Keep scenic parkways, bridges under DCR control
PARK ADVOCACY groups across the Commonwealth support the goals of transportation reform coupled with new revenues that Governor Patrick and our legislative leaders are advancing on Beacon Hill. It takes political courage to act responsibly in the face of crisis and we praise their efforts. The public and the transportation agencies that serve us are facing crumbling infrastructure at a time when the state is losing revenues, and cuts in services loom large. Essential government reforms are needed quickly and the burden of generating new revenues must be shared equitably.
Let's make sure, however, that we get real value from real reform. Included in the Senate transportation reform bill is a proposal to transfer the responsibility for historic parkways and bridges from the Department of Conservation and Recreation to the Massachusetts Highway Department. In our rush to reorganize, are we endangering our parks and greenways?
Many environmental groups, including the Environmental League of Massachusetts, The Trustees of Reservations, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, The Esplanade Association, the Charles River Conservancy, and the Arborway Coalition, among others, strongly urge that the parkways and the bridges of our park systems be kept under the jurisdiction of the DCR. Some people feel that the poor condition of some parkways and bridges is simply an issue of poor management, but the fact is that DCR is understaffed and has not been given adequate funding to repair and maintain these historic structures for years. This needs to change. However, the cost savings suggested by consolidating parkway responsibilities with the Highway Department would be negligible and the loss in protection of our parks could be catastrophic.
Our majestic tree-lined parkways, many designed by world-renowned visionaries like Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Eliot, have been the envy of American and European cities alike for more than a century. These parkways are an integral part of our parks. They frame and protect green space while providing safe access throughout. The parkways and park bridges were designed to balance the needs of drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Although parkways and parks became dominated by cars in the mid-20th century, balance is being reestablished through the Historic Parkways Preservation and Treatment Guidelines and through DCR's ongoing efforts to establish a regional system of bicycle and pedestrian ways that link our parks together.
Why should it matter who manages our parkways and park bridges? The art of balancing vehicular and pedestrian traffic and staying true to the mission of green space is understood well by DCR staff. We cannot say the same is true for the Mass. Highway Department staff. The MHD, understandably, has a mandate to move the maximum number of vehicles from one point to another as quickly and as safely as possible. In a Highway Department culture such as this, trees are in the way. The state and federal design regulations that would apply under MHD would inevitably widen parkways, straighten curves, and cut down trees, thereby narrowing the greenways the DCR has worked so hard to protect. Any thoughts of temporary parkway closures for recreational purposes - as is done for Memorial Drive in Cambridge on summer Sundays - would be defeated. Trucks and buses, with their noise and noxious fumes, would be given access to historic parkways. Do we want to walk, jog, or bike alongside these freeways of the future?
The state's political leaders are struggling to find ways to consolidate and simplify our transportation delivery system, and for good reason. However, this detail of the plan would break up our parks and complicate the work of park partners who have generated millions of dollars in private park investments over the last decade. The Mass. Highway Department is a much bigger bureaucracy with less transparency, less public involvement in decisions, and little to no partnership experience. For MHD, the parkways would be an afterthought, not a priority. For park advocates, on the other hand, the transfer from DCR to MHD would create one more level of bureaucracy guaranteed to slow the process of ensuring access to clean and attractive open space.
Let's keep our parks together and let's keep the parkways and park bridges under the authority of DCR, where they can be managed efficiently and effectively.
Julie Crockford is executive director of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Sylvia Salas is executive director of The Esplanade Association. 
