Rep. Bradley Secures Free Parking for Cohasset Trail

Plans are underway to set aside 20 parking spaces at the Cohasset MBTA Commuter Rail Station for users of the Whitney Spur Rail Trail that runs from Route 3A to Wompatuck State Park. Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey responded favorably to my request in a letter dated October 22nd, and has offered to help implement the plan.

MassDOT, working with the MBTA, will designate 20 parking spaces closest to the trail entrance and post signs that read: “Trail Users Only – No Commuter Parking”. Recreational trail users would be allowed to park in the designated spaces at no charge for up to four hours at a time. Violators could be ticketed or towed. Each of the designated parking spaces will be marked with an image of a bicycle to distinguish them from commuter spaces.

I am pleased that Secretary Davey and the MBTA responded favorably to my suggestion on behalf of the many local residents who wish to increase recreational use of the trail throughout the year. This complements work completed earlier this year by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which tore down abandoned buildings at the former Naval ammunition depot so that visitors may walk or bike all the way to Wompatuck State Park.

Thanks go out to the Friends of Wompatuck State Park, a dedicated group of volunteers who have been advocating for improved access to the trail and the cleanup of the depot, as well as holding events and attending local meetings.

Secretary Davey, in his letter, stated that the designation of the parking spaces “is an innovative and valuable use of the specified section of the Cohasset Commuter Rail parking lot,” which will “support the environmental and health benefits of the trail.”

My staff is now working with officials from MassDOT and the MBTA to implement the parking plan.