Williston Bike-Ped Facilities Improvements public meeting

Local Motion

Would you like biking to be easier, safer, and more fun in Williston? You now have an opportunity to cast your vote for dramatic improvements to bike paths and lanes community-wide. Tomorrow -- Thursday at 6 PM -- is your chance! The Town of Williston is advancing three major projects to improve infrastructure for walking and (especially) biking in town, and they need to hear from you that these projects are wanted!

WHAT: Williston Bike-Ped Facilities Improvements public meeting
WHERE: Town Hall Meeting Room, Williston
WHEN: Thursday, October 17, 6:00 PM

The meeting will focus on three major projects:

A multiuse path and wide shoulders on US 2 from Tafts Corners to Williston Village
A multiuse path and wide shoulders on Mountainview Road from VT 2A to North Williston Road
Filling gaps in the multiuse path and wide shoulders on VT 2A from US 2 to Mountainview Road

Local Motion is strongly in support of these projects and is working closely with the Town and with the Regional Planning Commission on designs for all three. We need YOU to speak up at the meeting in support of these major improvements to infrastructure for biking, thanking Williston for their leadership and asking them to do more!

So why should you make the time to be at this meeting? Three reasons:

These projects are NOT yet funded for construction. The powers that be need to hear loud and clear that bike infrastructure is a priority. There are a lot more projects on the waiting list than there is money to fund, and public support is crucial to bumping a project up the list for funding.
Plans currently call for wide shoulders -- but NOT bike lanes. The Town has committed to incorporating wider shoulders into the designs, but they have not committed (so far) to mark them as bike lanes. They need to hear that, while shoulders are great, people want the legal protections and the visibility of actual bike lanes.
Plans do not yet go the extra mile for making intersections safe for bikes. Most car-bike crashes happen at intersections or other places with cross traffic. There are many proven strategies for increasing visibility and safety for bicyclists at intersections, from bike boxes to bike signals to enhanced intersection treatments. Williston can and should be a leader in implementing these strategies in our region -- and is more likely to step up if you ask them to!

So come on out and speak up for bikes. If ever there was a time to make your voice heard, this is it.

See you there.
--
Jason Van Driesche
Director of Advocacy and Education
and Co-Interim Executive Director
Local Motion
1 Steele St., Burlington, VT 05401
802-861-2700 ext. 109
jason@localmotion.org
www.localmotion.org