"I want to cause a sea-change in the mentality of the US. I want people to see that mortgage debt is destructive, with no benefits at all, except for bankers. Mortgage debt just drives up prices and enslaves workers to their bosses. If we all paid cash for houses, or rented, we would be more prosperous, more free, and happier."

The Great Repression, by Niall Ferguson (February 28, 2009). Ferguson on the only real solution to the financial crisis, one that the Obama team will come around to when all else has failed.

Depression in the East Points the Way for the Rest of the World, by Larry Elliott (The Guardian [UK], February 26, 2009)

What Is Your Home Worth? Both Less and More than You Think,  by Sharon Astyk (December 16, 2008)

A Word of Advice in a Real Estate Slump: Rent by David Leonhardt (New York Times, April 11, 2007)

Crisis Looms in Mortgage Markets by Gretchen Morgenson, March 11, 2007.

Un-Real Estate by James Grant, April 2005

Housing bubble in New England  (Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Studies, Jan. 5, 2003)

"These are perilous times for asset markets ...." (Ian Campbell, UPI, Jan. 30, 2004)

"House of Cards: US, UK Home Prices to Decline Dramatically in Next Few Years."
See The Economist's survey of May 29, 2003

 

Western Mass. Bike Paths and Trails

Ashuwillticook River Trail [DCR GIF map]

Running 10.5 miles from Lanesborough to Adams along the Hoosic river, parallelling, but far from Route 8, this path is the anchor for a north-south route from Vermont to Connecticut. The first 5 miles north of Pittsfield opened August 27, 2001, and construction of the rest was finished in 2004. Moves are afoot to extend the path in both directions, to downtown Pittsfield on the south--it just hits the northern border of that city now--and North Adams to the north. The current northern end, at the Berkshire County Visitors in Adams, is easiest to find. There is more information on the Berkshire Bike Path Council web site.

 

Keystone Arch Bridge Trail

The 2 mile long KAB trail's signature features are massive granite arch railroad bridges built in 1839 with no mortar. Bikes are OK, though a popular way to travel is to hike in, and float on tubes back to the start. The trail is maintained by a volunteer group, Friends of the Keystone Arches, PO Box 276, Huntington, MA 01050. A trail map is available for a small donation.

 

Manhan Rail Trail

This 4.2 mile multi-use recreational path stretches from South Street in Easthampton, MA to Mt. Tom Junction at the Route 5 CT River boat launch, with a connecting on-road bike lane to downtown Northampton. The trail will eventually connect with the Norwottuck Trail to Amherst and the Northampton Bike Path to Williamsburg.

 

Northampton Bike Path [MHD PDF map]

This 1.75 mile paved path is on a section of the same abandoned right-of-way as the Norwottuck Trail, but there is an intervening piece of active rail between them. The right-of-way continues westward, where there is an effort being made to extend it through Williamsburg, Mass.

 

Norwottuck Trail [DCR GIF map] [MHD PDF map]

This nine-mile-long bikepath connects Amherst and Northampton, through Hadley, paralleling MA Rt. 9 and avoiding that heavily traveled road. With its own bridge over the Connecticut River, it is the western end of the abandoned Central Mass. Railway line, the eastern end of which is being considered for a Waltham to Hudson trail. A group in Belchertown is working on extending this path eastward, and there is a possible connection to a Connecticut Valley bikeway to New Haven, CT, on the Northampton end. A connection to the UMass. campus has been built. Pete's Drive-In in Hadley has a web page touting its trail access. There is an on-line history of the local Native Americans after whom the trail was named. Check out this survey of abutters in Hadley.

 

UMass Connector

This is a 2-mile connection between the Norwottuck Trail and the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts.

Proposed Western Mass. Bike Paths and Trails

 

Berkshire Bike Path

The Berkshire Bike Path Council is working on a countywide effort to create a path from Vermont to Connecticut. They are working on building community support in Pittsfield and working with the Ashwillticook path and the town of Adams.

 

Franklin County Bikeway [map]

The Franklin County Commission is reviving and updating a 1985 plan for a bikeway through six Franklin County communities: Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Greenfield, Montague (the villages of Turners Falls and Montague City), and Northfield. Its 22.7 mile length primarily consists of a loop through Greenfield, Deerfield, Montague, and Gill, with a spur south to Historic Deerfield, and a spur north to the Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center. Including a combination of bike paths, bike lanes and bike routes/shared roadways, it provides access to employment, educational, cultural and recreational sites, and the scenic banks of the Connecticut, Deerfield, Fall and Green rivers.

 

Greenfield Bikeway

The Greenfield Bikeway Committee is creating a system of shared-road bike routes and off-road bike paths to link "schools, businesses, residences, and other points of interest around town."

 

Highland Division Rail-Trail [map]

In 2000, the City of Springfield received a grant to design the trail and hired Greenman-Pederson to prepare the engineering and design of this 1.7 mile project from Watershops Pond near Springfield College to the East Longmeadow line. The abandoned line runs a total of 12.5 miles to Hazardville, CT.

 

Mass. Central Rail Trail

This right-of way runs from Williamsburg in the west to Cambridge in the east, much of the way across the state, including the existing Northampton and Norwottuck bikepaths. Eastward extension has been stopped by opponents in Belchertown. Westward, it has been delayed by opponents in Williamsburg.

 

Pittsfield Bike Path

A movement to build bike paths across the City of Pittsfield is growing.

 

Southwick Rail/Trail [map]

This 6 mile long rail trail would extend the Farmington Valley Greenway into Massachusetts. See this map for other proposed projects in the area.

 

Williamsburg Bike Path [pictures]

The path will connect to the Northampton Bike Path at Look Park and follow a rail right-of-way along the Mill River to the Haydenville Line. There the Williamsburg section begins. The trail will follow the Mill River until it reaches Route 9. A Bike Path bridge will span Route 9, allowing the trail to continue along the railroad bed as it crosses High Street and parallels Route 9 about 100 yards from the street. The railroad bed ends at Kellogg Road. There the trail will go along the edge of Route 9 for a while, then curve behind some shops and hug the riverbank until it ends in Williamsburg center. At some time in the future the Mill River bridge may be rebuilt, allowing foot and bike traffic to cross the river at that point. There has been a lot of opposition to this trail, but the proponents have worked hard and are raising private money to proceed.

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