Road conditions and proposals for a recreational trail, bicycle lanes and bike route markings

Bike New England is based in scenic Ipswich Massachusetts in the heart of Massachusetts' North Shore, with great bicycle rides on safe and scenic local roads throughout the area. In Ipswich, the state has made major improvements to Rt 1A south to Hamilton, and north of the Clam Box toward Rowley. Rt. 133 between Ipswich and Essex is wide and straight with a very generous shoulder. A cfew of years ago the town added a paved two foot shoulder to scenic Argilla Rd. when that road was repaved out to popular Crane Beach.

The graphic on the left shows changes that the town recently made to the rail crossing on Topsfield Rd., mandated by the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) . This was already a very dangerous track for cyclsts due to the sharp angle of the tracks. The road is now constricted by barriers and automobile parking spaces such that there is little room for cyclists to maneuver the crossing, and no room for bikes and cars to share the road. TheMBTA recently improved the asphalt surphace immediately adjacent to the rail crossing . Signs should be erected indicating that motorists yield to cyclists. Three parking spaces on the right entering town should be eliminated so that the road is wide enough for cars and bikes to share immediately after the crossing.

A proposal for cycling lanes and bike routes in Ipswich

(A) Topsfield Road: Create and mark consistent 4 ft. paved shoulder to the Topsfield town line. Raise storm grates . Erect bike lane signs along route.
(B) Commuter rail crossing: eliminate 3 parking spaces.. Erect bike-rail crossing sign & "yield to bicycle" signs
(C) Saltonstall, Union Streets, and Riverwalk pedestrian bridge: Install bicycle route signs
(D) South Main St: mark bicycle lane from River Walk through South Village Green to County St.
(E) Depot Square and Hammatt Streets: eliminate parking track side of Depot Square and both sides Hammatt St. Paint and mark 3' bicycle lanes
(F) Washington Street. (reconstruction in progress) Paint and mark bicycle lanes both sides to Liberty Street, eliminate on street parking when narrow
(G) Liberty Street and Mineral Street . Paint and mark bicycle lanes both sides, with existing one-way traffic in middle. Eliminate on-street parking.
(H) Upper Washington Street, Linebrook Road and School Street: Create or stripe a minimum 2’ paved shoulder and erect bicycle route signs.
(I) Central Street: Paint and mark bicycle lanes to Lords Square, eliminate parking north side.
(J) High Street: Eliminate parking except funerals. Paint minimum 3’ bicycle lane with signage.
(K) Upper High St. (Rt. 1A) State to rebuild road and bridge with bicycle lane on both sides
(L) Jeffreys Neck Road: Paint and mark bicycle lane Town Wharf to Pavilion Beach. No parking
(M) County Rd. Widen paved shoulder to minimum of 3’, and mark as bicycle route or bikelane.
(N) Rt. 1A (Bay Road) and Rt. 133 (Essex Rd.) Mark Existing wide shoulders as bicycle lanes, eliminate on-road parking.
(O) Argilla Rd.: Mark as bicycle route entire distance to Crane Beach. Maintain minimum 2’ paved cycling shoulder.
(P) Northgate Rd: Paint and mark 3’ shoulder for bicycle lane both sides.
(Q) Payne St., Turkey Shore, Green St., River St. : Paint 2' shoulder, eliminate parking, marks as bicycle route.

Ipswich to Crane Beach Trail

A group of concerned residents of Argilla Road have formed a committee to promote Ipswich Center to Crane Beach Recreational Trail, a roadside trail that will run from the Ipswich Train Station in the center of Ipswich to Crane Beach. This will be a big step toward opening up a beautiful recreational area that has been limited to automobile only access to the public. In addition, this trail would connect with the Bay Circuit Trail providing the access from Northgate Road to Crane Beach, their second northern terminus. Support has been received for the proposed trail from local, state and federal agencies, the Ipswich Board of Selectmen, Ipswich Planning Department, Police Department and the Department of Public Works, the Residents of Argilla Road, Trustees of Reservations, Essex County Trail Association, the National Park Service, Essex Natural Heritage Commission, and the Ipswich Bay Circuit Committee. The trail will be constructed within the Argilla Road right-of-way, which is 50’ to 60’ wide for most of the distance of the road, providing a passive recreation route for walkers, naturalists, joggers, slow speed bicycles. The meandering trail would pull away from the roadside wherever possible, and dodge existing trees and other obstacles.. Where wetlands occur, an environmentally appropriate solution would be proposed. The trail would be approximately 4-5 feet wide and the surface would be a compacted stone dust. Where the trail crosses two creeks, bridges would be needed and where there are wetlands, boardwalks would be used. Contact Carol Lloyd and Tom Mayo of the Ipswich to Crane Beach Recreational Trail Committee for more details

Proposal for Ipswich link to the Border to Boston Rail Trail

The Border to Boston rail trail will be a 28-mile shared use trail from the New Hampshire border to Danvers in Essex County on Boston’s North Shore. The trail is being realized by the efforts of advocacy groups in each of the communities it passes through, overcoming the NIMBY attitude that organizers especially in Danvers faced. Aproximately 6 miles of the trail are on low-traffic roads between Boxford and Newburyport. In Newburyport the trail connects with the Coastal Trail network. Bike New Engalnd proposes an on-road connection from Ipswich to the trail.

Topsfield recently completed a section of the trail and rebuilt a mile-long section of Ipswich Road with an adequate shoulder for cyclists. The section from Rt. 1 to the Ipswich town line was repaved without an adequate shoulder.It would be relatively simple for Ipswich to widen Topsfield Road to include a 3 ft. cycling lane, replacing the inconsistent occasionally non-existent shoulder and sunken drainage grates that force cyclists to ride in traffic. Cyclists could take this spur to Ipswich and continue on recently repaved Argilla Road to Crane Beach. Read more...

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