Car-free proposal for Storrow
Plan would open west lanes to recreation on Sundays
A five-mile stretch of Storrow Drive could be closed to car traffic on Sunday mornings beginning this year, opening the riverside roadway to bicycling, walking, in-line skating, and other recreational uses, under a proposal being considered by state officials.
The proposal by the Charles River Conservancy would close only the westbound side of Storrow between the Longfellow Bridge and Harvard Stadium, allowing inbound cars to travel into Boston as usual. If the plan is approved by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees Storrow Drive, the Sunday closures would take place from April to November from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., when traffic is typically light.
To minimize disruption, the closures would not coincide with the Sunday closings of Memorial Drive, which is car-free for about 2 miles from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning the last Sunday in April and ending the second Sunday in November. Memorial Drive runs parallel to Storrow on the Cambridge side of the river.
"It's a fabulous idea that helps jumpstart Boston's effort to be a more livable city," said Steven E. Miller, cofounder and former executive director of Hub on Wheels, an annual bike event. "And the best part is it disrupts almost nothing - you're leaving the inbound lanes open, you're not stopping any cross-river traffic, and you're not stopping anybody from getting to hospitals or any businesses that are open early Sunday morning."
The discussions between state officials and the Charles River Conservancy, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting the parkland along the Charles, are in their early stages, and the proposal would also require the approval of State Police. But the conservancy's president, Renata von Tscharner, said she is "very optimistic that it will happen."
"In a time when we all struggle with obesity, and when we all realize how important exercise is, this is a place where people can both enjoy the river and get vigorous exercise," von Tscharner said. "The time is right for that discussion."
State officials were more measured in their assessment of the proposal.
"It's all pretty preliminary and it's complicated logistically," said Department of Conservation and Recreation spokeswoman Wendy Fox, "but we're perfectly open to talking about it."
The conservancy had "informal discussions" with the previous department commissioner, Stephen H. Burrington, as well as with a department committee formed to oversee bicycle paths, according to von Tscharner, who said she believed Burrington supported the plan.
Burrington resigned shortly after Deval Patrick became governor, but Fox confirmed that under the new commissioner, Richard K. Sullivan Jr., "We have talked to them about that, and we are happy to talk to them more."
Noting that Mayor Thomas M. Menino has become a "fierce supporter of bicycling," von Tscharner said she also hoped to have the support of City Hall. The mayor's press office was not able to comment on the proposal yesterday.
, The conservancy plans to mail letters tomorrow detailing the proposal to neighborhood groups, bicycling organizations, and other potential community partners.
The Storrow proposal would close a much longer section of roadway than is closed on Memorial Drive, which has been car-free on Sunday afternoons for the last three decades between the Eliot Bridge and the Western Avenue Bridge. The Storrow closure would extend from Charles Circle, at the foot of the Boston side of the Longfellow Bridge, to Herter Park, which is located near Harvard Stadium and the Publick Theatre between the Eliot Bridge and Arsenal Street.
And unlike the 1.6-mile Memorial Drive closure, which is interrupted by cars crossing the Charles River over John F. Kennedy Street in Cambridge, the Storrow closure would be an unbroken five-mile stretch, since cross-river traffic travels over or under the roadway. That would allow for more sustained exercise and larger numbers of walkers, bikers, and skaters.
"It would give people who like to roller skate or skateboard or bicycle or push their strollers room to really get out and get some distance, which you can't get on Memorial Drive," said Miller. "It's a bold thing the city needs to do."
The Memorial Drive closure was pioneered in 1976 by the People for Riverbend Park, a group of Cambridge residents who petitioned the state recreation department, then called the Metropolitan District Commission, to make the roadway car-free on Sundays. Initially, the group funded the cost of police details and other related expenses, but eventually those expenses became part of the state recreation budget. The Charles River Conservancy hopes the same arrangement could fund a Storrow Drive closure plan.
The popular Memorial Drive closures attracts hundreds of families and outdoor enthusiasts every Sunday.
Seed money for the Storrow proposal was made possible by a surprise $75,000 grant to the Charles River Conservancy by the Boston Foundation. The group has used part of the money to hire a full-time, $42,000-a-year staff member whose responsibilities will include overseeing the closure initiative. The funding may also be used to secure necessary permits, notify area residents of the proposal, and help cover the physical cost of closing the roadway, according to von Tscharner.
The Boston Foundation grant will also be used by the conservancy to bring cultural events and community activities to New Charles River Basin Park, a new recreation area near the Museum of Science, and to care for ailing trees along the Charles.
Sacha Pfeiffer can be reached at pfeiffer@globe.com. 