HomeMy Public PortalAboutFINALWCP TOC_Exec_Summary LinkingWATERTOWN
COMMUNITY PATH
• Past to its Future
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Kristopher Carter Eric Giambrone Eunice Kim Michelle Moon Jong Wai Tommee
Tufts University
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The Watertown Community Path
Linking Watertown 's Past to its Future
Tufts University Urban + Environmental Policy + Planning Research Team:
Kristopher Carter Eric Giambrone Eunice Kim Michelle Moon Jong Wai Tommee
Prepared for:
Watertown Department of Community Development & Planning
Watertown Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee
Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety
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y ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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The Tufts UEP Field Projects team would like to extend our utmost
appreciation to our clients: the Town of Watertown Department of
Community Development and Planning (DCDP), the Watertown
Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee (WBPC), and Watertown Citizens for
Environmental Safety (WCES). We would especially like to thank those
people that worked closely with us on this project from the beginning,
most notably Danielle Evans, Steve Magoon and Steve Engler from
DCDP;Deborah Peterson from WCES,Janet Jameson and Peter Brooks
from WBPC, and our Tufts UEP Field Projects instructor and teaching
assistant team of Robert Russell and Jack Melcher.
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ABSTRACT
For years,bicycle and pedestrian advocates in Watertown have envisioned
the creation of a multi-use path that would provide a link in the
regional network of paths and facilitate safe and easy access through
the community for those traveling on foot or by bike.While some
groundwork has been laid and a small portion will soon be constructed,
a vital section through the heart of Watertown has yet to be formally
planned. This report is the first major step in the development of
that section, the Watertown Community Path. This report studies the
feasibility of developing the Community Path and recommends preferred
and alternative routes. Due to constraints related to private property,
the preferred route includes a cycle track and extended sidewalk on the
eastern portion of the Path. The preferred route calls for a multi-use
path for the majority of the remaining portion, except on the western-
most section where on-street bike lanes are recommended. This report
also includes an analysis of existing conditions along the Path corridor,
design standards,recommended cross sections, conceptual designs,
and strategies for implementation. The goal of this report is to provide
concrete recommendations that will help the Town of Watertown move
forward with the development of the Community Path.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ExecutiveSummary ............................................................................................. 1
Chapter1: Introduction .................................................................................... 3
1.1 Methodology....................................................................................... 4
1.2 Project Description and Benefits ..................................................... 5
1.3 Community Description .................................................................... 7
1.4 Watertown Branch Railroad History ............................................... 7
1.5 Existing Bicycle Infrastructure ......................................................... 8
1.6 Recent Work on Multi-Use Paths in the Watertown Area .......... 10
Chapter 2: Bicycle and Pedestrian Path Research .......................... 13
2.1 Economic Benefits to Businesses ................................................... 13
2.2 Crime and Safety Issues .................................................................... 14
2.3 Effect on Home Values and Sales ................................................... 14
2.4 Health Benefits ...................................................................................14
Chapter 3: Case Studies ...................................................................................17
3.1 Minuteman Bikeway.......................................................................... 17
3.2 Vassar Street Cycle Track ................................................................. 18
Chapter 4: Community Outreach ............................................................. 23
4.1 Community Survey........................................................................... 23
4.2 Community Meeting......................................................................... 29
4.3 Town Council and Watertown
Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee Meetings ................................ 32
4.4 Media and Internet Outreach .......................................................... 33
Chapter 5: Site Analysis and Route Options ...................................... 35
Section A- School Street to Mount Auburn Street 36
Section A.1 - School Street to Mount Auburn Street .................................36
Section A.2 -Arsenal Street from Irving Street to
PattenStreet ............................................................................ 41
Section A.3 - Patten Street to Mount Auburn Street ................................ 44
Section B -Mount Auburn Street to Pleasant Street ................................ 48
is
Watertown Community Path
Section B.1 -Mount Auburn Street to Winter Street .................. 48
Section B.2 -Winter Street to Main Street .................................... 52
Section B.3 -Main Street to Pleasant Street .................................. 56
Chapter6: Design ................................................................................. 59
6.2 Cross Sections ...................................................................... 63
6.3 Conceptual Drawings ......................................................... 64
6.4 Amenities .............................................................................. 68
Chapter 7: Implementation ............................................................ 73
Short-Term Actions ......................................................................... 73
Long-Term Actions .......................................................................... 73
Conclusion ................................................................................... 75
References .................................................................................................. 77
Appendices
Appendix A - Interview List ............................................................ 81
Appendix B -Watertown Tab Article ............................................ 82
Appendix C - Community One-pager ........................................... 83
Appendix D - Planting List ............................................................. 85
Appendix E -Additional Conceptual Designs ............................. 87
Appendix F - Frequently Asked Questions .................................. 89
Appendix G- Community Meeting Flyer ..................................... 91
Appendix H - Community Survey................................................. 92
Appendix I - Somerville Community Path ................................... 93
Appendix J -Memorandum of Understanding ............................ 95
Appendix K- IRB Approval ...........................................................100
Figu res
Chapter 1: Introduction
Figure 1.1: The Watertown Community Path
Figure 1.2: Regional network of multi-use paths
Figure 1.3: Former Watertown branch railroad
Figure 1.4: Bike lanes on Arsenal Street
Figure 1.5: Concept plan for Bacon Street property
Chapter 3: Case Studies
Figure 3.1: Minuteman Bikeway
Figure 3.2: Vassar Street lacks separation between pedestrians and cyclists
Figure 3.3: The row of parked cars block drivers'line of sight to the path
Figure 3.4: Three days after a snowfall, the path remains unplowed
Chapter 4: Community Outreach
Figure 4.1: Survey response distribution
Figure 4.2: Overall support level for the Path
Figure 4.3: Concern about safety and property impacts
Figure 4.4: Expected uses of the Path
Figure 4.5: Community meeting at Watertown Town Hall
Chapter 5: Site Analysis and Route Options
Figure 5.1: The Watertown Community Path and numbered sections
Figure 5.2: Narrow sidewalks along Arsenal Street
Figure 5.3: Eastern terminus of the Path
Figure 5.4: Bike path in front of Lexus
Figure 5.5: Arsenal Street section near businesses
Figure 5.6: Arsenal Street approaching Irving Street
Figure 5.7:YRT Corp. property along Arsenal Street
Figure 5.8: Patten Street bridge blocking the former railroad ROW
Figure 5.9: Vacant parcel portion behind NStar property
Figure 5.10: Vacant parcel behind the Jiffy Lube property
Figure 5.11:Watertown Plaza parking lot
10 Watertown Community Path
Figure 5.12:Watertown Plaza and Mount Auburn Street crossing
Figure 5.13: Mount Auburn Street crossing
Figure 5.14: Municipal parking lots
Figure 5.15: Parking lot behind the library
Figure 5.16: Eastern edge of municipal parking lots
Figure 5.17: Municipal parking behind businesses
Figure 5.18: Parking lot behind the library
Figure 5.19: Linear Park entrance at Saltonstall Park
Figure 5.20: Connection to Saltonstall Park
Figure 5.21: Linear Park section
Figure 5.22: Main Street crossing
Figure 5.23: Main Street crossing to DPW corridor
Figure 5.24: Parking lot north of DPW staging area
Figure 5.25: DPW corridor to Howard Street
Figure 5.26: Connection to Charles River Reservation Path
Chapter 6: Design
Figure 6.1: Vassar Street in Cambridge
Figure 6.2: Kent Street Cycletrack in New York City
Figure 6.3: Raised crosswalks provide safer crossings
Figure 6.4: Cross sections along Arsenal Street
Figure 6.5: Cross sections for multi-use paths
Figure 6.6: View of an 8-foot wide cycle track on Arsenal Street
Figure 6.7: Plan view of cycle track along Arsenal Street
Figure 6.8: View of the Path passing through municipal parking
lots in Watertown Square
Figure 6.9: Plan view of the Path in the municipal parking lots
Figure 6.10: Plan view of Linear Park path entrance
Figure 6.11: Linear Park path entrance
Figure 6.12: Seating and brickwork along the Somerville
Community Path
Figure 6.13: Example of diverse plantings
Figure 6.14: Colorful perennial garden
Figure 6.15: Example of a rain garden
. . EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4 �
Pedestrian and cycling advocates have long pushed for the creation of
the Watertown Community Path, a proposed multi-use path through the
heart of the town. They have envisioned developing the path along a
former railroad right-of-way (ROW) in Watertown,which would make
the town into a more livable, attractive and sustainable community. The
proposed path would provide a link in the regional network of paths
while facilitating safe access between East Watertown,Watertown Square
and the Charles River. This report examines the feasibility of developing
the Community Path, taking into consideration community input, design
standards and site constraints.
Unlike a typical rail-to-trail conversion, a large portion of the former
railroad ROW in Watertown has been sold and developed by private
parties. Siting the Community Path along this corridor therefore requires
extensive cooperation from property and business owners. Recognizing
this, the Field Projects research team placed a strong emphasis on
community engagement. Outreach to residents and property owners
began when the team mailed a survey to abutters of the corridor.A
subsequent community meeting was held to solicit input on design ideas
and to learn about potential obstacles. The community meeting and more
than 250 survey responses were decisively in favor of the Community
Path. The surveys, however,highlighted a few concerns about safety,
lighting and street crossings. The other major concern centered on the
construction timeline, as residents desired a quick completion.
To reach out to businesses along the Community Path corridor, the
research team conducted in-person interviews with more than a dozen
business owners and managers. Many of those interviewed voiced
strong concerns regarding the redistribution of parking spaces. The vast
majority,however, thought the Community Path had the potential to
bring more customers to their shops and improve the community.
The research team also visited the Path corridor multiple times to assess
site conditions and consider preferred and alternative routes based on
existing constraints. Major obstacles along the corridor include private
1 Watertown Community Path
ownership of properties along the former railroad ROW, a bridge
that stands in the way of the route, busy and dangerous crossings for
pedestrians at several major intersections, and municipal parking lots in
Watertown Square.
With these obstacles in mind, the team researched multi-use paths in
other communities with similar circumstances and reviewed current
best practices in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure design. The team
concluded that attempting to develop the Community Path through
private property would create unwanted backlash towards the Town
of Watertown and potentially derail the project. In cases where private
property could not be avoided, the preferred option is to site the Path
along perimeters, disturbing the properties as little as possible. The
research also showed a preference for separated bike lanes, or cycle
tracks, to improve safety, and it recommended widths for paths shared
by different transportation modes. The research team did not heavily
consider cost as a factor in selecting the Community Path route, though
attempts were made to provide potential lower-cost alternatives. The
team's research resulted in the following recommendations:
> Create an on-street cycle track along Arsenal Street from
School Street to Irving Street;
> Create a graded slope on vacant parcels abutting the Patten
Street Bridge,which would allow the Community Path to
avoid a congested commercial corridor;
> Install a raised crosswalk with a pedestrian island on
Mount Auburn Street between Taylor Street and Baptist
Walk.;Reconfigure the municipal parking lot in Watertown
Square to accommodate the Path along the northern
boundary;
> Reconfigure the municipal parking lot behind the Watertown
Free Public Library to accommodate the Path without a net
loss of parking in Watertown Square;
> Make improvements to the Linear Park path, such as
widening it near Saltonstall Park and beginning the process
of creating a mural on the concrete wall; and
> Redevelop the Watertown Department of Public Works
staging area to include the Community Path.
A series of maps that show the preferred route for the Community Path
and an extensive site analysis are included in Chapter 5 of this report. A
complete list of short and long-term actions is provided in Chapter 7.
Developing the Community Path is a critical step toward making
Watertown a more livable and sustainable town. It will provide a safe
route through much of the community,increase the amount of open
space, and support local business development. The Community Path will
make Watertown a more attractive and desirable place to live.
Executive Summary 2