International Walk to School Day, Oct. 9

   

International Walk to School Day is around the corner! With over 50 schools signed-up, we are excited to have the largest number of Vermont schools participating ever! Here are some things to help you with your last minute planning:

iWalk Reminder Flyer

iWalk Banner

iWalk Participation Certificates

iWalk Walking School Bus Pennants

"Walk with Me Tomorrow" Reminder Stickers

All of these materials and more can be found on our website:http://saferoutes.vermont.gov/events.

 We love hearing about your events! Send your pictures and stories to us atinfo@saferoutesvt.org or post them on our Facebook page!

Way to Go Week, Oct. 14-18 coming up!

    

Keep your iWalk energy and momentum going by participating in Way to Go Week Oct. 14-18. This state-wide event is an opportunity to encourage and educate your students about clean commute options. 

Even better is that this year's theme is Zombies! 

In order to prevent Zombification students are encouraged to walk, bike, scooter, skateboard, bus or carpool to school! Use this Zombie-themed poster to promote your school's event! 

SIGN-UP TO WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

Score an iPad mini, Bash Badge ski pass, or

some great outdoor gear! Zombies hate prizes.

SAVE THE PLANET!

Help us stop 250,000 lbs of carbon pollution

in one week! You can make it happen.

KICK ZOMBIE BUTT!

Join other businesses, schools, and

organizations to make a big difference.

Register your school and bike, walk, carpool or ride the bus to victory!

http://www.waytogovt.org/

Vermont Transportation Board seeks public input

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 transportation topics on which it would like public input:

• Transportation Revenues and Energy
• Bike & Pedestrian Issues
• The Future of Both Freight and Passenger Rail Services
• Park & Ride Expansion
• Roadway Safety
• Public Transit - Intercity Service and Service for the Elderly

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.

 

All public hearings will be held at 6:00 PM on the following dates:

1. Oct. 16 in Springfield at the Springfield Town Hall, Third Floor Selectman's Meeting Room, 96 Main Street, Springfield, VT.
2. Oct. 22 in Bennington at the Bennington Fire House, Second Floor Meeting Room, 130 River Street, Bennington, VT.
3. Oct. 23 in Morristown in the Community Meeting Room at the Morrisville Town Office Building, 43 Portland Street, Morrisville, VT.
4. Oct. 30 in Newport at the Gateway Center, 84 Fyfe Drive in Newport, VT.
5. Nov. 14 in St. Albans at the Green Mountain Room of the LaQuinta Inn & Suites, 813 Fairfax Road, St. Albans, VT.
6. Nov. 20 in Middlebury at the Addison County Regional Planning Commission Offices at 14 Seminary Street in Middlebury, VT.

People who cannot attend a hearing can submit written comment by visiting the Board's website at http://tboard.vermont.gov/.

 

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

Accident highlights Vermont Bike Safety -- Radio Interview

Listen to VBPC's Executive Director Nancy Schulz's interview on Vermont Public Radio about issues and concerns of Vermont cyclists in the wake of recent events: 

URL:http://digital.vpr.net/post/accident-highlights-vermont-bike-safety

Accident Highlights Vermont Bike Safety

digital.vpr.net

An annual bike event in Shoreham two Sundays ago was marred by an alleged drunk driver who plowed into a group of cyclists, critically injuring two of them

Drunk driver hits three cyclist in the Tour de Farms

From WCAX.com

SHOREHAM, Vt. - A Shoreham man will be arraigned from his hospital bed Monday in connection with an alleged drunk driving crash that also injured three bicyclists.
The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Police say Brian Miller, 54, crossed the center line on Route 74 and struck a group of cyclists. They were participating in "Tour De Farm," an organized 30 mile ride.  Police say Martin Veit, a 35 year-old cyclist from Moretown suffered head and internal injuries after he went through the windshield.  A 15 year-old girl from Williamstown, Massachusetts suffered a fractured pelvis.

State Police say there was already a warrant out for Miller after he failed to appear for an unrelated DUI charge. Police say an immediate response from other riders may have saved a life.

"It was determined that there were also three doctors that were in the area, either at the Douglas Orchards behind me, or riding their bikes -- that applied immediate first aid and potentially saved the lives of the critically injured people," said Vermont State Police Trooper Justin Busby.
Martin Veit and the juvenile cyclist were both transported to Fletcher Allen for further care. The third rider received minor injuries. Miller was also hospitalized.

Take the Survey for a Statewide Walk/Bike Summit in the Spring 2014

The VT Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition, Local Motion, VTrans, the City of Burlington and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, will be co-sponsoring a statewide Walk/Bike Summit in the spring of 2014.  In order to plan an engaging and useful event, we're asking members of the bike/ped community in VT to take a few minutes to respond to this survey by Friday, September 13:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MBY9VWJ

Route 2 in Islands: Better Shoulders, No Rumble

From LocalMotion

We've heard from a number of folks expressing concern about the Route 2 repaving project from Colchester out into the Islands.  People asked whether the shoulders would become narrower or get rumble strips as part of the project. We did some investigating, and are happy to report that the Route 2 project is being designed specifically to improve conditions for bicycling!

 

Here's what we learned from our contact at VTrans:

• The road will have 11 foot lanes and 4 foot shoulders throughout
• A portion will be paved this fall, with the remainder to be paved in the spring
• Temporary striping will go down this fall, with the same lane widths (4'-11'-11'-4') as the permanent striping
• Rumble strips will be installed ONLY in the  centerline, NOT on the shoulders
• Even then, rumble strips will go in primarily where there is a history of crashes, and will specifically NOT be installed at intersections, in densely developed village/commercial areas, in areas where the speed limit is below 45 mph, or in places where there is a lot of turning traffic

Thank you, VTrans, for using bicycle-friendly design on the repaving of this key route!  If you like to bike in the Islands, send a quick note of thanks to Erik Filkorn, VTrans' public outreach manager, at Erik.Filkorn@state.vt.us.