MassBike Boston Bikepath Snow Plowing Report
January 8, 2002

Bikepaths are an integral part of the bicycle transportation network, and these reports are provided to encourage their use by bicyclists who might otherwise not venture out in the snow, and to encourage their proper maintenance (which includes snow plowing) by the responsible agencies given in bold type below.

Rain turned to snow in the afternoon of Monday, January 8, and it snowed longer into the night than was originally expected, leaving a coating of 1-2 inches of snow with a frozen slush base. The paths in Boston and Brookline were plowed, but on the Cambridge side of the river, no plowing had been done since the end of the storm. There wasn't much snow, but with plowing it might melt in today's bright sun, expecially if salted (as in Brookline) or sanded (as in Boston).

Please send updates and reports on the conditions of other paths in Massachusetts to Doug Mink dmink@massbike.org.

Arnold Arboretum
1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic with no intersections
Boston Parks and Harvard University
This was probably plowed, but I didn't ride through it today due to carpool duty.
Jamaicaway Bikepath
1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights
Boston Parks Deparment
Plowed to packed powder and sanded. The surface was soft enough that even my skinny bike tires got a grip. The Boston Parks Department put up poles this fall to keep the plow on the path, and they seem to have worked so far. The bollards at the entrance to Pinebank still need to be removed to make this a safe winter path.
Olmsted Park Paths
3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over Riverdale Road, across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway.
Brookline Park Department
I didn't ride them, but they looked plowed and salted by 9:00 am Tuesday.
Muddy River Path
12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections
Brookline Park Department and DPW
This path was salted and maybe plowed--the coating was thin enough that it was hard to tell--except under the Longwood Avenue bridge, where there is still bare pavement.
B.U. Bridge
The sidewalk on the west side was not plowed at all. It is rideable due to a packed powder surface, but cyclists might want to use the road.
Charles River Bikepath
Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections
Metropolitan District Commission
The Cambridge side, upstream from the B.U. Bridge, was not plowed this morning, but it was rideable. The MDC tends to plow with a Snowcat during the late morning, so it might be done by the eventing commute. Bright sun tends to melt thin snow off much of this path even without plowing.
Cambridge Bike Lanes
Striped lanes of varying widths on major and connecting streets
City of Cambridge
Because of the light snow, the bike lanes I saw this morning were fairly rideable. Because cars park curther from the curb after it snows, car-dooring is more of a danger.
Southwest Corridor Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections
Metropolitan District Commission
I passed a plow at 9:00 am Tuesday, but he wasn't clearing to bare pavement. The bright sun might melt the remaining snow off during the day, but salt or sand would help
Melnea Cass Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path
Boston Parks or Transportation Deparment
Not checked yet.