The fledgling Wachusett chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association has hit
the ground running.
With momentum from the chapter's successful
trail work day May 3 in Leominster State Forest, mountain biking volunteers will
be back in the forest July 18 to fix up "some seriously distressed areas that
need attention," said chapter president Rich
Donoghue of Shirley.
In May the riders built three sections
of boardwalks, totaling more than 125 feet, to provide erosion-free passage over
small streams and bogs, and they rerouted a trail segment that had been flooded
as a result of a beaver dam, according to chapter treasurer Jon Pratt of
Leominster.
This month they will extend a boardwalk, fill in a
mud pit with trap rock and add trap rock to another distressed spot, Donoghue
said. Additional volunteers are welcome to join the crew at 9 a.m. at the Rocky
Pond Road parking lot off Route 31.
"I think it's a great thing
that they're doing," said forest supervisor Karen Sawyer. "Their organization
brings groups into the park, and in turn they help us out. The maintenance helps
us out a lot. They have a lot more manpower than we do."
In the
Leominster forest, hikers and bikers generally use separate trails, so there
haven't been conflicts, Sawyer said. Of course, the bikers' willingness to help
maintain the trails also goes a long way toward warding off resentment from
other trail users.
The NEMBA "membas," as they call themselves,
also hope to establish names for the trails, or uncover names that have been
used in the past, and get them on the official map. Trail maps are available
from the Leominster State Forest office (978-874-2303).
Donoghue, 36, has been riding off-road for about six years "and just fell in
love with it." One thing he quickly learned biking in the woods is that trails
do not take care of themselves. But he's perfectly willing to do his share.
"There's nothing more satisfying than trail work, because then
you get to ride it," he said.
Donoghue's enthusiasm for
responsibility for the land must be contagious. Twenty-five people showed up for
the chapter's last meeting, to plan the July 18 work day. Jim Plumb of
Leominster is chapter vice president, and Russell Burdett is secretary. For more
information on the group, call Donoghue (978-545-1551).
Bay State Trail Riders Association, an
equestrian group that cooperates with mountain bikers and other trail users,
also deserves kudos for trail work. This spring BSTRA cleared, filled and graded
the one-mile "Boulder Trail" in Douglas State Forest, connecting Route 16 and
Southwest Main Street. BSTRA used a $6,500 federal grant and $6,500 that it
raised itself last year for the project. The refurbished trail was dedicated
last month.
~~~
The Worcester Regional Transit Authority
won approval last month for a $59,060 federal grant to put bike racks on all its
buses, administrator Robert Ojala said.
But the money won't be
forthcoming until fiscal 1999, which starts Oct. 1, so the 60 racks probably
won't be installed until next spring, he said. The WRTA is kicking in $14,765 of
its own, and new convex mirrors will be installed, too.
Bike
racks on buses are a key element in famously bike-friendly cities such as
Portland, Ore., and Seattle. A rider can hoist her bike onto the rack and ride
the bus for no extra charge, then take the bike off and pedal away. Commuters
can combine suburban cycling with urban bus rides this way, or take the bus for
the long haul in from the suburbs and then have the bike for getting around
town.
For Worcester, which received a "D" grade last month in
The Ride magazine's "Urban Report Card"
on how Northeast cities treat bicyclists, the bus racks will be the first real
enabler of the much-hyped "intermodal transportation" ideal. The city's new bike
route signs and kiosks and maps are spiffy, but they constitute an empty gesture
without accompanying road improvements and safety education for both cyclists
and motorists.
About that report card: No city received better
than a "C," and Boston and Springfield got "D minus" grades. The magazine's
comment on Worcester: "Good plans on paper; we'll check back."
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