By Sheila McElwaine on August 05, 2009
Local users of the Springfield segment of the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway in Springfield would take issue with Jorbidy’s review of July 20, 2009. In a series of frank assessments over the past two years of this trail which runs the entire length of Springfield’s riverfront, odors have never been noted as a problem. And while it is undeniable that the central section has its share of urban “edge” including illegal dump sites and shady characters, sections north of West Street and south of Riverfront are well-maintained, well-policed and family-friendly. In fact, negative buzz and lack of use are two of this trail’s greatest problems, and it would be a shame if reviews published on the R-t-C site were to perpetuate them.
By Jorbidy on July 20, 2009
This trail is not too fantastic, and not very safe. The smell was overwhelming, and the trail was littered with garbage. The City of Springfield has a lot of work in order to get this trail up to par. Too many transients hanging around.
By stewkingjr on August 07, 2008
The trail is pretty much as others have said, it's certainly not the smoothest riding to be had. As for the trail ending suddenly, i remember around '87 or so that the MBTA wanted to run the franklin line further west, paid a large chunk of change to a consulting firm for a report that essentially said that the rail lines had been abandoned and that many of the abutters had legally claimed back the right-of-way. There is no reason why the MBTA wouldn't have been able to take back the land with eminent domain assertions, but they didn't. I don't know their reasons.