Snow cleared on paths?

[somervillebeat.livejournal.com]

Has anyone been out on the Minuteman or Cambridge Esplanade today? Trying to find out how clear they are after the snow. Thanks!!!

Comments

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

I walked down the minuteman bike path last night and it's clear. They usually get to them pretty quickly. I imagine the esplanade is the same.

[ron_newman]

How far down the Minuteman?

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

Davis to mass ave.

[mattglet.livejournal.com]

Past Alewife it's not that great... a lot of snow and ice.

[somervillebeat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the feedback!

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Let's all remember this when people say Mass Ave in Arlington doesn't need to accommodate bikes.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

Side complaint: The sidewalks were completely iced over along Alewife Brook Parkway today. I didn't even get as far as my normal path along the brook in Arlington because I knew it would be even worse over there. They also didn't get rid of the snow on the walking paths in Dilboy, my alternate route to work. That's Somerville, Cambridge, and Arlington all failing at clearing the way for bikes.

[ron_newman]

I don't think of that as the 'Minuteman', which to me starts at Alewife and runs north through Arlington and Lexington to Bedford.

Here are some e-mails I got from the BayStateCycling e-mail list about the Minuteman yesterday:

-----------------
From: Rod Holland <rholland1951@gmail.com>
Date: December 31, 2012 9:42:57 AM EST

Rode the Minuteman yesterday from Arlington Center to Lexington
Center. Both Arlington and Lexington plowed their sections of the
Trail (at least, over that interval). Surface conditions range from
bare pavement to packed snow to icy snow to black ice to bumpy ice,
with conditions varying on an almost meter-by-meter basis at times.
It's was a piece of cake with studded tires (in my case, Nokian W240
26" x 47mm), but would require a cyclist's skill and concentration
(and a little nerve) to ride otherwise. As melting-refreezing occurs,
along with blowing snow and the occasional flurry, conditions on any
given section will evolve.

Encountered one obstruction: a relatively slender tree, just North of
Seasons Four, that has bowed across the trail. This can be ridden
under (at least as of yesterday), but requires ducking. Failure to
notice it (e.g., by a cyclist riding at night without lights) could
result in a nasty accident. If it gets any lower (probable), it will
require dismounting to circumvent.

------------------------
From: Rod Holland <rholland1951@gmail.com>
Date: December 31, 2012 11:54:22 PM EST

The tree obstruction hazard described in the original post has been removed.

By way of an update, took another ride on the Minuteman this afternoon
and evening, as far as Wiggins Ave, Bedford. The Bedford section
beyond Wiggins Ave. (continuing to Depot Park) is NOT plowed, and is a
bit of a mess, churned up with footprints. I'm not a skier, but it
would be interesting to have someone who is comment on the suitability
of that surface for XC skiing. In any event, the do-not-plow model is
being implemented in Bedford.

On the plowed sections in Arlington and Lexington, 24 hours that
elapsed since the previous ride allowed for a good deal of melting and
refreezing; there's a lot more bare pavement in Lexington now,
punctuated with occasional fields of black ice. Arlington retains more
packed snow, along with a fair bit of ice in various forms. Both are
easily passable with studded tires, but today I saw half-a-dozen other
cyclists out and covering the same terrain, none with studs, and a
couple running 23mm road tires (brave souls); all were upright, at
least when I saw them, and the snow is covered with tire tracks.

Studded bicycle tires are a well-known enabler of year-round bicycle
commuters in cold climates. When paths are plowed, studded tires work
very nicely indeed to mitigate ice. Many folks simply ride on their
normal tires, substituting skill for studs. To some extent, paths
become even more valuable in icy conditions, since it's even less
desirable than usual to be running with the bulls (cars and trucks)
when the bulls are slipping on the road surface; this value is only
realized when paths are plowed.

Studded tires are only a part of the winter riding story, along with
adequate clothing, understanding the increased need for hydration and
fuel, and some changes in riding tactics and skill refinement.

Two useful links:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp
http://www.icebike.org/

rod

[ron_newman]

See the e-mails in my comment above yours.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I think the DCR attempted to clear the parkway sidewalks near Alewife with a mini-plow. But this type of snow packed really easily, so the last inch turned into a sheet of ice because they didn't salt.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

I think it's ridiculous that we should be expected to buy a new set of tires (the whole reason I'm still commuting by bike in 8 degree weather is because I can't afford other means of transportation!) instead of the city keeping the paths cleared, when they fine us for not clearing our sidewalks.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

Yeah, not the ones in Somerville though. I almost fell yesterday biking home on the Parkway (at the intersection with Woodstock St), when I suddenly ended up on a huge sheet of black ice, which I couldn't see because all the streetlights over there are also all out. They didn't even attempt to clear any snow off the new wood bridge between Woodstock St and Broadway. Ever since the snow five days ago, I've had to ride a mile out of my way in order to get home without hitting ice. I've reported all of this to the city via the website, but haven't heard anything back yet.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

Er, by "not in Somerville though" I mean they didn't clear the snow off parts of the Parkway sidewalk in Somerville, and definitely didn't do a thing about the ice.

[ron_newman]

I'd ride on the Route 16 roadway rather than the sidewalk until this stuff melts or is cleared.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

I hesitantly decided to take that route home today and found that with the slightly higher temps today, most of the ice is gone from the sidewalks now, except on the bridge at Woodstock St. No thanks to the city. I would not ride on the Route 16 roadway. I'm not an especially fast biker (I ride a hybrid), the cars go way too fast, and there's no shoulder. Plus there are quite a few blind curves where cars couldn't see me and could easily hit me if they round them too fast.

[ron_newman]

Would you be interested in coming to the January 15 meeting of the Somerville Bicycle Committee and putting this on the agenda?

I suspect the state (DCR) is responsible for clearing the Alewife Greenway paths, rather than the municipalities, but I don't know that for sure.

(I also ride a hybrid, and used to regularly ride on 16 before the recent path improvements. At night, I depended on blinking tail-lights to keep me out of trouble.)

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

Time and place? I might be up for it, depending on my schedule. I also think it's up to the state, but Somerville needs to start pushing the state to do better upkeep on 16. I am not the only person who lives here, and I regularly pass plenty of other bikers on the sidewalk along the Parkway.

I do have a headlight and a blinking taillight, but I don't trust cars to always notice those (especially coming around a corner) or to be able to judge the amount of distance they need to leave in order to clear me. Also, the couple of times I did try biking on the roadway, I got honked at a LOT, which distracts me and the cars around me, making it even more dangerous.

[ron_newman]

Tuesday 1/15, 7 pm, Somerville City Hall basement conference room. Even if you can't make it, we may want to discuss this issue.

(We meet on the third Tuesday of every month, same time and location.)

I ignore honking horns entirely, considering them to be useless noise.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

I might go. Might be tough on a weeknight, but I'm pretty passionate about trying to make the Parkway liveable/bikeable.