Bicycling and Walking in Lexington

By Jerry Van Hook

Since biking and walking have so much in common as healthful and enjoyable ways of getting about, it is perhaps no surprise that bicycle committee members would be interested in improving conditions for walking as well a bicycling in Lexington. Since the Minuteman Bikeway was officially opened in 1992, the number of walkers and joggers has almost equalled the numbers of those on wheels along the five miles of pathway, apart from traffic noise and pollution and yet passing near the Town center for those combining local errands with recreation.

Not everyone lives adjacent to the Minuteman Bikeway and the other pathways dedicated to bicycling and walking in town. The bike committee was therefore soon involved in developing maps showing a network of recommended low-traffic roads desirable for cycling to compliment the convenience and pleasure of riding and walking along the Minuteman. As we worked on these maps, it became evident that bicycling should not be the only focus, that walking routes were just as important, and that we were lacking information on the existence or nonexistence of sidewalks in the higher population density areas in our town.