General Interest Groups for Rail Trails

On the TAB blog, proponents of the lower falls rail trail were said to include 'muscular special interest groups'. Presumably this refers to the Newton Bike and Pedestrian Task Force, Newton Conservators, Charles River Watershed Association, and Bike Newton. But these aren't special interest groups; they are general interest groups. These are people who value walking, biking, and the environment. They want to help themselves and people other than themselves value things and activities that are good for health and good for the environment. Further, many of these 'outsider' proponents would never make personal use of a potential lower falls rail trail - it is not of special interest to them, it is of general interest in promoting sustainable transportation throughout Newton.