Category Archives: Transportation

New England Trail, Outdoors, Public Transit Hikes, Transportation

Pioneer Valley Public Transit Hikes: New England Trail MA Section 2

My spouse Sara and I are section hiking the New England Trail using public transit. There are some areas that require overnights due to the distance between public transit stops, but most can be done as day hikes.

Last month we hiked Massachusetts Section 2, which is in the towns of Agawam, Southwick and Westfield.

  • Hike difficulty: Moderate – two steep climbs, otherwise mostly flat.
  • Approach difficulty: Hard – walking along highways with heavy traffic without sidewalks for much of the way. At the north end, in times of low water, the Westfield River can be forded and there is a transit stop right on the other side of the river.
  • Distance: 3.5 to 4.1 miles (6.9 to 7.5 miles with approaches)
  • Transit: PVTA R14 (schedule) & R10 (schedule) from Springfield Union Station. Route G73E provides trips every half hour from Northampton’s Academy of Music to Springfield Union Station.

Interactive map:

 See full screen

On the PVTA’s R14 bus to the end of the line, Pheasant Hill Apartments.

Directions to the southern end: Take the R14 to Pheasant Hill Apartments (transit directions), walk 1.2 miles on S. West Street to Rt. 57 to the trailhead (walking directions).

At the northern end, walk 2.2 miles on Feeding Hills Rd to Little River Rd to Rt. 20 to the bus stop in front of Chipotle (walking directions). Or if the Westfield River is low, you can ford the river and catch the R10 bus back to Springfield Union Station at Westfield Street (Rt. 20) and Old Westfield Road (transit directions).

Staying on the trail is recommended! The signs read “Danger Open Pit Stay Away” and “Posted Private Property”
The view to the west.
The old fire tower has partially obscured views of the area.
The trail passes by the Springfield Underground Reservoir.
One of the two steep sections.
A view of the Westfield River, with Rt. 20 (and bus stops) across the river.
Climate change, Community, Cooperatives, Transportation

City Council run

I am very excited to announce that I am running for Ward 5 City Councilor in Northampton, Massachusetts!

Map of Ward 5, Northampton, Mass. See https://www.alexjarrett.com/map.php
for an interactive version.

I’m running on a platform of increased affordability, working to address climate change, walkable mixed-use development, safe and sustainable transportation, inclusion and social justice. Here are some quotes from my press release:

“I care about Northampton’s long-term future.  I have a vision of a Northampton that is ready for climate change and is a leader in stopping it.  Our infrastructure needs to be in good shape, and also our community as we support each other and welcome climate refugees.  My vision is of a community that has enough housing stock at an affordable price that people who grew up here can afford to stay, and that lower wage workers aren’t priced out.  A community with businesses that understand that respecting and supporting workers is in their long term best interest, and where many of those businesses are owned by the community and/or the workers themselves.  And with schools that are well funded, teach students to advocate for change and adapt to a changing world.”

“Everything we do as a city is interconnected.  Transportation policy affects development policy and vice versa, and good policy in both of these will improve our community’s health and result in a net increase in the tax base of the city.  Inclusion in the process of city government leads to a more just society. Sharing personal and city resources saves money and brings people together.”

“My job is to learn from everyone around me to understand these connections, and find consensus with other leaders.  My work over the past 16 years with Pedal People and other cooperatives has built my skills as a listener, a facilitator and as a person who can find common ground across difference, and make changes that work for everyone.”

For more about my campaign, see www.alexjarrett.com

Climate change, Outdoors, Transportation

Transportation equity: walking

I’ve been walking the sidewalks of Northampton, Mass. lately, and with the recent snow and ice storms it’s been a rough ride.  Northampton’s sidewalk clearing laws stipulate that property owners must clear or treat the entire width of the sidewalk within 24 hours of the end of a storm, and keep it clear or treated after that.

Let’s imagine an alternate history where after a storm, each property owner was required to clear the entire road in front of their house, and they had 24 hours to do so, but the sidewalks were cleared by trained professionals.  Obviously a disaster, but the current (opposite) situation is unfair and difficult for sidewalk users.

We shouldn’t have to wait 24+ hours to have safe passage, and the inconsistency and lack of enforcement of each property owner’s obligation to keep it clear makes the dangerous even after that.

What’s impacts does the current policy have?

  • There’s a disproportionate impact to people with less money and can’t afford a car, and to people for whom it’s unsafe to drive, such as undocumented people.
  • Wheelchair users end up riding in the street, using a private vehicle if they have one, or rely on van services, which are usually funded by tax dollars.  Wheelchair users do use the rail trails that are plowed in the winter.
  • Public transportation access is limited.  Most bus stops are not right at someone’s house and their destination is also not right at a bus stop.
  • Those with a car use it more, which has environmental impacts but also health impacts as people don’t get as much regular exercise.  Children are driven to school instead of walking.

The City of Northampton has a complete streets plan.  I couldn’t find mention of keeping the sidewalks clear of snow & ice, so I decided to research how other cities manage.

  • Burlington, Vermont plows all their sidewalks with small plows, concurrently with street plowing during the day and at night in time for schools to open.
  • Amherst, Mass. has a sidewalk plowing route for major sidewalks and prioritizes sidewalks that facilitate students walking to school.  After the initial plowing route is done, residents are required to maintain the sidewalk in a passable condition

As a step towards treating sidewalk plowing as we do street plowing, I would like to see us move towards a system similar to Amherst’s, where the city assists residents by plowing the sidewalks during a storm on major thoroughfares (which are especially dangerous to walk in the street), and then property owners must maintain them after that.

Let’s make it so all of us, regardless of how we choose to get around (walking, biking, public transit, driving), have equal access to transportation.

Climate change, Cooperatives, Transportation

The Florence Electric Vehicle Co-op

Imagine having access to the most appropriate travel option whenever you need it, and all of the options using the cleanest energy possible.  Foot, bicycle, electric bicycle, electric city bus, pedal electric vehicle, or a full size electric car when all the other options won’t do.

One of the problems with owning your own car is that there’s a great incentive to use it more.  In general, the more you use it, the lower the per-mile costs, because driving more doesn’t affect the cost of the car or the insurance in most situations.  Unless you drive a lot, not owning a car but having access to one when you need it is usually cheaper and uses less energy.

So – let’s create a cooperative where we can rent by the hour or day the electric vehicle that’s most appropriate for our needs!

I propose we start with a regular electric bike, and a PEBL, a pedal electric vehicle made locally.

Cars are complicated, with insurance and licensing to worry about. Once we get a handle on the costs and logistics, perhaps we can get used electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, which are about $10,000 these days.

Want to join me?  Let’s create a cooperative structure and crowdfunding plan – drop me a line!

Outdoors, Public Transit Hikes, Transportation

Pioneer Valley Public Transit Hikes – #3: Mt. Tom Range

I’ve started a new series of hikes using public transportation leaving from Northampton, Massachusetts. Our third hike will be Saturday, April 15, 2017 – details below. You can also follow the series on the PVPTH Facebook page.

Mt. Tom Range from Rt. 141 to Rt. 5

Mt. Tom range from the Oxbow
Mt. Tom range from the Oxbow

  • Difficulty: Hard – steep climbs, long distance.
  • Distance: 6.5 miles.
  • Transit: PVTA R41 (schedule , map) & B48 (schedule, map) from the Academy of Music, 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060,  $1.25 each way.

Meet Saturday 4/15/17 to catch the 10 a.m. bus at the Academy of Music – we’ll take the R41 bus through Easthampton and get off on Rt. 141 at the top of the hill just after passing into Holyoke.  We’ll hike north on the New England/M&M Trail, up over Mt. Tom and along the ridge, heading down after Mt. Nonotuck to East St and then Route 5.  We’ll catch the B48 bus back into Northampton by late afternoon.

If you’re coming from Williamsburg, Leeds or Florence, you can catch the R42 bus which becomes the R41 at the Academy of Music.

Outdoors, Transportation

What do I want?

This past weekend I went on a two day walking and camping journey, never leaving the city of Northampton, but feeling miles away.

I started with one destination in mind, about an hour’s walk:

2016-08-06 17.38.42After crossing an abandoned beaver dam, I ate lunch and took a nap under mosquito netting.  I had purposefully not set a goal beyond the first stop.  I could stay where I was and do nothing, explored the area or continuing walking for the rest of the day.  So I asked myself, what do I want to do?  And nothing came back.  I didn’t know.  It was painful to sit there and second guess my desires, and just not feeling like doing anything, but know that that was doing something anyway.

Finally I decided to stash my pack and follow the deer trails.  I got turned around a couple of times, found a great spot to camp, and found myself observing more, less concerned with what to do and just doing it.

I found a beautiful spot to set up a hammock on top of a boulder, strung up between two trees that I had to climb high up in to secure the ropes!

2016-08-06 18.15.10I left the next morning more able to pay attention to the forest and follow my interests.  On the walk back I stopped in unannounced on two friends and reconnected!

Climate change, Outdoors, Transportation

Hudson Valley walk 2016

2015-04-23 15.46.01
The text reads: “To the Town of Shelburne, during dry season 1929, Perini & Amrollini”.  Found along the road on last year’s walk.

On May 13th my yearly walking journey begins in Albany, New York at the Albany 2016 – Break Free From Fossil Fuels, an action to block fossil fuel trains and fight for climate justice.  From there I’ll head south toward New York City, on foot and by train, arriving in Brooklyn on May 21st.

On last year’s walk (Walking journey 2015), I walked to Vermont and back from Northampton, staying with friends and new-found friends, recording a radio show and listening and sharing stories.  I was surprised how many people were inspired by my journey, even though I had no goal other than to enjoy the world and the people I met.

This year I will be adding to that goal, and asking people their thoughts and feelings about climate change as I walk, trying to better understand what’s needed to move the movement forward, helping people come to terms with their feelings and help them find a place to take action that’s not coming from a place of guilt or coercion.  I’ll share what I find out with you in radio or video form.

I won’t be carrying camping gear so I’ll be staying with people.  I’ve found hosts for each night.  I’ll be passing through Hudson, Germantown, Saugerties, Woodstock, Bearsville, High Falls, New Paltz, Marlboro and Beacon.  Know anyone I should meet?  Or would you like to walk with me for a day? Please be in touch!

Cooperatives, Outdoors, Transportation

Sharing, busyness and non-traditional family

1 Comment

Walking through Conway, Mass.

UPDATE: The talk is available as a podcast on the Out There radio show.

I gave a free talk at the Forbes Library  on Saturday, February 6 at 1 pm in the community room.  I spoke about sharing and learning the skills of cooperation, reforming the culture of busyness and creating non-traditional family.

I’ve been living cooperatively in a cooperatively-owned house for the past 10 years, and gotten tremendous benefit from that, both economically and socially.  It’s also been a challenge to learn how to get along with each other.  Bringing up the difficulties before they build to a place of resentment, openly talking about feelings and hashing out the details are skills that I’ve learned and am still working on.

I’ve been spending time every week for the past three years with my adopted niece who is now 5 years old.  Together we’ve created videos, gone biking, hiking and on public transit adventures, and this past summer we’ve been building a house on a bike trailer to travel to Antarctica with.  It’s been about following her lead, and finding the places where I have interest too.  I feel very much adopted in her family and all of us support each other – having dinner together, saving thousands of dollars in child care costs, and filling my need for connection with children.

And I’ll talk about making space in my life, through sharing and cutting expenses, and through meeting my needs in multiple ways at once.  Some are: biking for transportation and exercise, cutting wood by hand with a two-person saw and talking the whole time, taking the time to walk places to help me think and to see so much more than I would see traveling faster.

I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from people of color and raised poor and working class people, locally and internationally, who are cooperating and conserving and living in ways that many white middle-class people have lost touch with.  I’ll be speaking about my experience, understanding that my situation is unique and that I have had a lot of privilege to have the space to figure out new solutions, and these solutions won’t work for everyone.  Oppression is very real and puts us in a bind unequally.   Making space in my life has given me the time to work on fighting to end systemic oppression without burning out.

Check out the recording of the talk, and also a shorter radio interview to promote the talk.

IMG_4343

Outdoors, Public Transit Hikes, Transportation

Pioneer Valley Public Transit Hikes – #2: East Mountain & HCC Trails

I’ve started a new series of hikes using public transportation leaving from Northampton, Massachusetts. Our second hike was Saturday, November 14, 2015 – details below. You can also follow the series on the PVPTH Facebook page.

East Mountain & Holyoke Community College Trails

  • Difficulty: Hard – hcctrailshills with some steep climbs, navigating unmarked trails.  Also difficult to alert the bus driver to the right spot to be dropped off at.
  • Distance: About 4 miles.
  • Transit: PVTA R41 (schedule , map) from the Academy of Music, 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060.  $1.25 each way.

Meet Saturday 11/14 at 1 p.m. at the Academy of Music – we’ll take the R41 bus through Easthampton and get off on Rt. 141 in Holyoke across from the entrance to the Whiting Reservoir Trail Head.  We’ll hike south on the New England/M&M Trail, climb the northern end of East Mountain and connect to the Holyoke Community College (HCC) trail system, catching the bus back from HCC at 4:10 pm, arriving in Northampton by 4:50 pm.  Blaze orange is recommended as it is bow hunting season for deer.