Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Following the Bike/Ped Forum: Montpelier Bike Summit coming up!

From VBPC


Recognizing that Montpelier has great potential to become more bicycle-friendly than it is at present, Mayor John Hollar has called for a Bike Summit. The city of Montpelier and a group of volunteers are hosting this event on Wednesday evening, November 7 at 6:00 pm at the Noble Hall Lounge on College Street, facing the VT College green. A chili dinner will be provided to all attendees. (Please bring a plate, cup, and eating utensils so disposables don't have to be used.)

Mayor Hollar, representatives of the Public Works Department, the PlanningDepartment and the Police Department will all be in attendance. This gathering will feature an open space format, which ensures that all voices are heard. There will be small group discussion time on topics such as on-street bike lanes, a mountain bike trail network, and a potential Montpelier Bike Festival. The VT Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition encourages all friends of Montpelier bicycling to participate and provide ideas regarding the many ways in which Montpelier can become more friendly toward bicyclists of all ages. Thanks for making the effort to attend!

Bike / Ped Forum in Montpelier a success!


From the VBPC
The Bike/Ped Forum held on October 24 in Montpelier attracted over 80 attendees who participated actively in eight breakout sessions and two plenary sessions. There was a great turnout and great energy from the event. Thanks to all who participated and contributed to this successful event!

Topics included:
-What's happening at VTrans and Amtrak
-Making towns more bike/ped-friendly,
-Working with law enforcement
-The new generation of utility bikes
-Incentives for employees who bike or walk to work
-Mapmaking
-The Complete Streets law
-Unpaved trails and paths
-Impact of the recently completed bike/ped economic study.

Attendees included transportation planners, elected state and local officials, members of advocacy groups and bike clubs, owners of bike shops and other bike/ped businesses, law enforcement officers, staffers from colleges and government agencies, bike/ped enthusiasts, and others.

The next Forum will be shaped by the feedback received from attendees and by the requests that are submitted from members of Vermont's bike/ped community. Please let us know what specific suggestions you have for topics at the next Forum. The VBPC looks forward to continuing to develop the Forum as a vehicle to help us achieve our mission to transform Vermont into a state that is truly friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages.

The VBPC is grateful to the VT Dept. of Tourism & Marketing, Bike Vermont, Merchants Bank, Skirack, the Old Spokes Home, Onion River Sports, and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission for sponsorship. In addition, the VBPC thanks the Red Hen Bakery, On the Rise Bakery, Hannaford's, The Flynn Center, and Sun Fitness for donations of food and door prizes. And, of course, this event was dependent upon the generous contributions of time and effort from sessions speakers and volunteers.
The Bike/Ped Forum held on October 24 in Montpelier attracted over 80 attendees who participated actively in eight breakout sessions and two plenary sessions. There was a great turnout and great energy from the event. Thanks to all who participated and contributed to this successful event!

Topics included:  
-What's happening at VTrans and Amtrak
-Making towns more bike/ped-friendly,
-Working with law enforcement
-The new generation of utility bikes
-Incentives for employees who bike or walk to work
-Mapmaking
-The Complete Streets law
-Unpaved trails and paths
-Impact of the recently completed bike/ped economic study.  

Attendees included transportation planners, elected state and local officials, members of advocacy groups and bike clubs, owners of bike shops and other bike/ped businesses, law enforcement officers, staffers from colleges and government agencies, bike/ped enthusiasts, and others.

The next Forum will be shaped by the feedback received from attendees and by the requests that are submitted from members of Vermont's bike/ped community.  Please let us know what specific suggestions you have for topics at the next Forum.  The VBPC looks forward to continuing to develop the Forum as a vehicle to help us achieve our mission to transform Vermont into a state that is truly friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages. 

The VBPC is grateful to the VT Dept. of Tourism & Marketing, Bike Vermont, Merchants Bank, Skirack, the Old Spokes Home, Onion River Sports, and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission for sponsorship.  In addition, the VBPC thanks the Red Hen Bakery, On the Rise Bakery, Hannaford's, The Flynn Center, and Sun Fitness for donations of food and door prizes.  And, of course, this event was dependent upon the generous contributions of time and effort from sessions speakers and volunteers.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Connecting the pieces of Montpelier's bike path - What does it take?

After quite some time under construction the Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge in Montpelier connecting Route2 with State Street over the Winooski River has now been open again for a couple months.
man and child on open bridge
The question that presents itself however after riding/walking it coming into town from the Route2 side is: "What was the real purpose of all this construction and money spent, since after just a couple more feet you find this sign:
... and then are on your own for quite a while."

 However, almost in sight is the 'next beginning' of the bike path, on the other side of an old rail road bridge past the Shaw's supermarket and across Main Street.
The detour from this ending of the bike path - following the Cross VT Trail - all the way over to State Street, past the busiest intersection in all Montpelier and down Main Street to the (theoretical) continuation of the bike path is unnecessary.


And it needs to change. As one can see on the picture of the rail road bridge by Shaw's (on the left), there is a narrow 'walkway', on the left side made of wooden planks, however no rail on the right side, and officially not a walkway (indicated by 'Do not enter' signs as of lately). This bridge still does serve many people every day as a crossover and connector from the parking lots behind the buildings on the southern side of State Street to Shaw's, Barre Street and Main Street and mostly the bike path out towards Hunger Mountain Coop.

What does it take to make this bridge safe for pedestrians, runners, cyclists, walkers... and connect the 'two separate pieces of bike path' in Montpelier?

And after all, have the recent reconstruction of the Bike/Pedestrian Bridge make sense!

Montpelier Bike Summit coming up - Nov 7th 2012

From Montpelier-VT.org

Starting: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 6:00 pm
Ending: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 9:00 pm

Location:

Noble Hall Lounge at VT College of Fine Arts


Montpelier decision-makers want your opinion on how to make the city more bike friendly. Organized by a group of us and led by the the mayor's office, the November 7th bike summit will go from 6:00 - 9:00 pm and will include dinner. Mayor Hollar, representatives of the Public Works department, the Planning department and the police will all be in attendance. Location is Noble Hall Lounge at VT College of Fine Arts. This meeting will be in open space format with all voices heard. There will be small group discussion time on topics such as on-street bike lanes, a mountain bike trail network, and a potential Montpelier Bike Festival. For more information, contact the mayor's office, the planning department or Bill Merrylees, 223-3456. Please come represent the cycling community at this important gathering.

Bike Commuters by State — VT in Middle of Pack

From Local Motion

On the heals of Vermont’s 1st place finish in the National Bike Challenge, a study reporting the bike commuting levels by state has been released.
While the study’s findings only go up to 2010, it offers some good insights:
  • Vermont remains in the middle of the pack per capita for bike commuting.  Clearly we were well organized to take the top spot in the National Bike Challenge!
  • Our public investments in walking and bicycling per capita, by contrast, are second highest in the nation. Nice going Vermont! While not shown in the figures below, Vermont does have the second highest percentage of residents walking to work — due in part to our continued investment in pedestrian facilities and ourpromotion of active lifestyles.
The data is based on the American Community Survey undertaken every year by the US Department of Commerce.  See the full interactive tool at: http://www.myassettag.com/state-cycling-statistics.
Vermonters, keep biking and walking!  Let’s get Vermont higher in the rankings each year.

VT Transportation Board Seeks Your Input

From Local Motion

VT TB
This fall, the Vermont Transportation Board will hold six public hearings at various locations around the state for the purpose of gathering public comment about transportation-related issues that face the State of Vermont.

Working with the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) as well as the state's 11 Regional Planning Commissions, the Board identified six "hot" transportation topics on which it would like public input. While these six topics will be discussed at every hearing, time also will be provided for Vermonters to broach any additional transportation topic they wish.
"The Transportation Board likes to travel around the state to ensure it understands what is on people's minds," said Maurice Germain, Chairman of the Transportation Board. "We have certain topics that we specifically want people to address, but we also want people to provide us an earful regarding whatever topic is most important to them."

These six hot topics are:
• Transportation Revenues
• Bike & Pedestrian Issues
• The Future of Passenger Railroad & Inter-City Bus Services
• Climate Change – Resilience & Adaptation of the Transportation Network
• VTrans' Accelerated Bridge Program
• Roadway Safety

At each hearing, the Board will present background information regarding each topic to set the stage for discussion and comment. Following the hearings, the Board will submit a written report to both VTrans and the Vermont Legislature. The Board also will post the report on its website.

The public hearings will be held on the following dates:

1. October 24 in Brattleboro at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Windham RegionalCareer Center, 80 Atwood Street, Brattleboro, VT.
2. October 25 in Rutland at 6:30 p.m. in the Fox Room at the Rutland Free Library, 10 Court Street, Rutland, VT.
3. October 30 in White River Junction at 7 p.m. at the Upper Valley Academic Center, 145 Billings Farm Road, White River Junction, VT.
4. November 8 in St. Johnsbury at 6:30 p.m. at the Northeastern Vermont Development Association, 26 Easter Ave, St. Johnsbury, VT.
5. November 13 in Winooski at 6:30 p.m. at the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, 110 West Canal Street, Suite 202, Winooski, VT.
6. November 14 in Montpelier at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Vermont Regional Commission, 29 Main Street, Suite 4, Montpelier, VT.

"These locations were chosen with the help of officials at the state's Regional Planning Commissions," Mr. Germain said. "Next year, the Board will change the locations to provide as much geographic diversity as possible."

People who cannot attend a hearing can submit written comment by visiting the Board's website at http://www.aot.state.vt.us/tboard.

The upcoming hearings are being conducted according to Title 19 V.S.A. § 5(d)(8), which charges the Transportation Board to work together with the Agency of Transportation to hold public hearings "for the purpose of obtaining public comment on the development of state transportation policy, the mission of the Agency, and state transportation planning, capital programming and program implementation."

For more information, contact the Board's Executive Secretary John Zicconi atjohn.zicconi@state.vt.us or by calling 802-828-2942.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Three large cities join ranks of Bicycle Friendly Communities (no VT yet)

From Bicycle Times

Los Angeles, Nashville, and Miami are just three of the 28 cities that have earned the designation of Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists. Each has earned Bronze status.
The League awards Bicycle Friendly Communities at five levels (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze) and with this diverse round of applicants there are now 242 BFCs in 47 states. With the guidance and expertise of the BFC program, these communities are propelling the growth in bicycling nationwide. According to recent census data, bicycle commuting grew 80 percent in the largest BFCs, but only 32 percent in non-BFC cities, from 2000 to 2011.
Thanks to significant progress over the past five years, the nation's second largest city—Los Angeles—has now attained BFC status. The strong bicycle culture in LA has grown up, thanks to countless individual cyclists and advocacy organizations like the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the Bicycle Kitchen, and Multicultural Communities for Mobility. Validating the work of diverse stakeholders, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has supported and spurred the success of the 2010 Bicycle Master Plan, which has led to the expansion of the bicycling network and the addition of 75 miles of bikeways in 2011 alone.
In Nashville, Mayor Karl Dean has been a tireless advocate for active transportation with an emphasis on bicycling as part of his efforts to make the city healthier and more sustainable. In 2008, Mayor Dean formed the first Nashville Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Since taking office, he has invested $7 million in bike ways, along with additional investments in greenways, complete streets and other infrastructure that supports bicycling.
Miami is working to expand its bike path network, as well. A new bicycle master plan has led to on-street bike facilities, like buffered bike lanes, and a new bike parking ordinance is putting hundreds of racks across the city. Strong advocacy organizations, like the Green Mobility Network, have helped grow an array of bike culture events and 90 percent of schools offer in-class bicycle education.
Through the BFC program, the League works directly with communities to continue to improve condition for bicyclists. With the League's feedback and technical assistance BFCs have the road map to move up the ranks.
Learn more about the program and view the full list of Bicycle Friendly Communities atwww.bikeleague.org/communities.  

New Awards

Silver
  • Bozeman, MT
  • Evanston, IL
  • Venice, FL
Bronze 
  • Bemidji, MN
  • Bentonville, AR
  • Bethesda, MD
  • Castle Rock, CO
  • Decatur, GA
  • Emeryville, CA
  • Fitchburg, WI
  • Hoboken, NJ
  • Lakeland, FL
  • Lee's Summit, MO
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Nashville, TN
  • Miami, FL
  • Midland, MI
  • Ocean City, NJ
  • Orange County, CA
  • Provo, UT
  • Richmond, VA
  • River Falls, WI
  • Rochester, NY
  • Rock Hill, SC
  • Rockville, MD
  • Stillwater, OK
  • Westerville, OH
  • Windsor, CA

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Beautiful Vermont Dirt Roads

From Harris Cyclery


image credit: Elton Pope-Lance
Quite a few of us around here love cycling on dirt roads, and no state in New England has more of them than Vermont (in fact, according to the VT Agency of Transportation, there are more dirt roads than paved!). Over this summer and autumn there have been some lovely organized rides in the area. We’d like to share some ride reports and pictures from our friends, employees and customers.
In May, local randonneurs Pamela Blalock and John Bayley (aka the Blayleys!) hosted the 4th annual DROVES – the Dirt Roads of Vermont Epic Sojourn. From what we hear, this is a tough but gorgeous multi-day ride covering some of the finest dirt roads the state has to offer from Ludlow to Waterbury.
In June, Elton took part in the Veteran-Cycle Club Vermont Ramble and posted some great shots. Starting at the The Old Spokes Home in Burlington, this ride along Lake Champlain was done mostly on vintage 3-speeds! The Veteran-Cycle Club is “an international organization dedicated to research in cycling history, restoration, and riding old bicycles from all eras.” You can visit the New England section here.
In August, the famous D2R2 was held, with routes starting from Deerfield, Massachusetts and extending into Southern Vermont. There are several routes to choose from, ranging in length and difficulty but all offering beautiful scenery. Lots of local folks took part in the ride this year. Our friend Anton posted some nice shots of the 100K, and Velouria’s write-up describes the 40 mile River Tour route.
The last weekend of September saw the return of the Vermont Fall Classic – the final brevet of the season offered by the VT division of the New England Randonneurs. Riders had the choice of a Populaire and a 200K route out of Burlington, each with plenty of dirt and climbing. The Vermont Fall Classic has been an especially popular ride, with its stunning views of the beautiful autumn foliage. Although the dramatic weather conditions presented a challenge this year, participants were mostly undeterred. Read Per Tonn’s ride report, and have a look at pictures from Mike Beganyi and Velouria. More ride reports are forthcoming.
With much of October still ahead, this is a great time of the year to get away for the weekend and enjoy the dirt roads of Vermont. Now, if only it would stop raining!

TODAY: Alternative Energy Summit in Burlington

Still going on until 2pm today, the Alternative Energy Summit in Burlington
Go and check it out, if you're in the area. Upper block of Church Street.





Monday, October 15, 2012

Vermont Bike/Ped Forum - Oct. 24th 2012 in Montpelier

From the VBPC


Do you want VT's paved roads to have good shoulders? Would you like additional maps similar to the VT Bikeways map released earlier this year? Do you think more should be done to persuade roadway users to share the road? Would you like to see a new or improved multi-use path in your town? Would you like residents and visitors to feel safe when bicycling and walking on VT's roads?

If you answered "yes" to one or more of the above questions, then the Bike/Ped Forum that the VBPC is hosting on Wednesday, October 24 in Montpelier from 9:30 to 2:30 is for you! All who have an interest in improving bike/ped conditions in Vermont are invited to this event, which will feature workshops, networking time, and a delicious lunch. Some featured topics will be mapping, multi-use paths, law enforcement education, biking and walking motivators, and the health and economic benefits of biking and walking.

The Forum is organized for bike/ped enthusiasts, business owners and managers, state legislators and local elected officials, transportation planners, law enforcement officers, staff from VTrans and the Department of Tourism and Marketing, leaders of advocacy groups and clubs, and owners of B&Bs and inns.

The October 24 Bike/Ped Forum is made possible thanks to these sponsors: VT's Department of Tourism and Marketing, Bike Vermont, Merchants Bank, Old Spokes Home, Onion River Sports, and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission. Additional sponsors are needed and are most welcome!

Please respond to Nancy@VTBikePed.org no later than October 17 so the VBPC can have an accurate head count. Directions to the meeting site and a parking permit will be sent. If you have a topic that you want to have discussed, please indicate that in your reply. A suggested donation of $10 per person is requested to help defray the costs of hosting this event.

Please demonstrate that VT's bike/ped community is a strong and vibrant one by attending the Forum on October 24. Thank you.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Cautionary Sidewalk Stencils Appear in Downtown Burlington

From 7daysblog

Stop-texting
My smartphone was safely stowed in my pocket this morning as I walked in to work, which is probably why I noticed these new stencils on the sidewalk in downtown Burlington. Naturally, I took my phone out after I saw them and snapped some photos.
The paint looked pretty fresh. Anyone know who put them there or why? I took these at the intersection of Main Street and South Winooski Avenue, Main and Pine streets., and Main and South Champlain streets.


Stop-texting-pine
Bikes-main-schamplain

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Italian bicycle sales 'surpass those of cars'

Supposedly Vermont has a long ways to go but this is inspirational.

From the BBC
Archive photo of bicycles in Venice

Italians bought more bicycles than cars in 2011 for the first time in decades, according to local media reports.
Last year some 1.75 million bicycles were sold, about 2,000 more than the number of new carsregistered, La Repubblica newspaper reported.
It attributed the change to a slump in car salesduring the economic crisis and the rising price of petrol, as well as bikes coming back into fashion.
Car sales have slumped to the level at which they stood in 1964, it said.
Though bicycling has a strong tradition in Italy, the centres of big cities are largely dominated by cars and scooters.
Ahead of a cycling conference being held in Italy this weekend, President Giorgio Napolitano appealed to Italians to "catch up" with other European countries by making their roads more cycle-friendly.

Monday, October 1, 2012

SB Makes Williston Rd Complete Street Permanent!

   From Local Motion
Williston Road 3 up smallOn August 20, the South Burlington City Council took the courageous step of unanimously approving the 3-lane complete street design for a 1.5 mile stretch of Williston Road!

After a two month trial on Williston Road between Hinesburg Road and Kennedy Drive, South Burlington residents, the Public Works Director and the City Council all praised the process and collectively took a bold step forward to not only make this complete street trial permanent, but the Council also voted to extend the complete street eastward to near Earl's Cyclery!

Former SB City Councilor Meaghan Emery, who had previously expressed concern about the complete street demonstration, said it well: "[Williston Road] feels more residential now. It doesn't feel like a highway anymore. My fears have been put to rest."

We also want to give a special shout out to Local Motion member Rick Hubbard who led the SB resident advocacy effort.  Well done Rick!  

Unfortunately, the news media has stirred up some negative remarks after the decision.  We need your help to keep it positive and moving forward.  Please take a moment to email SB Public Works Director Justin Rabidoux and SB City Council Chair Rosanne Greco and thank them for their forward-thinking decision and their continued support.

Thank you to all the Local Motion supporters who emailed the City last month before the vote.  It made a huge difference.  The City receieved almost 170 unique comments:
  • 92 people wrote in favor of the complete streets demonstration
  • 75 people wrote in opposition to the demonstration
  • 2 people were neutral in their comments
Your comments make the difference!  See more pictures here.

Williston_Rd_City_Council_mtg_8-15-12
Many South Burlington residents turned out to support the complete streets design for Williston Road.  They waited for two hours for the item to come up on the agenda.
Williston_Rd_SB_Selectboard_mtg_8-15-12
Local Motion Executive Director Chapin Spencer celebrates with SB Rec Path Committee member David Jacobowitz and former Local Motion Board Members John Dinklage and Paul Briody (both from South Burlington).
South Burlington resident Sarah Dopp attended the meeting and said her reason for supporting the complete street redesign was personal. "My father was stuck by a car [trying to cross Williston Road] at Davis Parkway because there was no crosswalk anywhere between Hinesburg and Kennedy. [With the new design] it is no longer a raceway. Because cars are going slower…I’ve seen much more civility and more people waving other people on."During the public forum, 6 people spoke in support of the complete street design and one spoke against it.  For more info, contact Chapin Spencer, 802-861-2700x105.
Thanks to your support, the top paving coat and the permanent striping will be completed this fall.
Local Motion wants to give a special thank you to SB Public Works Director Justin Rabidouxwho coordinated the city's complete streets demonstration, VTrans for being willing to undertake the demonstration during a routine paving project, the CCRPC for supporting South Burlington in the data collection and planning end of this demonstration and the South Burlington Rec Path Committee for collecting traffic counts before and after the demonstration.

Detour for cyclists on VT Route 107

From the VBPC

The VT Agency of Transportation has requested that the following information be shared regarding a detour for bicyclists on Route 107:

VTrans is undertaking a project on VT Route 107 in Stockbridge to make repairs as a result of damage from Irene. The project requires that about 4/10 of a mile of 107 is reduced to a single lane with temporary traffic signals controlling traffic at each end of th

e reduced section. The segment under construction is about ¾ mile west of the Stockbridge Central School. There will be times that flaggers are used when extra time and road space are needed for construction. This section of road is open to bicyclists during construction, but it is difficult to time the lights to allow for bicyclists to make it all the way through the one lane section before traffic is released from the opposite direction. There is an alternate route that can be used by bicyclists if they don’t want to deal with the delay and inconvenience of this construction. The alternate route uses Blackmer Boulevard, which intersects with 107 about ¼ mile west/south of the Stockbridge Central School. Blackmer is an unpaved local road that parallels Route 107 on the opposite side of the river and joins VT 100 near Ted Green Ford. Bicyclists would then travel south on VT 100 to rejoin VT 107. Bicyclists coming via VT 100 (as from Killington), would go north on 100 at the junction with 107 and then turn right on to Blackmer, rejoining 107 past the construction zone. This alternate route is not signed. This section of VT 107 is likely to be under construction between now and the beginning of November.