bikepath to Fresh Pond and beyond
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet.
Minuteman "Commuter Bikeway"

Towns of Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford
Reports of lots of ice.
Upper Charles Reservation
Watertown, Newton, Waltham
4+ miles of paved and unpaved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet
Revere Beach Reservation
Revere
Shared use paths (or very wide sidewalks)
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet.
Northern Strand Community Trail
Everett and Malden
Shared use path
Everett and Malden DPW
No Report.
Stony Brook Reservation
Hyde Park
4+ miles of paved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
These paths aren't plowed because they get relatively little transportation use and because they are used by cross-country skiers like me. There are marked narrow bike lanes on Enneking Parkway through the reservation which are probably clear.
Former Metropolitan State Hospital
Belmont, Waltham
paved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet.
Assabet River Rail Trail
Hudson and Marlborough, so far
Town of Hudson, City of Marlborough (so far)
Not checked, but probably not plowed.
Northampton Bikeway
East-west across the City of Northampton
City of Northampton
Craig Della Penna, who lives next to the path, has reported that it is the intention of the DPW to make it passable ASAP after a storm. If the storm is significant, then they plow it repeatedly --sometimes 10-12 times during the course of the storm to ensure its usability.
Norwottuck Rail Trail
Northampton to Amherst
Department of Conservation and Recreation
No report.