Update 5/4: Wellesley approves face covering order, Brook Path to remain open to those adhering
Runners & cyclists: You might want to take the opportunity this weekend to squeeze in what could be your last trot or bike ride along the Brook Path for a while. Because the 2.3-mile stretch along Fuller Brook has become more crowded since the COVID-19 crisis emerged, town officials are threatening to enforce social distancing by temporarily stripping runners and cyclists of the privilege to use the path—unless they slow the heck down and walk it instead.
The Board of Selectmen and Board of Health held off voting on a draft order for mandatory face covering use Friday that includes a section excluding runners and cyclists from the path. The boards’ decision making was interrupted by news that the state had issued an order of its own. Runners and cyclists now await their fate on Monday night when the boards reconvene.
The draft order in part reads:
In other words, reduce congestion and improve social distancing on the Brook Path by expelling the people who spend less time on the path because they are going faster and allow the path to remain clogged with those strolling. This would give runners, who have lost their road races, track access and Morses Pond loop access, 1 fewer option for stretching their legs.
Most of the people using the path are walking, often with dogs. So if town officials really want to encourage social distancing on the path they’d ban the walkers and give runners and cyclists free rein. As is, no explanation is offered in the order for giving walkers preferential treatment.
(I conducted a completely unscientific poll for 20 minutes a few hours after the boards met on Friday at State Street and Cameron Street on the Brook Path. I tallied 30 path users: 23 walkers, 2 wearing masks; 4 runners, 2 wearing masks; 3 cyclists, 2 wearing masks; 6 dogs, none wearing masks and all leashed. I suspect the breakdown of runners/cyclists vs. walkers is about right, though not so sure about the mask ratio.).
To be clear: I’m not advocating for walkers to be banned. But neither should runners or cyclists. They can co-exist. It sounds like the town plans to pepper the path with signs emphasizing safety rules, so maybe that will encourage more people to play nicely regardless of their exercise choice.
In the grand scheme of things, foregoing the Brook Path for runners and cyclists isn’t the end of the world. There are obviously bigger COVID-19 issues to worry about. And there are other less exclusive places in town, like the Cliff Estates area, to run and cycle. Though as Wellesley Police Chief Jack Pilecki has pointed out, some drivers have taken the emptier streets as an invitation to go a lot faster. Between that, and crossing over from 1 side of the street to the other to avoid other people, running and cycling along streets has become dicier.
What’s more, steering runners and cyclists to the streets and sidewalks, such as along Central and Washington Streets, isn’t going to do much for the local businesses that the town is trying to support during the coronavirus crisis. Walkers, on the other hand, just might be enticed to do a little curbside pickup if they’re trundling along Wellesley or Linden Square and reading the retailers signs.
Yes, some runners and cyclists can be, uh, disrespectful in terms of their social distancing. And many don’t wear face coverings since it’s so tough to breathe while wearing them during exercise and might not even be advisable to do so. Perhaps the latter point is the boards’ justification for possibly banning drippy, sweaty, spitting and snotty runners and cyclists.
Though as any regular trails runner will attest, the Brook Path has become more congested in recent weeks not because of the surge in runners and cyclists, but due to the increase in those walking it. And while walkers increasingly are leashing dogs, wearing masks and stepping aside, many still walk side by side and require an especially wide berth when walking dogs, even when they are leashed.
While I prefer running on surfaces like that of the Brook Path because they’re easier on the joints than sidewalks and streets, I’ve already pretty much abandoned running on it for now due to its transformation into an obstacle course.
Traditionally, runners have had local trails like the Brook Path largely to themselves in the morning. So one solution would be to cede the trail to runners and cyclists during the morning and walkers during the afternoon and early evening. Not that monitoring something like this would ever fly.
It would seem my best bet going forward if I want to run on the Brook Path, if this overreaching order goes through, might be to rely on the fact that the distinction between my running and walking is near impossible to discern with the naked eye.
(Disclaimer: I’m a member of the Wellesley Trails Committee, but the opinions here are my own.)
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I am glad the town made the decision that it did to not ban a large portion of Wellesley’s community from the path. Here are some ideas of things we can all be adhering to, based on my experiences on the path, to make the path a safer and more enjoyable place for all:
1. Do not cross the bridges if others are crossing. Don’t dilly dally on the bridges if someone is waiting.
2. If walking/running in a group of two or more, walk/ single file when others are approaching.
3. Don’t spit (!!!!!!!)
4. Keep dogs on leashes. If people are approaching, keep dog within a foot of your person.
5. Don’t congregate to socialize on the path.
6. Don’t block the entrances to the path (i.e., don’t use that spot as a place to rest, stretch, chat, let your dog sniff around).
7. It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain a safe distance. If you are approaching someone, move to the side and they should too (regardless of whether you are walking, they are running, they are walking, you are cycling, etc.).
It is everyone’s responsibility to distance when passing others. These are all things I have seen creating issues for social distancing on the path since this all started. Let’s all work together to keep the path an enjoyable place for our fellow townspeople in these difficult times.
Maybe this should be regarded as an opportunity for the Town. How about connecting the Brook Path across Centennial Reservation via some Complete Streets (CS) leading up towards Masss Bay? Or how about connecting Linden to the North Forty with some new paths to Morse’s? What about improving walkability and bike safety along Weston Road and along Route 9? The Town just went through (almost) a whole exercise on this. The Complete Streets process was interrupted by the virus.
Lovely though it is, the Brook Path is merely part of a network of Town assets not 100% about cars, and the Town needs more of that network to be interconnected.
The problem is that the Brook Path is regarded as unique. It’s not. We have miles and miles of paths. We have miles and miles of sidewalks. We have acres and acres of parks. The Brook Path is merely the nicest place to walk in a linear fashion, and then to walk back again.
So let’s not just see the short-term problem.
Let’s regard this moment as an opportunity. The virus will soon be gone. Great, human-scale infrastructure lives on for a hundred years or more. But it’s not every day we get a chance to alter the car-centric pattens of the Town.
Let’s connect stuff.
Thanks for sharing your ideas Mark,
Bob
Banning runners and cyclists is a slippery slope that would generate resentment and non-compliance. If you are concerned about your safety stay home and keep your misery off the path!
It seems selfish to not give way to the elderly couples who are trying to stay alive and get a little worry free exercise. Go bike on the roadway.
And get off my lawn, ya dang whippersnappers!
I walked the path Saturday. Most joggers did not use masks, and showed no awareness of staying appropriately distanced from others. The virus is aerosoled and runners and bicycles should be more courteous. Everyone should wear masks. If joggers showed more courtesy of others this might not be an issue.
Have you tried running with a mask? You recycle carbon dioxide and humidity. It’s not a solution.
I listened into the call and meeting and sent a comment to the Board of Selectmen. I am advocating for less restrictions and less outdoor rules. I did not hear how the Selectmen were addressing the many comments sent in and the 13 citizen callers who dialed in and spoke that were strongly against stricter outdoor rules and restrictions. As a family with young children, the only outlets currently for families and kids is to go outside. It is harder to control children all the time and there will be times when they may walk the wrong way. Parents also need outdoor breaks and need to enjoy the already limited paths and trails in town. If someone is immunocompromised or high-risk and feels scared on certain trails, then please choose another path or walk on wider streets. I do not agree with those advocating for stricter rules imposed on the entire population and strongly disagree of the Town of Wellesley making stricter rules such as closing down trails which are again some of the only outlets families have. Mental health and physical health of families should be strongly considered in these decisions and discussions. Again, if people feel unsafe in any setting including trails or stores then please Avoid that place and use the town resources to get help with grocery delivery or essential delivery. Why encourage more rules and stricter restrictions for the entire population based on fears? For anyone suffering anxiety, there are mental health resources available and doctors providing assistance via phone and video-conferencing.
I ran the Brook Path this morning and found it very manageable (with my jogging stroller) to still maintain social distance. Maybe in the afternoon this would not be the case but I will be very sad to lose the option to run the path.
Great article! I also believe runners should not be banned from the path. Many runners, including myself can not run on pavement because of lower body issues and the brook path is the most convenient non-pavement path in town. Runners being banned from the path would be unfair.
Please name the people on the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Health, who are in favor of passing paragraph 2 of the draft order you cited above. They need to be voted out of office as soon as possible.
My cousin lives in Paris. Runners and cyclists are not allowed on the streets of Paris between 10 AM and 7 PM. Maybe designations times would be a way to work around this. BTW, I think all runners and cyclists should be wearing masks
Bob, I’m 67 and when I know I’m 67 because when I’m running on the path my dog is still walking. Your suggestion for limiting runners an/or bicyclist’s to the mornings is a good one. Even without 100% compliance it would help. If one wants to walk your dog in the morning that’s ok. Bicyclist ( and runners) should not be on the trail after 1 or 2 pm.
Today close to 50% of the daily use of the Path were bicyclists, mostly children, teenagers, often in families. It seems that it would be nice to not just tolerate but celebrate families and children exercising together, but safely.
I take issue with your concerns about peppering the trails with signs… see my post from yesterday. Hope to see you running on the Path tomorrow.
Thanks Jay. I actually don’t have concerns about peppering the paths with signs, sorry if it came off that way. I think it’s fine for the hopefully short term (though I do think Wellesley has way more signs already than it needs. Try counting the amount of signs some time when driving on Washington Street into Wellesley from Newton. You’ll lose count before you go a half mile…Probably half are unnecessary)
You can go down these paths without a mask if you step aside when people come by. I’m unclear why we close down exercise areas. How about letting people use judgement.
I fully agree, and my observations are that groups of walkers are more disruptive on the path than runners or cyclists who observe social distancing and wear masks. Is there a way to give feedback to the decision-makers? At a minimum, I would hope they could try to create running/cycling hours or some other sort of shared use, but I think we can do better that that by just being respectful of each others’ space.
BoS: [email protected]
Health Dept: [email protected]
Also, there is citizen speak at the start of Monday meeting, but you need to get on a list ahead of time by sending email to that [email protected] address. Meeting starts at 5pm May 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOMwbF2Wgng&feature=youtu.be