Rail Trails: Bringing Community Consensus

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Rail Trails Bringing Community Consensus

• May 7, 2009
• Friends of the Southampton Greenway

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Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

• Phase I 7.0 miles from Lowell to Rte 225 in
  Westford. Rail bed owned by EOTC.
• Phase II 13 miles from Westford to Rte 20 in
  Sudbury. Rail bed owned by EOTC.
• Phase III 4.5 miles from Rte 20 in Sudbury to
  Rte 9 in Framingham. Rail bed owned by CSX.

brucefreemanrailtrail.org
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Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Sudbury
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Route 20 Crossing
N
5
South Sudbury Station
Northampton
Framingham
Lowell
Boston
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Crossing of the Bruce Freeman and Mass. Central
Rail Trails
Chiswick Park
Owned by MBTA
N
Owned by CSX Phase 3
Owned by EOT Phase 2
Union Ave.
7
Morse Road Crossing
N
8
Route 117/North Road Crossing
Windmill Dr.
Davis Conservation Recreation Areas
N
9
Concord Sudbury Town Line
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Wayside/Mass. Central Rail Trail
Rail bed from Boston to the middle of Berlin
owned by the MBTA. Last commuter train to
Sudbury in the 1970s. 25 miles from east Waltham
to Berlin proposed as a rail trail.
masscentralrailtrail.org massbike.org/bikeways/wa
yside/
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Arguments Against A Rail Trail

• Privacy
• Concerns about crime and safety
• Trespassing
• Real estate values
• Interference with commercial operations
• Costs Construction Maintenance
• Damage to the environment

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Studies of Existing Rail Trails

• http//brucefreemanrailtrail.org/trail_plans/rail_
  trail_studies.html
• Contains all known studies of existing rail
  trails in the US.
• Studies done by or under auspices of government
  agencies, and/or by academics.
• Studies contain systematic survey data.
• Does not contain studies of trail users.
  Uniformly positive.
• Does not contain newspaper articles, opinion
  pieces or studies done by pro or con rail trail
  organizations.
• Contains some studies cited by trail opponents.
• Often dismissed by trail opponents as
  cherry-picked studies.
• Have convinced many that
• Rail trails do not decrease property values.
• Rail trails do not increase crime.
• People are happy with rail trails in their
  communities.

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Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, 1st Round.

• http//www.town.sudbury.ma.us/documents/dl/4421/Re
  gional_overview_V2_links.pdf
• 1985 Following guidance from Rep. Bruce Freeman,
  a small Chelmsford group explored a rail trail in
  their town.
• 1986 Bruce Freeman died.
• 1987 CTPS released their study
• Conclusion trail is feasible.
• Presentations made in towns along the trail.
• Opposition quickly formed in Sudbury.
• Sudbury Selectmen tabled the proposal.
• Appointed a Bike Trail Committee.
• Committee never formally met.

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Lessons Learned from 1st Round

• Opponents are quickly alarmed and get organized
  in opposition.
• Often emotional
• Fear and standard NIMBY issues dominate.
• Town officials back off.
• Lack of information cited as one reason for not
  proceeding.
• Proponents need to organize right away.
• Outreach to opponents is important.
• Friends organizations provide key political
  support for Town officials.

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Wayside/Mass. Central Rail Trail, 1st Round

• massbike.org/bikeways/wayside/
• 1971 Last commuter train.
• 1990s Commuter rail proposed for the rail bed.
• 1997 CTPS released their study
• Conclusion trail is feasible.
• Presentations made in towns along the trail.
• Spring 1997 All communities voted to support a
  rail trail.
• Weston appointed a committee to study how the
  trail should proceed in that town.
• Weston Committee dominated by equestrians and
  other trail opponents.
• Weston, December 1997
• Rail Trail Committee presented their very
  negative report.
• Large contentious Town Meeting voted against the
  trail.
• Proposed trail went dormant for many years.

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Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, 2nd Round

• 2002 Construction of Phase 1 looking likely.
• 2002 Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
  formed.
• Same name adopted in all towns.
• Friends organized to support each other in all
  towns.
• Concerted efforts to collect names of supporters
  (3000).
• Outreach to trail neighbors
• Letters, phone calls and coffees in Concord and
  Sudbury
• Done in advance of any official town activity.
• Opposition groups formed
• Sudbury Citizens for Responsible Land Stewardship
• Concord Rural Trails
• Citizens Against Rail Trails (Framingham)
• Main thrust environmental degradation
• http//www.town.sudbury.ma.us/documents/dl/4421/Re
  gional_overview_V2_links.pdf

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BFRT Debate in Sudbury

• Rail Trail Conversion Advisory Committee formed.
• Two strong abutter opponents appointed
• Five Friends of the BFRT appointed.
• Survey sent to all trail neighbors
• About equal pro and con responses.
• Reviewed at 9/14/2006 forum. (RTCAC web site).
• All rail-trail Town Meeting articles have passed
  (CPA)
• Feasibility study
• Title search, survey, wildlife study
• Purchase of CSX rail bed.
• Funding for 25 design put off.

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BFRT Debate in Concord

• Friends of the BFRT collected 25K in donations
  for a feasibility study.
• 2005 BFRT Advisory Committee formed.
• One Friend of the BFRT appointed.
• Two opponents appointed.
• 2006 Friends of Concord Rural Trails formed.
• 2008 Town Meeting
• Selectmen forced an article for a compromise
  design (Passed).
• Concord Rural Trails submitted their own design
  (Defeated).
• A Rail Trail for everyone submitted an article
  for a paved trail (Passed).

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Wayside/Mass. Central Rail Trail, 2nd Round

• Rail trail brownfields bill passed.
• Initiated by Senator Pam Resor
• Provides mechanism to relieve MBTA of
  environmental liability.
• Waltham continued to push ahead.
• Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
  will lease the rail bed.
• DCR has experience in creating rail trails.
• 12/08 DCR met with Weston Board of Selectmen.
• Chair Led 1998 opposition study.
• Weston has no legal say concerning the rail
  trail.
• No opposing statements from BOS or audience.