The view of Dover, from Needham (Joe Difazio for WBUR)
After some heated debate, Dover decided to take the first steps to build its portion of the Bay Colony Rail Trail, giving its Board of Selectmen the authority to seek a 99-year lease from the MBTA, as reported by the Globe and WBUR. This, after a concession not to connect to neighboring towns Needham and Medfield.
The original plan was to extend the trail across the bridge into Dover. But Ban learned from conversations with people in town that too many of them did not want people coming into Dover from Needham and beyond.
Needham’s brand new trail now dead-ends at the Charles, as shown in the WBUR piece (above).
The rail trail — a wide path made of crushed stone — comes all the way through Needham until you get to the Charles River. Just as you get to the river, there’s a fence, and past the fence, you can see the track’s rails.
Sound familiar? What both reporters missed was the view from Newton at the northern end of the Bay Colony line.
The view of Needham from Newton’s sunset deck (upperfallsgreenway.org)
The chowderheads from my hometown of Needham get beaten in their own game of neighborly belittlement by the chowderheads from one town over.
What smallminded people. Alas it’s always been thus.
These types of infrastructure projects should be overseen by the state in the same way that state highways are. It’s yet another example of municipal powers standing in the way of progress.
Yeah, this, and this. Also, this
You can’t be too careful.
I’m looking into blocking the Chestnut St underpass under Rt 9 to keep the riff-raff from Waban from sneaking into Upper Falls.
Thanks for those links Chris.
@Jerry: Didn’t you learn your lesson at the Feast of the Falls…you can’t keep the hordes from Waban from attacking! 🙂
If they are worried about keeping those frizzen-frazzen cyclists out, they are a bit late, as the streets of Dover are overrun with road cyclists, especially on weekends (I consider that a good thing, by the way, and find the streets welcoming to cyclists). I was out there Saturday and noticed the lawn signs both for and against, and was wondering how this would turn out.
I have heard the arguments about “riff raff” and crime before, but Chris’ links inject common sense- and more importantly, facts- into the conversation. The solution – a trail that is blocked at either end – just seems plain weird to me. Knowing where the tracks lie (parallel to my usual bike route through the town, on South and Dedham Streets), it seems like a “trail to nowehere.”
oh ffs, DOT needs to step in and get them to cut this crap out. Hey I have really had enough of those Waltham people coming down into Newton, get the asphalt saws out we need to pull up that road by the recycling center…