NEWBURYPORT — When weather is good, hundreds of pedestrians, bicyclists, dog walkers, as well as young parents with baby carriages descend upon the Clipper City Rail Trail each and every day.
With all those legs, paws and wheels weaving in and out of two small lanes, attempts to carve out a little elbow room can get testy, according to one 40-year-old bicyclist.
“Right now it’s like the wild west out there,” Christopher Scott said. “Everybody needs to chill out.”
Last Tuesday afternoon, 68-year-old Frank Corsaro of Methuen was struck by a car in what police are calling a hit-and-run crash at the intersection of High and Pond streets. While police have identified the driver and Corsaro is out of the hospital, the crash is still on the minds of many and has become a talking point regarding cars and bikes coexisting on city roads.
But the same dynamic is at play on the rail trail where cyclists come into daily contact with pedestrians and dog walkers alike.
The 3.3-mile bicycle and pedestrian path connects the MBTA commuter rail station to the Harborwalk along the waterfront. Another section hugs the bank of the Merrimack River to Water Street, connecting through the South End under High Street to Parker Street in Newbury.
A sales associate at Riverside Cycling in the Tannery Marketplace, Scott said pedestrians and cyclists don’t always coexist well on the rail trail.
People walking along are supposed to keep to the right lane, according to Scott, while cyclists pass on the left.
While that’s mostly the case, Scott said dog walkers have a hard time keeping their pets in a straight line.
He told a story about riding to work on the rail trail during a cold, blustery day in March.
Scott said he came across a man walking his dog on the right side of the trail. But the dog was all the way on the left.
“The leash was between them, like a tripwire, right across the bike trail,” he said. “I politely said, ‘on your left.’ Then I ended up passing on the grass a little bit and came to work.”
Seeing that Scott was wearing his Riverside Cycle jacket at the time, the dog owner came into his store five minutes later and gave him a piece of his mind.
“He got right up in my grill and started screaming and yelling at me,” he said.
Scott asked that dog walkers keep their pooches “tight and on the right.”
“Please use common sense,” he said. “Stay to one side on the right and don’t walk like five abreast.”
On the flip side, Scott said bicyclists should slow their roll and avoid high speeds on the rail trail.
“You need to rein it in a little bit,” Scott said. “Go ride down 1A to Rowley or something.”
Peaceful coexistence will come to the rail trail, according to Scott, if more people show patience and courtesy.
“These rail trails were developed as bike trails, that’s why they have yellow lines going down the middle,” he said. “But there’s plenty of room for everybody to get along. It’s not rocket science.”
Co-worker Chris Sialatis said it’s funny that some people get irritated when they see bikes on a bike trail.
Riverside Cycle sales associate and dog owner Camden Johnson said he can see both sides of the issue.
“I have a chocolate Labrador. He’s a bigger dog and he will try to go where he wants,” he said. “I usually keep the leash reasonably short when I’m walking him. Then I just follow him. If he wants to smell something, I’ll just walk over with him. If he’s in somebody’s way, I can coax him out.”
Johnson added he also tries not to listen to music when walking his dog.
He said modern technology like cellphones and earbuds have caused the situation on the roads to deteriorate over the past 20 or so years.
“You’ve got touch screens in cars now and every car has so many shiny buttons on them, even if you’re a good driver, just trying to set your air conditioner is distracted driving,” Johnson said. “Most people are pretty OK with the bikes. But sometimes you get someone who just hates to see a cyclist existing in the world.”
Sialatis often rides his bike into work from Haverhill. He said he’s running into more people texting and driving.
He also said he was almost hit Wednesday morning by a car in his hometown.
“(The driver) was pulling into a plaza, clearly saw me and put the blinker on. Then he just proceeded to go straight in front of me,” he said. “But there was a nice woman who was pulling out of the plaza who told him, ‘come on, you could see him coming!’”
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.