Winter Walking Webinar Coming up!

Winter Walking Webinar: Tuesday, January 28th, 3pm to 4pm How do you keep Safe Routes to School momentum through the winter? Walking in the winter can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. Walking, especially in the winter, helps us get much needed exercise, sunlight, and fresh air for physical and mental well-being.  Taylor Lonsdale, Peter Lawry, and Abby Mattera will share lessons learned from successful programs to get kids walking and rolling to school throughout the year. The tips and techniques discussed in this webinar will help you start or expand winter walking participation at your school. Ready to take the leap? Sign up to attend free! Don't forget Winter Walk Day is February 5th! Use your new tips and ideas from the webinar to launch winter walking at your school!

Protected Bike Lanes Mean Business

From the Alliance for Biking and Walking

By Mary Lauran Hall on January 15, 2014 It’s easy to see that we’re living in a changing country. The economy is slowly bouncing back after the biggest slowdown since the Great Depression. For the first time in two generations, Americans are moving to cities in record numbers. And during all this, more and more people are expressing a preference for living in places where bicycling is easy and comfortable. City leaders and business leaders alike are taking note. And, in responding to these trends, they have discovered an unexpected tool to create opportunities in growing downtown economies: the protected bike lane. In a new report from PeopleForBikes and the Alliance for Biking & Walking, 15 entrepreneurs and business leaders from major U.S. cities explain how protected bike lanes — on-street lanes that are physically separated from automobile traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars or posts — has meant big benefits for their companies. The report combines this original reporting with an overview of the latest academic and technical research to find changes associated with four mega-trends. Check it out: 1. Americans — especially young people — are driving less and biking more. Employers say their headhunters get a competitive edge by locating in areas with great biking networks, so savvy companies are locating near protected bike lanes to attract and keep Millennials and Gen X-ers. Learn more. 2. Americans are flocking to urban areas, congesting city streets and creating market demand for solutions that increase street flow without adding gridlock. The demand for great bike networks is nicely illustrated in the housing markets near protected bike lanes. Studies show that homes near bicycle infrastructure appreciate in value more than equivalent houses away from bike lanes. Learn more. 3. With health care costs at an all-time high, companies are scrambling to get more employees exercising regularly. Newsflash: healthcare is expensive. Companies benefit when more employees find it pleasant to bike to the office, because workers who exercise regularly are less expensive to insure.Learn more. 4. In shopping districts, the most valuable customers are those who stop by often. People who shop by bike tend to buy less in a single visit, but stop by more often. When space is at a high premium, these regulars make for great customers. Learn more. To learn more, check out the report: Protected Bike Lanes Mean Business (PDF)

2014 Vermont Complete Streets Workshops

Vermont Local Roads has just announced the first 2014 workshop on Vermont’s Complete Streets Law. Registration is now open. 

Complete Streets o Wednesday, January 22: Newport, Emory Hebard State Building o Wednesday, January 29: White River Junction, Hotel Coolidge o Wednesday, February 5: Burlington, AARP Vermont o Wednesday, February 12: Manchester Center, Manchester Park House This 4 hour technical workshop for public works directors, municipal and contract firm engineers, municipal managers and planners, and selectboard members will focus on Vermont’s Complete Streets Law including making the most of the law and its effect on towns, 7 steps to building complete streets, and resources, examples and a case study exercise.

You can sign up online at this link http://vermontlocalroads.org/workshop_registration.html  or give our office a call at 800-462-6555.