Nationally, Bike Month started in 1956...but we do things a bit differently -- we include walking as well as cycling!

Here's a short list of some of the exciting components for Bike/Walk Month this May:

Sign up for the VT Bike Challenge! This fun season-long campaign challenges all of us to bike more often.  Sign up today!  It starts in May and continues through August.  Sponsored by Earls' Cyclery & Fitness.  One lucky entrant will win a free bike tour from Sojourn Bicycling & Active Vacations -- valued at over $2,500!

May 2: Walk 'n Roll to School Day! Join us in celebrating Vermont's inaugural Walk and Roll to School Day! This day is a great way to encourage positive changes in community culture, and to create environments that are more inviting for everyone, young and old.  Families and schools, click here to participate in this fun event. You can also bike to school the following Wednesday May 9th for the national Bike to School Day.

May 5: Bike Swaps! Skirack and Earl's Cyclery host their annual swaps.  It's a great chance to sell your old bike or get a new one.

A full list of walking and biking activities this month can be found here.

Thank you to the City of Burlington for helping fund this month-long promotion!

Attention travel junkies: Register for the 8th annual VerMontreal Bike Tour and YOU COULD WIN YOUR TRIP FOR FREE!

General registration is now open for this springtime favorite: A 3- or 4-day pedal through the rural farmlands and quaint villages of Vermont and Quebec, culminating in Montreal's famed Tour de L'Ile. You won't want to miss all the cool things we've planned this year - not the least of which is your chance to travel for free (zip, zilch, zero actual dollars)!

Registration is easy, and secure. Visit our Tour Overview page for full details of the trip; and when you're ready to sign up, simply select the option (3- or 4-day) you're interested in, and follow the registration link.

Local Motion proudly presents VerMontreal 2012 in parntership with:

But please don't delay; member registration opened last month and spots are filling fast. A la prochaine!

READ BELOW TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN WIN A FREE TRIP!

Burlington Free Press

Staff Report

April 6, 2012

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012120405038

South Burlington intends to transform a stretch of heavily-traveled four-lane Williston Road into a “complete streets” configuration of one lane in each direction and a center turn lane. Bicycle lanes will be added on both sides of the street.

Public Works Director Justin Rabidoux said the experiment, slated to begin later this spring, will last at least eight weeks.

The state’s Agency of Transportation plans to repave the street this summer and the complete streets lanes will be painted into place while that work moves ahead.

Rabidoux said the project gives the city a chance to assess the impact of the possible change on residents, commuters who use the road as a throughway to and from Burlington, as well as on bicyclists and pedestrians.

The South Burlington City Council authorized the experiment by a 4-1 vote March 26.

Traffic signal timing will be left as it is, at least initially, but “we’ll be prepared to make on-the-fly adjustments,” Rabidoux said. “We don’t want to presuppose an outcome.”

A Williston Road complete streets study is available on the city’s Public Works’ web page.

On Saturday, March 31, we had the pleasure of co-hosting the 2012 Walk/Bike Summit with the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC). From all accounts, the event was a successful one, with approximately 120 attendees on a warm, sunny spring morning.

Jeff Olson, from Alta Planning + Design -- a premier bicycle/pedestrian planning and engineering firm -- was an excellent keynote speaker who warmed to local issues and his audiences beautifully. Click here to view Jeff's keynote address on CCTV, Channel 17.

We also had the pleasure of  hosting Kartik Sribarra, from Rails to Trails Conservancy, who presented a workshop about funding and politics at the national level.

Other workshops included:

• Bike Commuting (presented by our own Jason Van Driesche)
• Burlington Bicycle History (presented by LM Board Member Luis Vivanco)
• Complete Streets and Advocacy (presented by Chapin Spencer and Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur
• Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning in Underhill and Jericho (presented by Kari Papelbom, Underhill's Planner)
• Innovative Biking & Walking Facilities (presented by Jeff Olson)

We were also pleased to present four awards during the Summit, to:

• Jon Kaplan, VTrans Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Manager, for outstanding public service, leadership and commitment to improve walking and biking in the State of Vermont;
• Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur & AARP, for leadership and persistence in getting Complete Streets legislation passed in the State of Vermont;
• Phil Hammerslough & Stu Lindsay, for their vision, leadership, persistence, & hours of time to develop and staff Secure Event Bike Parkin; and
• Town Staff & Volunteer Members of the Shelburne Paths Committee, for their dedication to building and expanding paths, trails, and sidewalks in the Town of Shelburne

Many thanks to the CCRPC for their commitment and leadership -- and to all who led workshops, did setup and cleanup, and all those tasks that helped make the event a success!  Other sponsors included:

• AARP
• Main St. Landing
• Dubois & King
• VEIC
• Resource Systems Group
• Broadreach Planning & Design

We had great volunteer support at the event, whose help was invaluable.  Because of you, participants left inspired (and armed with pre-stamped postcards) to advocate for bike and pedestrian projects with their public officials.

In the first two months of 2012, Vermont has suffered five pedestrian fatalities. This is already more than we typically see in an entire year.  What has gone wrong?

Despite last spring's record lake flooding, much of the Island Line Trail is open. Come rent bikes and explore Lake Champlain's shoreline!  More updates.

The following trail section is currently closed to bicycles:

• Colch. Causeway: North of Law Island Bridge closed to bicycles, the entire causeway will be closed to the public soon for major repairs.  Please obey the closed signs.

Click here for a map on the Trail Finder.

Help repair the trail by clicking on Friends of the Island Line (left sidebar).