An Informal Survey of the CT River Walk & Bikeway (Part 1)
On Wednesday, May 14th, I joined a small group of concerned citizens as they undertook an informal survey of a section of the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway. Their purpose was to takes notes and swap ideas, and then present those thoughts and opinions to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, which oversees planning for the Bikeway.
The group consisted of organizer Sheila McElwaine, Mark and Patricia Hambley, Bob McCarroll, and Herb Singleton. We began our little expedition at about 11:00a.m. at the main entrance to Springfield’s Riverfront Park, which the Bikeway bisects as it runs from the South End of the city, near Balise Chevrolet, and on through to the North End. (Herb had transportation issues and didn’t actually catch up with us until after we had reached the South End portion of the bike path.)
One of the first issues brought up upon our arrival at the entrance to the park was the apparent lack of parking dedicated to the park itself. There is minimal parking directly in front of the main entrance, and most of that is reserved for permit parking. There is also a larger, unpaved parking lot just a bit to the north of the main entrance. According to a 2005 report on the Springfield section of the bikeway, written by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) for the City of Springfield, this lot was originally free [pg. 11] until downtown workers overtook it and compelled the city to begin charging the regular weekday parking fee (currently $3.00). There is also free parking available at the Basketball Hall of Fame. The report also erroneously refers to the Visitor Center parking lot as being available free parking [pg. 10]. It is not. A sign indicates that parking is for Visitor Center patrons only.
A single sign, hanging by single a screw, at the Visitors Center tells motorists that the lot is for Visitor Center patrons only.
Free parking is available at the nearby BasketBall Hall of Fame (shown left).
Photo taken on the “skywalk” pedestrian bridge.
The evening before going on this trip, I took the time to read over the 2005 Pioneer Valley Planning Commission report. I thought it might be interesting to compare some of the observations they made back then with our own observations made during our stroll on Wednesday.
Back in 2005, as noted in the report, access to free parking was also an issue to visitors. The report mentioned, too, that some visitors seemed to be unaware of the northern entrance to Riverfront Park – a railway underpass that is only a short distance from the main entrance. The report said that people would wait in line at the front entrance while trains passed by, oblivious to the fact that another entrance was a mere few hundred feet away. Today, the underpass entrance continues to have no signage guiding people there, even though I personally think it makes for a much safer entrance to the park.
Upon entering the park via the main entrance, we were greeted by a vandalized information kiosk. So that needs replacing.
Graffiti scars a wall leading up to the railroad underpass entrance to Riverfront Park.
It was a beautiful day out, and we were pleased to see people out for walks along the path. Most of the people appeared to be on lunch breaks from working downtown (as they were well dressed). Also, there were a good number of women using the path, albeit in groups. We talked to one group of women who said they worked in the Sovereign Bank building, and they said many of their coworkers there also walked around the park and pathway. We asked them if they felt safe using the path, and they said yes – as long as they were together. One woman showed us that she also had a stick of pepper spray on her, too – just in case they suddenly didn’t feel so safe. They said the main park and the southern section of the Bikeway were nice to walk along, but they did not feel comfortable using the bike path heading north, under and beyond the Memorial Bridge.
The 2005 PVPC report also stated that people felt safe using the bike path – as long as they were in groups [pg. 12]. The report said that the demographic recording the highest use of the park and path was the 30-60 age range, roughly mirroring our observations and in line with the determination that most users were downtown workers.
The condition of the bikeway and park:
Overall, we found the park and bikeway to be largely trash-free, with only minor, incidental litter. Sheila McElwaine observed that this may have been because of the recent Cleanup Day in the city, but we could not be sure. There was some graffiti along the large wall leading to the underpass entrance, as well as some on a few of the park benches and – less evident – the sidewalks. On the good side, the park appeared to be well tended-to, with signs of recent improvements in progress.
Bob McCarroll told us about incidents of private vehicles riding through the main entrance because of the gate being left open. He also brought up a good point concerning invasive species of plants overwhelming the landscaping of the park. In fact, the vines and shrubbery along the levee are so thick that come summertime, catching a glimpse of the Connecticut River through their blanket is a chore.
There could also be more signage inside the park directing people to different sections, and also historic and geographic signs. (For instance, at the Mill River outflow, there could be a sign there identifying it as such.)
Looking out onto the Connecticut River from the Bikeway.
- Other observations and ideas we came up with included:
- Both the park and bikeway need more trash receptacles.
- A new information kiosk needs to be installed.
- Downtown signage – along East and West Columbus Avenues – directing people to the park and bikeway.
- We were in the park and walking the bikeway for two hours, and no sign of security or police. (Although we later asked an officer we saw at the Visitors Center if the park was patrolled by police, and she said yes, it was.)
- Going from the “Skywalk” pedestrian bridge (spanning the train tracks) all the way to the South End termination of the bikeway, there is no visible means of egress. There is one service gate along the way – presumably for CSX employees – but it is padlocked. (Further down, other people besides us must have noticed there was no escape beyond the Skywalk, and so they ripped down a small section of fencing there.)
- The South End section of the bikeway should be extended to the South End Bridge rather than being a dead end.
THE END: The South End termination of the Bikeway.
Nowhere to go but back the way you came.
Or, for the quickest getaway…
The 2005 PVPC report recommended the installation signs to help lead people to the park. To date, as far as we could see, there still are none. The report also mentions that the Springfield Parks and Recreation Department had proposed several improvements to the park, including the addition of a boathouse and building a miniature golf course [pg. 20]. Neither has yet to come to pass, although in fairness it has only been two years since the report came out.
Overall, everyone in our group agreed that the park and the River Walk and Bikeway path were in very good condition and seemed perfectly safe for daytime, leisurely use. (Of course, like any place where there are some remote areas, visitors should practice caution nonetheless.) We did not have time to explore the northern park of the bikeway, but have set up a date to survey that section of the path, as well.
Herb Singleton and Sheila McElwaine look out from the observation deck atop the Skywalk.
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Below is a 5-minute video of our trek along the River Walk and Bikeway.
| An Informal Survey of the River Walk |
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17 Responses for “An Informal Survey of the CT River Walk & Bikeway (Part 1)”
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I would doubt that you would ever see a police officer on those trails. I think a smart addition would be some sort of emergency call boxes placed along the trail. Should someone actually be using this trail recreationally and lets say for instance there biking in bike shorts and a t-shirt. Chances are they don’t have a cell phone on them and if they were to be in trouble and have a heart attack there would be no way to get help unless someone else saw them. Its a cheap addition to make people feel somewhat safer in the park alone.
Great job Bill, and all who walked with you!
Great Post. It’s a nice path, I’m sure it’s popularity and use will rise with the fortunes of Springfield…I’ll have to give it another look soon, it’s been a few years…
Well done.
As far as parking, I have asked at The Visitor Center and the personnel there have been more than friendly, cooperative and even encouraged me to park there – free. Never a problem and my car is safe and supervised.
Then they (the Visitors Center) need to take down the sign I took a photo of that says: “Visitors Center Parking Only – Violators will be towed at owners expense.”
I am the manager of the Visitor Information Center adjacent to the trail. While we do have a sign stating that parking is for “visitors only”, we do indeed welcome, and encourage, parking for the bike trail. Originally, we were overwhelemd with downtown commuters parking here for free and were thus left with no spaces for our guests. When we asked people to kindly park elsewhere, we got “I don’t see no sign”, so now there’s a sign. Be that as it may, we never have, and see no reason to, turn away anyone wishing to use our parking for the bike trail. Just stop in and say hi!
Steve Larivee
Manager
Riverfront Visitor Information Center
“Work to live, live to bike, bike to work”
Gee whiz Bill. The visitor center extends every courtesy they can, gives a secure parking space in downtown for bikers for free and your only response is they NEED to take down their sign? Try to hold your thanks back a bit.
Perhaps you might consider that they don’t NEED to do anything. You however, NEED to lighten up and give them credit. Me, I’ll continue to thank them every time they encourage me to park there.
Steve, as a tourism and hospitality professional, surely you realize that every means of welcoming and informing the public needs to be used to maximize utilization of attractions such as the bike trail. Many potential users of the trail, travelers for instance, are likely to arrive outside of normal business hours for the Visitors Center and will only know what appears on your sign. Furthermore, the nicest, most law-abiding ones, having read the sign in your parking lot (provided they could find and read it), would have no reason to enter the visitors center since your sign has already told them they are excluded. Obediently, they’d get back in their cars and drive off.
Are you saying that you would not consider rewording your sign to include permission for trail users to park in your (usually empty) lot?
Wouldn’t it be nice if the trail actualy was an attraction? Or a transportation route? Now it starts nowhere and goes nowhere. How about extending it into the nature preserve in Longmeadow. Look at what that did for Northampton. Their trail is attracting riders from multiple states.
Extending the trail to Longmeadow was part of the initial plan, but that town wouldn’t hear of it. The trail is useful as a destination for recreational biking, and as pointed out on this link http://www.traillink.com/ViewTrail.aspx?AcctID=6015847
, by riding on the sidewalk, one can ride south along W. Columbus Ave. , across the Buxton Bridge and down Riverside Street in Agawam to connect with that leg of the CT River bikeway. Not ideal to be sure, but possible.
Extending and connecting the disparate pieces of the CT River trail will take determined advocacy by lots of people. Those who are interested can start where and when they are ready.
Email received this afternoon from Deryk Roach, Asst. Director of Open Space and Park Maintenance of the Dept. of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management with the following helpful and encouraging information about recent and future maintenance of the CT River Walk and Bikeway including the infamous skywalk (aka hamster cage, airwalk, catwalk, etc.).
MAINTENANCE There was an initial clean-up in early April along the entire 3.2 miles of the trail; alternate week mowing and trimming will continue.
SKYWALK It will be cleaned weekly and graffiti will be painted over in a month. Deryk is “in the process of allocating funding to reopen, reinspect and improve the elevator, access, and signage for this area.” An estimate for doing necessary repair work is in the works.
PERSONPOWER The three people are assigned to Riverfront and 13 other parks and “have been operating shorthanded, but have “been trying to stay ahead of the trend of where people want to go by reading Urban Compass.” (Yea, Heather!)
MAINTENANCE PRIORITIES 1) litter and debris pick-up 2) catwalk and elevator, signage and amenities, 3) follow up after close out of the Baystate Gas remediation and levee projects to make sure work has been done properly, and 4) working with CSX “to coordinate safe access and passage to the rail trail through defined and accessible corridors….”
Thanks, Deryk, for all the work and this very complete run-down!
Gee whiz, Rick – yes, that’s all I had to say. They should have had a sign reading, “parking for Visitors Center and Riverfront Park only.”
And, by the way, you are incorrect. You say the City doesn’t NEED to do anything? They most certainly do. You might consider that they are there to serve us, not the other way around.
That being said, I am not angry (although written text may come out that way). I’m simply suggesting they take down or alter their signs.
Everybody bend over backwards to keep Bill and Sheila happy. All together now s t r e t c h… aww forget it. Nothing anyone does will keep those two happy. find fault in everyone and everything. Live long and prosper.
Let’s see. Who was it who thanked Deryk Roach for the information and the maintenance work? Were the Visitors Center to be similarly responsive, they would also deserve a thank you, but judging from his post here, Steve Larivee does not feel it necessary to improve his service in response to feedback from the public.
Presumably, Mr. Larivee is paid for his work. That plus the satisfaction of providing high quality public service should probably be thanks enough. In fact, one could argue that it is Bill Dusty, whose photo could provide a responsive Visitors Center with valuable feedback, who deserves the center’s thanks.
Thank you for pointing out the flaw in yet another individual Seila. We are so fortunate to have your insight.
And in response to your next post… thank you again.
…and again. ..and…
Clearly Bill ansd Sheila are sleeping together. Now we’ll get more radicals after they start breeding. maybe they’ll find fault with their kids too. “You’re combing your hair wrong Bill Jr!”