RESOLUTION - Community Path — File 207890

WHEREAS: Residents from Somerville and neighboring cities have voiced overwhelming support for the Community Path Extension, which will provide an unprecedented means for safe, accessible, car-free travel for pedestrians and cyclists from Cambridge/Boston, throughout Somerville and beyond; and WHEREAS: The current Community Path Extension (CPX) plan calls for a ~3,000’ section from the East Somerville Station to the Cambridge Crossing path that is only 10’ wide, without a single entrance, exit, or rest area for those needing to rest, tie a shoe, change a diaper, etc.; and WHEREAS: In a letter dated February 28, 2019 to the GLX team and to the City Council, the Friends of the Community Path identified three fundamental safety and connectivity issues with the Community Path Extension, namely: 1. Ensuring a future CPX Connection to Staybridge Ramp/Twin City Plaza/future Grand Junction Path (GJP), to connect with the Grand Junction Path and thereby provide connectivity with 50 continuous miles of paths to 12 municipalities 2. Widen the CPX. Design is now 10’ width; we need 11-14’ path width for safe passing on this super high- volume path. 3. Add Rest Areas (at least one on each side) to the 3,000’-long CPX Viaduct from East Somerville Station to Cambridge Crossing path; and WHEREAS: The tragic death of a cyclist in a head-on collision with another cyclist on the Minuteman trail in March, 2019 has drawn our attention to the critical need for sufficiently wide paths on these high-volume routes; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the Somerville City Council urges MassDOT and the City of Somerville to work collaboratively with residents and community groups to improve the safety and regional connectivity of the Community Path Extension; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That a copy of this Resolution be presented to John Dalton, Program Manager of the MBTA GLX Project, Governor Charles D. Baker, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and the MBTA’s Fiscal Control Board, and the Somerville delegation in the State Legislature on behalf of the Somerville City Council.