Watertown, MA Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee

Watertown, MA, US

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"350px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":false,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":42.365252777777776,"lon":-71.18432222222222,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Type: Policy

Status: Established in 1995

Source File: http://watertownbikeped.org/

Description:

Since 1995, the Watertown Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee has served the Town of Watertown, Massachusetts by:

• advocating for the interests of bicyclists and pedestrians in matters before the Town;
• supporting the development of bicycle and recreational paths in Watertown;
• sponsoring special bicycling events;
• raising awareness of bicycling and pedestrian issues.

The Committee works to promote non-motorized transportation in Watertown. We believe communities that actively encourage citizens to bike and to walk are cleaner, healthier, more business-friendly, and generally more livable than communities that neglect transportation alternatives.

We want Watertown to be a place without barriers to walking and biking, where residents can find facilities for their bikes as easily as they can for their cars. It should be a town in which pedestrians can use unobstructed sidewalks, and can cross busy intersections safely.

We envision expanded commuting and recreational paths for walkers and cyclists, connecting Watertown to neighboring towns, and allowing our citizens to reduce their dependence on automobiles.

The Committee is actively engaged with the Town government, our Town's representatives in State government, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and advocacy groups such as MassBike. We coordinate with all these entities to further our vision.

Watertown Bikers Take Advantage of New Racks
Earlier this spring, the Watertown DPW installed about 40 new bike racks around town, and they are getting good use. The racks were installed primarily around Watertown Square and Coolidge Square, and there are new racks at Victory Field and other locations as well.

The Town acquired these racks at no cost through a grant program sponsored by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, a state agency whose mission includes the promotion of alternative transportation. DPW Superintendent Gerry Mee recognized this opportunity to realize a a substantial infrastructure improvement at minimal cost to the Town. The work was started last fall, and completed in April.

All around town, cyclists have been locking up to the new racks, most of which are in convenient locations next to businesses and recreational resources. Besides giving cyclists secure parking, the racks have the added benefit of getting bikes off of trees, which can be damaged, and off of signposts and parking meters, where they are often insecure and in the way of pedestrians. The WBPC encourages cyclists to take full advantage of the new racks, and to let us know if there are other places where a rack is badly needed.