Whither the Royal Road Woods?

By Vincent Stanton, Jr.

Last spring, as playgrounds were being closed statewide to contain the emerging COVID-19 outbreak, a new Belmont pocket park came into existence where COVID restrictions didn’t apply. Conceived and built by a group of Belmont boys, the park is hidden from casual passersby by its topography and tree canopy. However, it is well publicized among its users, who have documented their exploits on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media (search for “Belmont Dirt Jumps”). 

Created for bicycle jumping, a sport that emerged from BMX bike racing, the park initially consisted of a network of crisscrossing paths interspersed with jumps constructed from fallen tree limbs and mud. Later, in the summer of 2020, shipping pallets and railroad ties (likely impregnated with creosote or chromated copper arsenate) were added to construct more ambitious jumps and ramps, and old rugs and chairs were brought in along with a few stolen street signs to create a clubhouse atmosphere.

The park in question occupies the western two thirds of a 2.1 acre town-owned parcel between Royal Road and the MBTA-owned Fitchburg Commuter Line, west of the Lions Club and east of the Clark Street Bridge. In 1932, Belmont Town Meeting accepted this skinny sliver of land as a gift from the developers of Royal Road and Dunbarton Street, which were laid out in that year. About 75 feet wide and roughly level with Royal Road near the Lions Club, the parcel stretches about 1,000 feet to the southwest, where it widens to about 120 feet near the Clark Street Bridge. At the east end is a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection-designated wetland, including a vernal pond. Once seasonal, the pond is now often wet year round. At the west end is a flat basin more or less level with the Fitchburg Line tracks, about 20 feet below Royal Road and Clark Street.

Construction of the bike track started at the west end of the Royal Road parcel where the land is well hidden from street level. Initially the vision of one older boy, it seems, the group of young jump builders gradually expanded over the spring and summer of 2020, eventually encompassing fathers dropping off five gallon buckets and shovels for excavation, and deploying chain saws to remove large logs obstructing the emerging path network. The routes into the park from Royal Road proliferated, progressing eastward and eventually numbering at least six.

If there was a master plan for the dirt jumps, not everyone was aware of it, or convinced of its merit. Signs posted in the spring and summer of 2020 (and still scattered about over a year later) read “STOP. This feature is either under construction, or it is not yet ready to be ridden by bikes!” One sign posted in the fall of 2020 reads “THIS IS A SHARED SPACE! STOP CHANGING JUMPS YOU DIDN’T DIG!! You know who you are.” Perhaps as a result of the haphazard construction, the western end of the park evolved from a network of paths through abundant flora and downed trees to a large dirt bowl, with trees pushed to the margins and all flora trampled. The excavation pits that provided earth for the jumps were dug, in some cases, at the base of mature trees, severing their roots and exposing them to desiccation and disease. Graffiti and trash mar the appearance of the wooded area.

In April 2021, abutters complained to the town about evening noise from the bike park, and on April 28, 2021, at the instruction of the town administration, the Belmont Department of Public Works (DPW) partially dismantled the jumps and hauled away several truckloads of water-sodden carpet, shipping pallets, chairs, and trash. On April 30, 2021, the Select Board issued the following message (emailed to all Town Meeting members):

“The Town received an email on Tuesday, April 27th, from a resident who asked if a bike course, between Belmont Station and the Clark Street Bridge, was a Town approved activity. The neighbor expressed concern for safety and noted that music was being played at night. Further, the Town received similar calls regarding the activity at this location. Town representatives investigated the concerns on Tuesday afternoon. Town representatives found the property had been disturbed seeing trash, bottles, and permanent structures such as jumps and ramps. The immediate concern was the proximity to the nearby wetland, and being that this was not an approved Town activity, the Town could be liable for injuries. Therefore the Town had no other choice but to clean up and remove the permanent structures that were built at this location. 

We can appreciate the residents’ reaction to the removal of the structures, but this type of activity would require an in-depth public process to determine the appropriate requirements and funding to conduct this type of activity on Town property.”

At its May 5, 2021, meeting, the Select Board discussed the rationale for dismantling the jumps. Select Board chair Adam Dash expressed general support for the concept of a dirt bike track in Belmont, if feasible, and promised to revisit the topic after Town Meeting.

In response to the town’s actions, Olin Marinell, a builder of the dirt jumps, started a petition on change.org asking the Select Board to designate the area for that use. So far the petition has 984 supporters, 45 of whom have authored signed comments of support. Supporters have also posted to a Facebook page. 

Ridership at the dirt jumps dropped after the DPW action, but has continued at a low level until the present. There were at least a few riders most days this past summer. The DPW only dismantled the jump ramps, not the track connecting them. A low-level rebuilding campaign has begun, featuring mostly moguls (bumps) rather than jumps (two bumps with a gap).

The dirt bike track represented the first genuine park use of the Royal Road Woods, and it clearly struck a deep chord with those who built it and their parents. As resident David Coleman wrote in support of the petition on change.org:

“Belmont Jumps represents everything we tell our kids to do: get outside, get exercise, work with others, and create something. I support rebuilding the jumps so the kids have the area to use this summer.”

However, it may be challenging to overcome the problems noted by the Select Board. 

A second article in the March/April 2022 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter will explore possible uses of the Royal Road land.

Vincent Stanton, Jr. is a director of the Belmont Citizens Forum. He lives on Royal Road.