Cambridge residents and leaders are hoping a change in management on the state Department of Conservation and Recreation will result in Memorial Drive reopening all weekend for pedestrians and cyclists.
Brian Arrigo, former mayor of the town of Revere, took over as DCR commissioner on April 24, simply weeks after the company determined to restrict entry to Cambridge’s fashionable leisure alternative to simply Sundays.
Residents and people visiting the town had been allowed to walk alongside the prolonged Riverbend Park, subsequent to the Charles River, on Saturdays and Sundays the previous few years, however the DCR has reverted again to the schedule that had been in place earlier than the pandemic.
A state legislation, enacted in 1985, mandated the opening of Riverbend Park and the closing of Memorial Drive from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the final Sunday of April by way of the second Sunday of November yearly.
“I’m really hoping this is the first thing (Arrigo) revisits,” stated Christopher Cassa, a member of the steering committee for Memorial Drive Alliance. “We hope he thinks about this operational stuff, takes it seriously. This is an environmental justice issue to get people to have access to open space.”
Riverbend Park was the ultimate remaining DCR parkland to return to its pre-COVID-19 schedule.
In an announcement to the Herald earlier this month, DCR spokesperson Ilyse Wolberg stated by way of the pandemic-era endeavor was profitable in increasing entry to outside recreation, it carried some negatives comparable to elevated visitors and air pollution.
Cassa stated his alliance, composed of greater than two dozen group teams centered on preservation of the riverbank, respects those that are involved about visitors, however he added the problems are “incredibly low hanging fruit.”
City Councilor Marc McGovern, who lives close by, pointed to how visitors mild cycles typically result in backed up visitors within the space, however that may be simply reversed.
Continuing the two-day closure acquired assist from the council, which voted 7-2 in February for the town supervisor to work with applicable businesses to mitigate any traffic-related impacts, with a give attention to enhancing visitors alerts and lane markings.
“Lawyers can interpret laws in a lot of different ways, and the law says that they have to close (Memorial Drive) on Sunday,” McGovern stated. “DCR has interpreted that to mean they can’t close any other day. … That’s something we have to figure out.”
A metropolis report final 12 months discovered that 94% of Riverside residents used their neighborhood park’s open house, whereas 10% of residents indicated unacceptable visitors.
The park attracts individuals from throughout, together with James Dolgin who moved final September to Somerville from Baltimore, a metropolis that lacked many outside leisure areas.
“It was really lovely when I first moved here to see people jogging, using it to bike all weekend,” Dolgin stated. “It was such an inviting place, especially coming down here, spending a few bucks on local businesses. It was a destination.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”