Public Comments (via website) on the Revised Draft FFYs 2014-17 Transportation Improvement Program

Public Comments (via website) on the Revised Draft FFYs 2014-17
Transportation Improvement Program
AFFILIATION	NAME	PROJECT(S) / ISSUE(S)	REQUEST/ SUPPORT/ OPPOSE	COMMENT
	Geraldine Abrams	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	I am 77 years old and I strongly support the BFRT, in fact this is my 2nd comment. I am recovering from pneumonia. My Dr. told me I could start my exercise program again about a week ago. Yesterday I rode my bike on the BFRT for about 10 miles total, that is about half of what I usually do. I haven't ridden my bike for 2 months. It was so great! I never would have been able to ride even 10 miles on the road because of the small hills. I needed flat. I have worked with the BFRT since they first started and the whole trail feels as though it's partly mine. My thanks especially to Tom Michelman! We need more paved, off road miles as soon as possible. Thank you for letting me make a comment.
	Vilas	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	I live near phase 2A and am constant user of BFRT phase 1. The construction of Phase 2A,2B and 2C will immensely help our family and all the neighboring communities. I would strongly advocate funding for these phases as soon as possible.
Resident, Town of Acton	Janet Irons	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	I am an Acton resident and abutter to the proposed BFRT project (Phase 2A). I have been very impressed with the vigor and rigor of the local support for the project, and the amount of community involvement that has been shown. Tom Michelman is especially valuable in this regard, and we in Acton are lucky to have him backing this project so enthusiastically. I look forward to the time when I can head out my backyard, hop on the rail trail and enjoy the scenery plus exercise. Please support all phases of the BFRT!
	Jason Viehland	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	I'd like to note my support for construction funding for Phases 2A, 2B, and 2C of the BFRT. Rail trails provide great alternate means of transportation and very positive family recreation. While living in Cambridge, I used the Minuteman trail as part of my bike commute to work during the week. On weekends, my wife and I would ride for pleasure. We now take our children for rides along the Minuteman setting a positive example for exercise and outdoor activities. One doesn't have to look far to see the positive impact of the Minuteman Trail or other trails around the country. The BFRT is a great opportunity to link the outer suburbs together in the same way. Please complete the BFRT for the good of the Commonwealth.
	Gerry Boyle	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	Please approve the funding for the BFRT for 2014 through 2017 before I am too old to use it.
Resident, Town of Concord	Mary Small	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	I strongly support the Draft 2014-2017 TIP funding for Phase 2A, 2B and 2C of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Acton, Concord, Carlisle and Westford. I am a longtime Concord resident who is looking forward to the biking, walking, skiing and other recreational opportunities that the BFRT will provide for all.
Resident, Town of Carlisle	Steve Tobin	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	I strongly support construction funding for Phases 2A, 2B, and 2C of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. As a resident of Carlisle, I and my family are frequent users of Phase 1 of the BFRT, and we would love to see the trail extended through our town into Acton, Concord and Sudbury. Having the trail there gives us a great opportunity to exercise outdoors safely on our bikes. The trail has had a positive impact on our lives, and we would like to see it extended.
	J. Breen	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	The six miles of the Freeman Trail in use between the Lowell-Chelmsford boundary and MA 225 gets more popular every year. Extending farther south with Phase 2A, B, and C would be a pleasure to get off of narrow MA 27 and connect with the Reformatory Branch to the Minuteman.
	Jeffrey Roth	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Support	I strongly support construction funding for Phases 2A, 2B, and 2C of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail because the project is critical for providing a safe walking and cycling resource in Concord, Acton, Carlisle, and Westford. Such a trail will connect into a growing network of trail, and provide ecological benefits and public health improvements by providing the opportunity for more walking and cycling --- the time is now for this trail. Thank you for fast-tracking funding for this critical project!!!
Resident, Town of Sudbury	Daniel A. De Pompei	Bruce Freeman Rail Trail	Oppose	My name is Daniel A. De Pompei. I have been a resident of Sudbury MA for 39 years. I have been a member of the National Rails to Trails Conservancy for 20 years. The following statement is provided in response to the MPO’s request for citizen input for the Draft TIP 2014-2017 and proposed LRTP Amendment for 2013. I do not support the use of transportation funds for design or construction of multi-use trails that have not been validated to reduce automotive traffic in a substantive and measurable way. The proposed Bruce Freeman Rail Trail has not been justified as mitigating traffic congestion. I note with great interest that the majority of comments documented for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on the current plans are predominately recreational comments and not transportation. The Department of Conservation and Recreation should fund recreation projects not the Department of Transportation. I do not support multi-use trails whose right-of-way passes through, or near, areas of endangered or threatened species habitat, major game trails, wetlands or riparian areas. The proposed Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Right of Way (ROW) passes through several such areas and violates existing conservation and environmental law. I have discussed this issue with the National Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC). The RTC has no policy that requires any rail trail alignment stay entirely within the rail ROW. The currently proposed trail alignment is the result of local advocacy group(s) inappropriate involvement in municipal politics and not the result of meaningful negotiations with all interested parties. There has been no open, measurable justification of the Bruce Freeman rail trail. There has been no effort by the Trail’s advocacy group (or the state) to address or resolve any of the risks associated with the trail and I do not recommend and do not support the use of public funds for the Bruce Freemen Rail Trail. There are simply too many State validated needs for transportation funds that should take priority over the currently proposed Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. I have submitted this same basic set of comments for the past three years and the comments all still apply. I am available for further discussion.
	Marco Rivero	Green Line Extension Project (Phase 2), College Avenue to Mystic Valley Parkway/Route 16	Support	I fully support the Green Line Extension Project (Phase 2), from College Avenue to Mystic Valley Parkway/Route 16. I personally believe the project should have been completed in a single phase, and cannot wait to begin using the service. It brings Boston and the convenience of the T within reach. Thank you for what you've already done, and keep up the good work.
	Richard Shields	Reconstruction of Route 1A/Main St. (Walpole)	Request	It is very discouraging, as a business owner in Walpole, to learn that Route 1A North in Walpole (ID# 602261) is currently not included in the draft Federal Fiscal Years 2014-2017 TIP. Route 1A is the Town’s main corridor and the region’s main through routes. This project has been in the works for 15 years and long overdue for funding. I ask for your immediate action in assuring this long awaited project gets included in your draft Federal Fiscal Years 2014-2017 TIP. Feel free to contact me to discuss in further detail.