riding bike on community path/minuteman trail in the winter

[somervillesnow.livejournal.com]

Does anyone commute on the community path/minuteman trail into Arlington who would like to comment on its bikability after snowstorms?  Do Cambridge/Arlington sections differ from Somerville?

Comments

[squirrelitude]

When I lived in Arlington Center and commuted to Alewife, I was impressed by how quickly the Minuteman was cleared of snow. They usually cleared it just as quickly as the roads.

[cold-type.livejournal.com]

Whenever I run on the path in winter, I'm always surprised how no one clears the path past Arlington Center (after the path crosses Mass Ave going northward.)

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

I commute it, and most of the time it's plowed, but not salted. So there is often a thin layer of snow.

The exceptions have been when there's been a major storm and Arlington has not got to it in time - it seems to be one of the lowest priority routes.

[ron_newman]

For the last few years, Arlington has agreed to clear the entire path within its boundaries. Lexington signed on to do this as well, but has not been nearly as competent.

Cambridge and Somerville both clear their sections of the path quickly.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

...which is not to say it isn't icy and treacherous, merely that it's not regularly hip-deep in snow...

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

AFAIK Lexington has no intention of clearing the path. It's done privately, funded by donations, with some cooperation from the city to open the path for the machinery.

[ethanfield.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, I find the Minuteman most treacherous if it's been over a week since the big snowstorm. It's cleared immediately following a storm, but it isn't cleared or salted if there hasn't recently been a storm. So frequently, the big drifts on the side of the path will start to melt, flowing across the path, then freeze, then thaw... after about a week of that, there are sometimes large, hard, dark, ice floes across the path that are hard to see and navigate.

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

I commute the Minuteman year-round.

Somerville and Arlington do a decent job clearing usually, though if it's a very heavy storm Arlington does seem to treat it as lower priority than the roads. Winter before last at one point the path got in a mess of slushy ruts and footprints which then froze solid, and then couldn't be cleared for quite a while in many places and was not really passable on a bike.

Various cities and entities try to plow the entire length of the path. Arlington salts it as far out Lake St, or perhaps to Arlington Center(?) my memory is foggy since it's 18 months since a snowy winter. As others have noted this can be unreliable, and there can be icy patches. Otherwise it's just plowed with no salt. If you're prepared for the $100 or so, studded tires are a very good idea. Frozen puddles, runoff and frost patches are no worry with studs, and otherwise they can result in broken wrists or collarbones or worse.

Lexington city does not clear the path at all, and instead it is cleared privately, funded by donations. Before this got in full swing Lexington was shamed by Arlington. More recently it's been better cleared in Lexington (IMO).

I highly recommend trying to ride year-round, with studs. You can be comfortable with decent gloves (esp mittens), stout shoes, windproof outer layer etc.. If you feel chilled just pedal harder, but always carry more layers in a bag in case of problems. For me it makes winter much more pleasant because I'm getting fresh air and daylight every day. I much prefer it to the hot sticky summer commutes.

[somervillesnow.livejournal.com]

Given the mixed reviews, how are the roads in the winter? In general I've found that that roads in Arlington are pretty wide so relatively safe (not squished), but I haven't done the ride in the winter.

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

I go all the way to the Bedford line, and I find the path just so much nicer and less stressful than the roads, even when it's a bit tricky w.r.t. snow. I have gone off to the roads on occasion, but often when the snow is bad the extra width is full of snow. It's ok, but only in exceptional circumstances do I find it worth leaving the path - in which case I usually take the bus instead.

All that said, it's usually not a problem, and even in the worst winters I've usually only lost 4-5 weeks. Last year I lost almost no commute days to snow.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately there are plans to narrow Mass Ave in East Arlington. http://www.arlingtonma.gov/Public_Documents/ArlingtonMA_Planning/MassAve/index

Even though the new configuration will have bike lanes, I think it will be much less useful for biking when there are piles of snow reducing the width of the road.

If the new traffic lights and reduced number of car lanes cause traffic jams, that will also make things unpleasant for biking.

And they seem to have forgotten the winter of 2010-2011, where the snowbanks meant they had to ban parking on every street in East Arlington except Mass Ave, for about a *month*.

[tenshikurai9.livejournal.com]

I wonder what people without off-street parking did for that month.