The Chatham branch starts at the rotary intersection that connects it with the main stem of the trail in Harwich. Much of the Chatham branch looks like the photo below -- a reasonable rail trail, with mostly bicycle traffic because it passes mostly through wooded land with few intersections.

Peculiarities and problems

However,  there are some peculiarities and problems. In the photo below, looking east across Depot Road in East Harwich, the trail parallels an existing publicly-owned road built on the railbed, and which is open only to occasional traffic (notice the gate). The parallel trail section runs for over 1000 feet. Construction costs, including that of considerable excavation, could have been saved here. Also note the "walk bicycles" signs. These appear at most of the intersections. They have no force of law. There is no basis for the idea that walking is safer, except possibly for a person with very poor bicycling skill -- after all, it is possible to get across much faster on a bicycle than on foot. Many bicyclists ignore these signs.

The sign identifying Depot Road, like most identifying streets at crossings in Harwich, is on the red vertical stripe on the barrier post in the middle of the trail -- in small letters, not readable easily by a bicyclist.

A better intersection treatment

This intersection at Route 39 in Harwich has the "walk bicycles" sign, but it also has a good feature, a functional divider in the trail to slow bicycle traffic before the intersection. It would be helpful if the sight line obstructions (at the left side of the picture) could be removed.

More sidepath segments

There are three additional sidepath segments, in addition to the one east of Depot Road. The one shown below, west of Sam Ryders Road in Chatham, is similarly unnecessary. The road is only used rarely, by traffic to a sewage treatment plant. Also note the narrow spacing of the barrier posts. This is typical of the Chatham section of the path currently (September 2004) under construction -- more about the barrier posts later.

The two sections of sidepath shown up to this point are mostly wasteful rather than dangerous. Bicyclists would be better served by traveling on the roadways here, avoiding the unavoidable conflicts with pedestrian traffic on a mixed-use path. But on the other hand, there is little pedestrian traffic, because of the lack of closely spaced destinations.

The other sidepath sections are not so innocuous. The photo below looks west across Oak Street in Harwich along Old Colony Road, which was built on the alignment of the abandoned railroad bed.

This is a developed area, with a school, a church and residences, so pedestrian traffic is heavy. Also, in its approximately 1/4 mile, the sidepath along Old Colony Road crosses numerous driveways and two streets. It certainly would have made sense to build a sidewalk here, but the safety and convenience of bicyclists is better served if they are accommodated on the roadway, not on a sidepath.

The intersections at the ends of this sidepath segment are particularly troublesome. To the left in the photo below is a driveway of a school. The trail is therefore a sidepath next to a four-way intersection with heavy traffic from all directions at certain times. Bicyclists and motorists must look back behind them to yield at the intersection, no matter which way the bicyclists are traveling.

The appropriate treatment for bicyclists here would be to bring the trail out directly opposite the end of Old Colony Avenue, so bicyclists could transition smoothly to/from riding on the right side of the roadway. "Share the Road" signs would have been appropriate. A sidewalk for pedestrians also would have been appropriate.

A "share the road" segment

Oddly enough, there is another section of the trail, in Chatham, which does accommodate bicyclists on a roadway: Wilfred Road, with "Share the Road" signs. There is no sidewalk, but on the other hand, motor traffic is light.

Pillar to post in Chatham

But Chatham also has the most troublesome sections of the entire project. The railroad right of way passed directly across what is now the Chatham airport. The trail from the west terminates at George Ryder Road opposite the airport, only to resume a quarter mile south along this road. As of this writing (September, 2004), there is no sign or marking to indicate how to continue along the trail; and George Ryder Road is rather heavily-traveled and narrow. A detour around the north end of the airport would have been considerably shorter, but for some reason, it was not chosen.

East of where Wilfred Road ends at Old Queen Anne Road, the abandoned railroad bed no longer exists either as a railroad bed or as a roadway. The trail continues as a sidepath along Stepping Stones Road, with three very awkward intersections, as shown in the photos below.

Recommendations,

• All of the sidepath segments should be redesignated as sidewalks, and accommodations be made for bicyclists to ride on the parallel roadways. Markings and transitions should be redone accordingly.

• There needs to be a better routing around the airport in Chatham, preferably around the north end of the airport so it is shorter.

• Signage needs to be improved in order better to indicate location and destinations

• "Walk bike" signs should be removed and instead, better attention should be paid to issues of sight lines at intersections.

• The outer barrier posts should be removed at the intersections in Chatham, and only the middle post be left in place, where spacing is substandard.