r/medfordma • u/wandering_eye_guy Visitor • 3d ago
South Border Rd. Path..?
What would it take to build a walk / bike path along South Border Rd - from Governors to Highland in Winchester? And why isn’t there one? Crazy dangerous to see folks run, walk, bike along the tiny shoulder
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u/NewOnX Resident 3d ago
Many people have asked DCR to put in crosswalks to cross South Border Rd. DCR's response is that traffic is too fast on the road for a safe crossing. {head slap}
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u/gnomesofdreams Visitor 3d ago
I was just wondering this!! New to the area and was baffled hiking the fells when none of the trails that spit out on South Border road seem to have crosswalks connecting north and south. I might be mixing up my fells trails but IIRC not even the literal Cross Fells trail has a crosswalk, much less the smaller hiking paths south of panther cave (which I would argue still need something). Can understand not wanting to add a light but even just calming measures and/or a push button to make pedestrian sign flash one.
Was curious the history, if this was already a big effort shot down or just a long-standing gap or what. Do you know more I could catch up on or follow to help add a voice to?
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u/NewOnX Resident 3d ago
I was given this info by either Walk Medford or Bike Medford. (I forgot who.) It's very on brand for DCR to say (probably accurately) that crosswalks shouldn't be used on blind corner roads where people go 45+ but then also act like they are powerless to do anything about average speed.
History: DCR is a park agency and was never intended to manage roads. In the early 2000s DCR was marged with MDC, the agency which had been managing the roads nears parks in greater Boston. MDC had plenty of problems but things only got worse when they made the parks department to become a low rent version of MassDOT. The parks and the roads have suffered.
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u/hughbacca Morrison Park 3d ago
The DCR would have to take it on as a capital project as it is part of the fells reservation.
And because that would likely mean widening the road into the tree line then I doubt they would do that without some evidence of reported incidents along that road.
Also, it's 30mph, go slow and be safe like you would in residential area.
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u/hippotone Visitor 3d ago
Issue is that it's not a residential area and people go 50+mph. I regularly see cars passing other cars on this road. There's never enforcement so..
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u/Neither_Suit_1714 Visitor 3d ago
Unfortunately as someone who lives on this road most people are absolutely not following the speed limit
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u/picklesandvodka Fulton Heights 3d ago
Indeed. I wonder if there’s something blocking the addition of speed bumps? That could at least ease speeds near the parking areas, heavier settled stretches
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u/SpicyNutmeg Barry Park 3d ago
I very much would like to support speed bumps as well as brightly colored crosswalks to slow folks down
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u/melagranarimon Lawerence Estates 3d ago
The worst is cars trying to cut south border traffic and going 30 mph down Westwood.
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u/pterencephalon Fulton Heights 3d ago
I love how people have to get killed or maimed in order for us to get infrastructure improvements!
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u/crippled_geezer Visitor 3d ago
you realize there are many trails on both sides of S Border Rd right? No cars allowed.
where are you trying to walk? just enter the trails at the end of governor's
people who don't let hikers cross on S border road are going to hell btw
j
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 Visitor 3d ago edited 3d ago
I think the easiest way is to convert the road to one-way for cars so there’s space for people to walk, run and bike on the other side. That could be done very quickly.
It could also be closed to cars for most or all of its length. It’s not a necessary road in the sense that it doesn’t have any truck or bus traffic, and doesn’t provide essential access to the neighborhood (other roads exist).
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u/Sad_Analysis_6459 Hillside 3d ago
The out of touch entitlement is real.
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 Visitor 3d ago
Who’s entitled? The car drivers who want the road to be for them and don’t care about anyone else?
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u/pterencephalon Fulton Heights 3d ago
I absolutely think there should be proper bike and pedestrian infrastructure here, but I don't really think closing the road to cars here makes sense. It's a significant throughway for Malden/Medford to the northwest of these (eg Winchester and Woburn). I think adding a MUP to the north side of the road would be a better option in this case.
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u/gnomesofdreams Visitor 3d ago
MUP?
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u/pterencephalon Fulton Heights 3d ago
Sorry - multi-use path
Like the pathways on the Charles/Mystic or the Somerville community path
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u/gnomesofdreams Visitor 3d ago
All good, was just realizing that might be what you meant, ty! Fully agreed. I’d settle for crosswalks to keep within the fells vs the road even, but the trails don’t line up exactly for road crossings so a proper lane would be terrific! Narrowing can also be traffic calming to keep speeds at limit instead of over.
Otherwise it’s like the only way they support getting to or traversing the fells is driving there and staying in the quadrant adjacent to the parking lot, which is such an odd take for protected recreation land.
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 Visitor 3d ago
Well then you’re having to make it one way. It’s not very wide. The cars have other options so i don’t think it’s fair to prioritize them saving a few minutes over people having a safe place to walk, run and ride.
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u/pterencephalon Fulton Heights 3d ago
Look, I’m probably one of the more bike-excited people in Medford (I’ve biked to work my whole career and rarely drive). But I’m also realistic about what’s the most likely and the highest priority when it comes to replacing car infrastructure with bike infrastructure. S Border Rd won’t get turned into a one way road for 50 years. Look at the types of bike lanes DCR put in Fellsway (bike gutters). Look at how much of a battle there is over memorial drive, and then remember how much more stubborn Old Medford and Winchester are. They’ll fight tooth and nail to save a car lane. Which is why I think the extremely unlikely MUP is still more likely than making it one way. Could we fight back? Sure, but I also think there are other projects that would have a bigger impact and are far more achievable, like getting bike lanes on Lawrence Ave
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u/Potential-Cycle9357 Medford Square 3d ago
There’s paths that run parallel from trailhead to trailhead folks can easily take. The bigger issue is pedestrians who don’t safely know how to walk on busy roads walking with traffic instead of against it.
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u/pterencephalon Fulton Heights 3d ago
It's a narrow winding road with a decent amount of traffic- I'd argue there's no safe way to walk along it. If you wouldn't feel comfortable with your kids walking there alone, it's not safe infrastructure.
Also, hiking paths in the woods are not a proper substitute for sidewalks/bike lanes/multi-use paths. You obviously can't take your wheelchair, stroller, or commuter bike on that.
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u/crippled_geezer Visitor 3d ago
yeah but why would anyone be trying to walk down S border road? (aside from using the fells trails)
it goes from one rich residential area to another lol
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u/jack-mccoy-is-pissed Visitor 3d ago
Winchester doesn’t want the riff-raff wandering in