Green Daily

A piece in the Boston Globe recently caught my eye - in a local suburb, some residents are riling against plans to make an old railroad corridor into a bike trail. The 25-mile trail would connect suburban residents with public transportation hubs, making it easier and more cost-efficient to get to work.

The trail would be part of more than 100 miles of bike trails planned for Massachusetts that state officials say could eventually allow riders to bike 120 miles from Lowell, Mass. to Westfield.

Supporters of the trail say the benefits - a more eco-friendly, safe way to travel; potential for exercise; an alternative to cars, etc. What surprises me is the number of those opposed to the idea. One woman in the article claims that they don't have any nearby neighbors, so if "something happened, no one would hear us yelling." Really? I didn't know cyclists and rollerbladers to be a particularly rowdy, violent bunch, but maybe I was wrong.

The way the naysayers make it sound, the trail will invite mayhem and recklessness to the otherwise peaceful, quiet neighborhood. I'm not sure where they think all of the chaos will come from - teenagers yelling late at night? Crazy cyclists playing chicken? Joggers whooping it up? I can understand that, with a change like this comes some construction and disruption of the peace, but isn't the final outcome worth it?