Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

Ruairi said:
I wonder if they'll be able to open the path before the actual T if it's finished while the new rail system is being tested and finalized.
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At a previous community meeting they said that they wouldn’t open the community path until work is complete on the line since the community path being open would disrupt work.
 
jcunion said:
At a previous community meeting they said that they wouldn’t open the community path until work is complete on the line since the community path being open would disrupt work.
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ah well, thanks for the info
 
I hate to speculate, but what the hell. With the pushed out service start date, that may change previous comments about the path opening in tandem with service. Reason is the winter. They were slated to open the thing, with all testing complete, in December. My hunch is May is the earliest date after December that you could reasonably open a new service like this. But that means they are testing on a finished line all winter. It is entirely possible that all the fencing, plantings and lighting are in place by December for the path, even if they still need to complete testing over the winter. That offers a silver lining of a path opening date ahead of May.
 
If the path is sitting nearly complete behind flimsy fencing, then folks will just ignore the fencing.
 
The path is now graded right up to the end of the existing path by the Lowell St bridge; I expect that'll see pavement shortly.
 
Sadly, They’ve said they won’t open the path until the rail opens (Whether or not the path is ready)
 
Views from Cross st. Bridge
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Is the graveled part on the right side going to be a walkway?
 
HelloBostonHi said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1418932396116824073
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I recently moved from Inman to Magoun, and am planning on biking the path into work in Copley once it's completed. I'm stoked, but man, the width of the new path is really going to make it annoying during the summer when people are out. The path is going to be incredibly nice safety wise (from cars) and should be quick because of the few street crossings, but contending with the foot traffic is going to make it super annoying and may drive me back onto the streets. I hope I'm wrong, though! This is going to be an incredible asset to the community.
 
greenlinetobrooklyn said:
I recently moved from Inman to Magoun, and am planning on biking the path into work in Copley once it's completed. I'm stoked, but man, the width of the new path is really going to make it annoying during the summer when people are out. The path is going to be incredibly nice safety wise (from cars) and should be quick because of the few street crossings, but contending with the foot traffic is going to make it super annoying and may drive me back onto the streets. I hope I'm wrong, though! This is going to be an incredible asset to the community.
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I bike on paved path quite a bit. If a pedestrian will just stay to his/her right on the path, it is fine. It's when they wander from side to side or two or more take up the full width that it becomes a problem for a cyclist to get around them.
 
Charlie_mta said:
I bike on paved path quite a bit. If a pedestrian will just stay to his/her right on the path, it is fine. It's when they wander from side to side or two or more take up the full width that it becomes a problem for a cyclist to get around them.
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sorry Charlie but I can’t stand cyclists on the sidewalks. I shouldn’t have to think about what side of the sidewalk me or my kids are walking on. Get off and push it or use the road.
edit: maybe I’m misunderstanding ’paved path’ if so, apologies for ranting.
 
Charlie_mta said:
I bike on paved path quite a bit. If a pedestrian will just stay to his/her right on the path, it is fine. It's when they wander from side to side or two or more take up the full width that it becomes a problem for a cyclist to get around them.
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I think some frequent pavement markings indicating the speed at which you wish to use the path would be helpful. Could be as simple as a walking figure with an arrow to the right and a running man and a bike with an arrow to the left. While I try to stick to walking on the right as best I can, like you, but not on a bike, I find myself constantly weaving around people going every direction.
 
I’d say pedestrians always have the right of way, perhaps with the exception on…freeways? Also, I don’t think the community path should be thought of as the same thing as a dedicated bike lane, like you’ll find on the streets. It’s not a bicycle expressway.
 
Ruairi said:
sorry Charlie but I can’t stand cyclists on the sidewalks. I shouldn’t have to think about what side of the sidewalk me or my kids are walking on. Get off and push it or use the road.
edit: maybe I’m misunderstanding ’paved path’ if so, apologies for ranting.
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I don't mean a sidewalk. I was talking about a paved path like the new one along GLX or the Minuteman Bikeway.
 
The Mass standard (and most other places) for shared trails is horses (if allowed )have #1 priority, pedestrians #2 bicycles #3 and everybody stays to the right. I've seen many signs on Central Mass trails indicating such . It's also a common practice here for bicyclists to call out "on your left" when passing someone. It's only common sense the user going the fastest has to maintain control. I can't find an online Mass example but here is a similar one from a site called lowergear.com
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By my observation, with this weekend’s completion of the second track through Gilman Square station, there is one continuous track from East Somerville through north of Ball Square.
 
Ruairi said:
sorry Charlie but I can’t stand cyclists on the sidewalks. I shouldn’t have to think about what side of the sidewalk me or my kids are walking on. Get off and push it or use the road.
edit: maybe I’m misunderstanding ’paved path’ if so, apologies for ranting.
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Completely agree about sidewalks, and I almost never ride on one, even though in most places, bike riders are legally allowed to do so. But in this case, we're talking about a shared used path, that is explicitly for both pedestrians and wheeled personal mobility vehicles. It is, unfortunately, a bit narrow, which is why Charlie and others hope that pedestrians are aware of the shared use aspect of the path, and are able to keep to one side in a predictable manner.
 
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