Rail Trail Parking Plan Compares Favorably With Others

While awaiting a potential October hearing date from the Department of Transportation, the Friends of the Lynnfield Rail Trail looked at the issue of parking.

Based on parking data at four area Rail Trails/Recreational Paths — in Winchester, Danvers, Topsfield, and Salisbury — Lynnfield and Wakefield have ample parking in comparison. Additionally, a study done for the town of Medfield by the consulting firm Beals and Thomas indicates that the recommended parking spaces per mile for a rail trail is 20-50 spaces per mile, depending on whether it is a local or regional trail. Lynnfield and Wakefield far exceed this recommendation.

Here's a look at how Lynnfield and Wakefield stack up:

Danvers — The 4.3 mile path has 225-250 parking spaces, an average of 52 spaces per mile.

Winchester — The roughly 4 mile path has 600-650 parking spaces, an average of 150 spaces per mile.

Salisbury — The 1.3 mile path has 17 parking spaces, an average of 13 spaces per mile.

Topsfield — The 3.9 mile path has 73 parking spaces, an average of 19 spaces per mile.

---------------------------

Wakefield — The 1.9 mile portion of the proposed Rail Trail has 270 parking spaces, an average of 142 spaces per mile.

Lynnfield — The 2.5 mile portion of the proposed Rail Trail has 819 parking spaces, an average of 328 spaces per mile.

In the four area towns of Danvers, Winchester, Salisbury and Topsfield, all have a mix of town municipal and school parking lots. Rail Trail parking at schools is allowed only during non-school hours. The Lynnfield parking totals includes six locations: town hall, middle, Summer Street, and high school (during non-school hours), Reedy Golf, and Jordan Park.