Local Motion Blog

I joined 22 VT trail leaders at the Vermont Trails & Greenways Council’s winter meeting on January 26^th.  We took three notable steps:

1) Declared support for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail

This stunning 93-mile trail in the making will stretch from Swanton to St. Johnsbury – but it has been stuck in Act 250 permitting for the last three years.  The Council strongly supports this rails-to-trails transformation and wants to see the project advanced.

2) Advocated for an economic impact study of recreational trails

The Council passed a motion to support a grant application to do an economic impact study of recreational trails in the northern forest.  It seeks to build off of the Walking & Biking Economic Impact Study soon to be completed by VTrans.  More info: Jessica Ricketson

3) Established a committee to push for increased state trails funding

State funding for trails has been level funded for the last 18 years.  To ensure that non-profits, towns and the State can maintain and expand Vermont’s diversified trail network, the Council has identified state funding as a critical issue.  An ad hoc Trail Funding Committee was established.  Local Motion advocated for  the formation of this committee and we will actively serve on this committee.

Help expand Vermont’s trails!  Connect with the Vermont Trails & Greenways Council.

2405No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2012/01/council-plans-for-vermont%e2%80%99s-trail-future/Council+Plans+for+Vermont%E2%80%99s+Trail+Future2012-01-27+02%3A42%3A14Chapin

It comes as no surprise that weather, bad weather in particular, limits Vermonters’ travel by bicycle.  A 2011 study from UVM’s Transportation Research Center puts some data behind our assumptions.

Read more on UVM’s website. Thank you to Local Motion Board Member Lisa Aultman-Hall and area cyclist Justine Sears for undertaking this project.

Local Motion is working with many partners to get people more comfortable with biking in more challenging conditions.  As we say, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing! The right gear can make riding in the rain, at night or during the colder months safe and fun.

Contact Local Motion staffer Jason VanDriesche to find out more about our employer-based bike commuting clinics or the Safety Gear Coupon incentive. Contact Old Spokes Home for their winter commuting classes.

23911 Comment »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2012/01/how-weather-affects-biking-in-vermont/How+Weather+Affects+Biking+in+Vermont2012-01-19+21%3A28%3A47Chapin

The January 12 AARP / Local Motion debate between three Burlington Mayoral Candidates was an informative event with a number of humorous moments.  You can watch the entire debate here on CCTV:

225 residents turned out to ask questions about sidewalks, passenger rail, bus service, cycling and the Champlain Parkway.  Thank you to our event co-host AARP and the sponsors Burlington Free Press, CarShare Vermont, UVM Transportation Research Center, BTV Bike Cluster and Good News Garage.  Read the Free Press coverage here.

Thanks to avid walker Mike Townsend from the BFP for moderating.  Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur joined me on stage to ask the audience questions.

Local Motion Board Member Lisa Aultman-Hall gave a great opening speech about Local Motion’s growing range of innovative initiatives.  This debate was the first candidate forum Local Motion has hosted.

There are a number of upcoming debates and events — make sure you continue the questions about transportation and livability.

Photos taken by Local Motion volunteer Jeff Cohn.

2359No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2012/01/residents-pack-local-motions-candidate-forum/225+Residents+Pack+Our+BTV+Candidate+Forum%212012-01-13+21%3A24%3A53Chapin

As of January 1, bus commuters will lose half of their transit benefit while drivers will keep getting theirs. It’s even worse for bike commuters who get less than 10% of what drivers get.

It’s a depressing reality as Congress failed to keep the transit benefit from being slashed at the end of the year.  Check out this blog post from Transportation for America.

These commuter benefits allows employers to pay for their employees’ commuter costs with pre-tax dollars.  In the New Year, drivers will be able to get a $240/month benefit but transit riders will only be able to get $120/month.  Bike commuters can get their employer to give them a pre-tax benefit too, but it is only a paltry $20/mo!

Please contact your Congressional representatives and tell them you want other commuting options to be valued as much, if not more, than driving.

2338No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2011/12/congress-fails-to-support-bus-riders-drivers-rewarded/Congress+Disses+Bus+Riders%3B+Drivers+Rewarded2011-12-23+03%3A55%3A13Chapin

Here’s a truly inspiring quote from US Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg, as interviewed by Bike Portland:

“One thing that’s been so interesting for us at DOT for the past few years is, we travel around the country and find that so much of the political energy and enthusiasm is coming out of bike advocacy. It’s amazing. We went to LA for this re-authorization visit. This is LA, which people think of as the car city, and 300 bicycle activists showed up and took over the meeting. I just see that’s where the political energy is in transportation right now.

“Thanks to you and folks like you that have helped bring that to the fore. It really matters in Washington. We need it. We’re going to have some tough fights ahead I think. On the one hand, as you point out, economically constrained times may make people think creatively but there’s also the backlash: ‘We can’t do frivolous things like bikes!’ There are competing tensions that come out of having constrained resources. I think we need continued political energy on bike and pedestrian projects in how important they are and talking about their benefits and showing, particularly, that it’s not just the product for the elites but that there’s widespread support for these projects.”

Here’s a link to the full interview.

2335No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2011/12/us-dot-shout-out-to-bike-advocates/US+DOT+Shout-Out+to+Bike+Advocates%212011-12-21+21%3A59%3A37Jason

St. Albans City recently won just over $2 million for a streetscape project on North Main Street. The project will include new sidewalks and bike infrastructure, linking downtown to a 19-mile pedestrian network and a 26-mile bicycle trail.  The grant comes from the federal TIGER grant program, which stands for “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery.”  Full story:  http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/12/20/biking-and-walking-score-big-in-tiger-iii/

On a related note, St. Albans City Elementary will be incorporating bike skills training into its PE classes from May 21 to June 1.  Local Motion will provide the school with 46 kids’ bikes, all needed equipment, and a trailer to store the bikes, all at no cost (other than a small delivery fee) as part of its Bike Smart Equipment Loan program.  For more info about this program, visit http://www.localmotion.org/education/bikeskillstraining/loanerprogram.

To top it all off, a Bike/Pedestrian Committee has recently formed in St. Albans with the goal of making the city even safer and more welcoming for people on foot and on bike.  For more info about the Committee, contact David Hutchinson.

23311 Comment »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2011/12/st-albans-city-wins-big-grant-for-sidewalks-paths/St.+Albans+City+Wins+Big+Grant+for+Sidewalks+%26+Paths2011-12-21+14%3A37%3A05Jason

Local Motion gives a big ’shout out’ to our volunteer friends in Milton.

The members of the Ad Hoc Recreation Pathways Committee have worked for three years to identify and prioritize potential trails in their community.  They will be presenting their first priority to the Milton Planning Commission in January 2012.

Milton has embarked on a couple of attempts to build multi-use pathways over the past decade, but so far none have come to fruition.  Local Motion staff met with the Pathways Committee tonight and we are impressed with their methodical and practical approach.  We will continue to support this great group of volunteers as they continue to work to make Milton a better place to walk and bike.  Go Milton go!

2322No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2011/12/milton-volunteers-plan-for-paths/Milton+Volunteers+Plan+for+Paths2011-12-16+04%3A35%3A32Chapin

Want to be a leader in improving walking and biking in Burlington?  Here’s your chance!

The Burlington Walk/Bike Council, an advisory council to the City of Burlington, seeks volunteers to serve on its steering committee.  Responsibilities of steering committee members include: strategic planning; setting agendas; leading bike/ pedestrian projects, initiatives, and events; and providing continuity from meeting to meeting.

Steering committee members meet once a month, in addition to leading the monthly council meeting.  If you have any questions or would like further information regarding this opportunity, please check out the BWBC website: http://burlingtonwalkbike.org/ and contact Bryan Davis or 802-660-4071 x17.

Bryan

——————————————————————————————————-

Bryan Davis, AICP |   Transportation Planner   |   bdavis@ccmpo.org

CCRPC, 110 West Canal St, Suite 202, Winooski, VT 05404

p 802-660-4071 x17 |   f 802-660-4079 |   www.ccmpo.org

2315No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2011/12/be-a-burlington-walk-bike-advocate/Be+a+Burlington+Walk-Bike+Advocate%212011-12-15+00%3A25%3A26Chapin

Earlier this year, Governor Shumlin announced that the Circ Highway would not be built as planned.  Instead, the governor called on towns, advocates, and state government to work together to come up with alternatives to the Circ that would address some of the same issues — mainly congestion and traffic safety — without building a new highway. Local Motion was asked to serve on the Circ Alternatives Task Force, which has been meeting since late summer to identify and come to consensus on options to propose to the State for funding.

The first round of projects includes development of a detailed plan and alignment for a shared-use path along Route 15 from Winooski to Essex Junction — a major priority for the bicycling community for years.  Please voice your support for this important regional link!  Come to the public meeting this Wednesday, December 14.

MEETING DETAILS:
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
Albany College of Pharmacy, 261 Mountain View Drive, Colchester  (map)
Click here for the agenda for the meeting

Local Motion supports these projects because they help advance Circ communities’ transportation priorities while building the bicycling, walking, and transit infrastructure that our region needs.  The members of the Task Force have done a great job of thinking regionally and looking to the future. Please come thank them and help us make sure that these projects proceed as planned.

There is a memo describing the proposed “implementation” (i.e., construction) projects as well as a list of proposed planning projects (the first five on the list are proposed for the current round) on the Circ Alternatives website, as well as a series of maps of the (now defunct) highway version of the Circ project and lots more.  Contact Jason Van Driesche, Local Motion’s Director of Advocacy and Education, at jason@localmotion.org or 861-2700 x109 with questions.

2303No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2011/12/support-walkable-and-bikeable-alternatives-to-the-circ/Support+Walkable+and+Bikeable+Alternatives+to+the+Circ%212011-12-12+16%3A23%3A37Jason

It’s here — the Trail Finder app for the iPhone! It’s free and so easy to use.  Download it from iTunes here.

Your smart phone is now your trail map. Over 200 trails in Vermont are now searchable from your phone.  You can pull up maps, read the details, submit comments or even a photo at the touch of a button.

Thank you to volunteers (and brothers) Todd Taylor and Troy Taylor of Woodchuck Apps who made this possible.   Thanks also to the Vermont Recreation Trails Program and the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council.

But wait, there’s more! The next version that will be compatible on other smart phones will be out by Spring 2012.  Also, we want your feedback on this first edition so we can improve the app in the next edition.

Want to help take the Trail Finder to the next level?  Volunteer! Contact Chapin to find out how you can pitch in.

2273No Comments »http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2011/12/volunteers-launch-trail-finder-app-for-iphone/Volunteers+Launch+Trail+Finder+App+for+iPhone%212011-12-05+03%3A51%3A56Chapin