Crisscrossed by highways and home to numerous subdivisions as well as the region's largest shopping center, Peabody has nevertheless taken the lead in the effort to get people out of their cars to travel about via bicycle or on foot.
A campaign by the Essex National Heritage Commission to create a "Border to Boston" trail through eight suburban communities from Danvers to the New Hampshire border continues to be hampered by funding woes and community opposition. The only portion completed thus far is a small section in the town of Topsfield according to executive director Annie Harris.
Yet in Peabody, derided by many for its acres of asphalt, work is nearing completion on a trail that will wind from the rear of the Northshore Mall through West Peabody to the Crystal Lake nature preserve where it will connect with one that extends to the Middleton line. And earlier this month the City Council authorized Mayor Michael Bonfanti to enter into a purchase-and-sale agreement with the owners of a former railroad right-of-way that would extend the bikeway in the other direction from Route 128 to Endicott Street near downtown Peabody.
We can envision a day not too distant when the public will be able to walk or bike, with minimal interruption, the entire length of the city from the far reaches of West Peabody all the way to the Salem line.
"It's a great thing for the city of Peabody," Ward 2 Councilor Arthur Athas enthused as he prepared to vote in favor of the latest land acquisition. We couldn't agree more.
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