Rail Trail trash and safety concerns

To the Waltham Community,

I walk on the Rail Trail nearly every day; it’s a great resource for all the residents of Waltham and I applaud the city for building it. However, I want to share two concerns that the city stubbornly ignores.

First, it’s a pig sty – there’s no better way to describe it. Second, it’s a serious accident waiting to happen.

On the first point, it’s strewn with trash, especially the stretch from the ReNew apartment complex (east of Lyman Street) through Bacon Street. The trail has everything – litter from the Lexington Street retailers, shards of broken beer bottle glass, household discards including old tires and furniture, dog poop, and dead vermin.

The city seems unwilling to put up any trash barrels, even on Lyman or Lexington streets which abut the DPW complex and would be quite easy to maintain. Other parks in the city have trash barrels but, the Rail Trail mess doesn’t merit the city’s attention.

On the second point, as soon as the weather warms slightly, the trail will teem with motorized vehicles – escooters, ebikes, and even heavier motorbikes – going at dangerous speeds. This is in spite of signs everywhere banning all motorized vehicles.

A crash with a pedestrian, baby stroller, dog, or another vehicle is inevitable and will be a messy and serious accident. The city has apparently decided enforcement of these rules also doesn’t merit their attention.

I, and others, have written to the mayor, the city planner, and the DPW asking for attention to this but there’s been no response – not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement. I encourage others to write to the mayor about these two Rail Trail matters.

Jimmy Becker