Are you involved with an elementary or middle school where you'd like the kids to learn safe bike riding skills? We can help!

Through the generous support of Kohl's Cares, we are able to provide a trailer full of 45 kids bikes and helmets to schools across the state. We just finished a great week in Highgate, VT!

OK, I'm going not to use cuss words in this essay. This is a family site. But there is WAY too much cussing going on in transportation, be it motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and every other road user.

I have come to realize there is a law of karma physics as powerful as Newton's. While riding each day in the city with a frustrating melange of cabs, delivery trucks, dog walkers, jaywalkers, bike messengers, backwards skaters, and any number of clueless road users, I realized that for every "F.U." came an equal and opposite "F.U." In 35 years of cycling with probably 35,000 such shouts to people, I cannot recall a single time I have received a response of "sorry" or "my fault" or "thanks."

And then it came to me.

The word. The magic word. And it is not, "please."

Kick off Walk/Bike Month by taking an Art Walk to the Old North End!  

Photographs and excerpts from UVM student Alyson Wall’s interviews will be on display at the Old North End Studio for the month of May.  Join us for the exhibit opening during Art Walk, Friday May 3^rd !

What & When: Exhibit Opening: Friday May 3rd, 6 - 8 pm                                

Where Old North End Studio A                       

294 North Winooski Avenue, Burlington            

or drop in during May Monday-Friday 10 – 6. Info, 863-6713

Kick off Walk/Bike Month by taking an Art Walk Around Town!  

What & When: First Friday Art Walk, Friday May 3rd, 5 – 8pm

Where: Studios & Galleries all over Burlington

Click here for May’s Art Walk Preview

Looking for a way to get involved with the amazing things we do at Local Motion?  Volunteering is one of the best ways to help strengthen our programs, and the best part is--volunteering with Local Motion is really fun!  All volunteering for Local Motion counts towards City Market Member/Worker discounts (up to 12% per month!).

Here are just some of our volunteer opportunities:

Secure Bike Parking (starting on Mother's Day)

Island Line Ferry (starting in mid-June)

Bike Recycle Vermont  Bike Mechanics (ongoing)

Bike Recycle Designs Artists (ongoing)

Bike Recycle Designs Vendors

Sweet Streets (ongoing)

Women's Rides (Starting in May)

Membership volunteer (ongoing)

We are calling on 100 Burlington households to take the Park It Pledge this spring. The Park It Pledge is a fun city-wide challenge to drive less for all the good reasons you know about—it benefits your health, your wallet, your community, and the environment.

During this 6-month challenge, all you have to do is make a commitment to walk, bike, bus, carpool, use CarShare Vermont, telecommute, etc. instead of using your own car, and you’ll receive a FREE CarShare Vermont membership, generous monthly driving credits, CCTA bus passes, bike commuter perks and other great transportation resources to help make getting around a breeze! 

If you’re a two-car household, try parking one. If you have one car, try going without it. We can help! To sign up for the Park It Pledge or for more information visit www.ParkItPledge.org, call (802) 861-2340, or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

It's spring (sort of) and it's biking season!  Better than Punxtatawney Phil--these Local Motion predictors of spring are everywhere: stencils, free chocolate, and Burma Shave signs!

Thanks to a group of students from Johnson State College, we were able to lay down our bicycle and pedestrian safety message on several streets in the down town area.  Keep your eyes peeled for an especially creative one, courtesy of one of the creative geniuses of the group.  A free bike light set will go to the first person who sees it and e-mails This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the location of the sighting!

You also may have met us on a street corner, thanking crosswalk-using pedestrians and law-abiding bicyclists with chocolates--we'll be around every week for the rest of the year, so if you see our sexy flourescent reflective vests, stop by and say "hi!"

For drivers, we'll be setting up our Burma Shave safety signs to help motorists remember to "Drive 25 and Keep Kids Alive".

Local Motion is looking for an engaging, energetic, and passionate advocate for our Community Organizer position.

Outreach at Local Motion is wide-reaching, encompassing the Trailside Center, Secure Bike Parking, Bike Recycle Vermont, Safe Streets, the Island Line & Bike Ferry, tabling at conferences and expos, Local Motion-run events and more.  This position will be an excellent opportunity to develop experience in grass-roots outreach and public engagement.   To learn more about our programs, check out: www.localmotion.org.   This person will assist in the implementation of Outreach events and larger Local Motion-run events, help Local Motion understand the needs of diverse communities, as they relate to walking, biking and other “human-powered” activities, and the barriers that may exist to participating in these activities, and engage the public.  To see a full description of the position, click here: Americorps Community Organizer

Local Motion and the Green Mountain Bike Club's Introductory Rides for Women are all set up for May, June & July (click here to see the schedule.)  We'll be leading a series of fun introductory Women's Rides throughout the season; we need more ride leaders and assistants, and we need ideas for August and September!  Rides are 10 - 30 miles long and leave from various locations. 

• Ride leader needed for 7/6 ride, "Bike Paths of South Burlington"
• Assistant ride leaders needed for 5/25, 6/8, 6/22, 7/6, & 7/20
• Ideas and leaders needed for 8/3, 8/17, 8/31, 9/14, 9/28

Click here to submit your ride ideas.  Click here to volunteer as a ride leader or assistant, or just to find out more.

Contact Charlene at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  with questions!

Kids on bikes!  Families on bikes!  Communities out and riding!  Sounds awesome, right?  Good news! Local Motion and the Sustainability Academy are on a mission to make this awesomeness happen!  

This past Monday, we officially launched the Bike for Life program with the delivery of 30 reconditioned bikes from Bike Recycle Vermont.  Hamming it up like pros, our intrepid staff Dan Hock, Hannah Ohlson, interns Jonathon Weber and Daniel Crespo rolled out on four of the bikes.  This news was met with a huge amount of enthusiasm (if the gasps, cheering and waving are anything to go by) from the audience of pre-schoolers to 5th graders.  These bikes will be used in field trips (sweet, right?!), and in PE class.  Check out this video: Bike For Life Launch, and be ready for some good smiles!

This is just the tip of the iceberg of this excellent project: we're running a school-wide bicycle incentive program, and on April 20th, we'll be kicking up the energy with a Bike Festival.  Learn to bike workshops, community rides, family rides and a bike club round out this picture!

This project was made possible by generous funding from VEIC and the Vermont Community Foundation.

Help raise over $100,000 for area children by volunteering at the 5th annual Lund Ride for Children on May 11th.  As part of our commitment to our community, Local Motion has co-sponsored this ride since its inception.  Will you pitch in and help too?

There are many differnt volunteer opportunities available.  Click here to get involved!

For more than a year, local, regional and state transportation partners have been working to create Go! Chittenden County, a significant partnership creating dozens of options for employers and commuters to save money, reduce their environmental footprint, and have some fun at the same time.

Now, you're invited to the launch party!

When: Friday, March 8 at 10:00am

Where: Champlain Mill Building, (My Web Grocer), Winooski Falls Way

Come celebrate with us, Congressman Welch, Deputy Transportation Secretary Sue Minter, Winooski Mayor Mike O'Brien, CEDO Director Peter Owens, and more! We'll be giving away clip-on reflective patches and handy folding bags, and we'll have refreshments courtesy of Cupps Bakery.

In case of poor weather, we'll be across the street in the indoor bus stop.

Go! Chittenden County, a one-stop resource for information about transit, carpooling, vanpooling, car-sharing, bicycling, and walking. Learn more here.

Learn about the Railyard Enterprise Project on Thursday, March 7th at 7pm at Burlington City Hall.

Bring your ideas on how to improve travel and make Burlington's southern waterfront more accessible and livable.

What is the Railyard Enterprise Project?  It is an ambitious planning effort that grew, in part, out of the concern that the proposed Champlain Parkway would bring more traffic into the King / Maple neighborhood.  This planning process will evaluate various multi-modal improvements in the railyard area that could potentially reduce traffic in adjacent neighborhoods, spur economic development, provide more transportation options, etc.

Can't make it?  LM Director This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the bike/pedestrian representative on the project steering committee so contact him with any ideas.

The Study is sponsored by the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) and the City of Burlington. Refreshments will be served.

Did you know that only 24% of all people on bikes are women?  Local Motion and the Green Mountain Bike Club would like to change that!  We'll be leading a series of fun Women's Rides throughout the season to help get women more comfortable on their bikes.  We need ride leaders and helpers.  Rides will be 5 - 12 miles long. amd will leave from a variety of locations around the area, such as Dorset Park in South Burlington, Local Motion in Burlington, and Airport Park in Colchester. Click here to see the article in Walk 'n Roll news about last fall's rides.

While juggling the responsibilities of being a full-time professor and father of three children, Local Motion Board Member Luis Vivanco is helping propel our region's culture of active transportation. 

Luis attended the National Bike Summit in Washington DC where he's represented Local Motion an an invitation-only meeting of the nation's most successful bike/pedestrian advocacy organizations.  He continues to bring UVM students to this annual event so they come back to Burlington charged up to advocate. 

Additionally, Luis has just published a great new book Reconsidering the Bicycle -- an anthropological exploration of the bicycle's return as part of the modern mobility movement.

Luis also serves on Local Motion's Strategy Committee and helped guide development of Local Motion's first Annual Party last fall.  Thanks Luis for all you do!

Luis Vivanco (in middle) with the other Vermonters at the 2013 National Bike Summit.  From L to R: Jon Lewis (Waitsfield, Saris Co.), Alexandra Smith (UVM BUG), Luis, Dana Heng (UVM BUG), Jens Pharr (UVM BUG) and Bruce Lierman (VT Bike/Pedestrian Coalition).

Further demonstrating the growing vitality of our region's active outdoor industry, Budnitz Bicycles has moved Boulder CO to Burlington! 

This great high-end bicycle company moved its office and assembly operations into the JDK building near the Burlington waterfront -- literally inside bike-cultured Maglianero Cafe.

On February 26th, 50 cyclists joined Mayor Weinberger on a 'welcome ride' from City Hall to Budnitz's new facility at 47 Maple Street.  Check out the pictures on Facebook here.

Below, Liz Robert of Terry Bicycles, Paul Budnitz of Budnitz Bicycles and Michael Jager of JDK listen to Mayor Weinberger's remarks.  Photos by Greg Comollo.

On February 23rd, around 7am, I left my house in Winooski to ride to work. The temperature was in the 30s, just warm enough to take the long way to Burlington. I rode to Mallets Bay Avenue and found the
wind was at my back and the riding was easy.

I have lived in the Burlington area for 30 years, and when I travel anywhere in Chittenden County, I am constantly reminded of my past. On Mallets Bay Avenue, I saw the house where Herb Hatch lived. He was my boss when I was the assistant aquatic director at the Burlington YMCA. It was my first job in Vermont. Herb was fired for screaming at a child.

A little farther on, I passed the house where my son Willi went to daycare. I used to take him there in a bike trailer. Near the daycare there is a dairy farm on one side of the road, and a horse farm on the other. The horses were wearing their winter overcoats. I am always glad to see the farms; they make me feel as though I have officially entered the countryside and left the cities behind.

There is a steep hill on Mallets Bay Avenue, and when I came to the
top my core was hot but my hands were cold. It reminded me of the
centaur story.

Vermont's great trails don't just get built by accident.  

The great places we have to hike, bike, ski, run and paddle exist due to the hard work of so many groups and people. 

2013 is poised to a be huge year for some really big trail visions -- and Local Motion encourages you to share your time and talents to make them happen!

:: Bolton Backcountry Conservation: 50+ miles of spectacular backcountry ski trails on 1,161 acres are close to being preserved forever.  Please help Vermont Land Trust, Catamount Trail Associaiton and others complete the deal by March 31, 2013.  Get involved.

:: Long Trail Bridge over the Winooski: For a century, hikers have struggled to cross the Winooski River on the Long Trail.  The Green Mountain Club is working diligently to replace the curcuitous 3-mile on-road deviation with a 200' footbridge over the river.  Click 'read more' below to learn about a recent challenge grant and see a visualization of the bridge.  Get involed. 

:: 92-Mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail Across VT:  Imagine a flat, scenic multi-use trail running a stones throw from Lake Champlain to St. Johnsbury!  Thanks to VT Association of Snow Travelers' efforts, the crucial Act 250 permit was obtained last year for the first 44 miles.  They need help building and then maintaining these first sections.  Get involved!

:: Missing Link in the Island Line Trail: Local Motion is working with partners to make the final link along a stunning 14-mile pathway along and across Lake Champlain.  In 2013, we aim to re-launch and expanded ferry operation with a vessel triple the size running more than triple the days -- helping thousands of trail users each week cross a 200' water gap.  Get involved.

Taken together, these projects will enhance our quality of life, strengthen Vermont's active outdoor economy, and weave an incredible network of trails through so many of our vibrant Vermont communities. 

Sure, all the work may seem overwhelming, but each of us just needs to play our one small part.  Together, we'll leave a legacy for generations to come.

You're invited to the next and final public meeting of the Williston-Essex Network's Transportation study.

When: Tuesday, February 5th, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Where: Williston Town Hall, 7900 Williston Road

The goal of WENTS was to develop a multi-modal transportation improvement plan for major roadways in the study area (see map) to address mobility, connectivity, and safety. The final Plan will include a comprehensive and coordinated list of highway, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and land use recommendations.

Come hear about the study results and next steps to improve travel for all modes in Williston, Essex and Essex Junction! This meeting will include a presentation of the findings of the study, and preliminary recommendations on how to move forward. Refreshments will be served.

Study is sponsored by the Town of Williston, Town of Essex, Village of Essex Junction, and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC). Learn more here.

* Click Here for Up-To-Date Schedule and Cancellations *

Winter is off to a cold, snowy start this year, which can only mean one thing: Lots of opportunities for active family fun during Great Ice in Grand Isle -- home of the largest skating oval on Lake Champlain.

Join us for our 6th Annual Event, held over two solid (see what we did there?) weekends in February.

Friday, February 8th - Sunday, February 10th &
Saturday, February 16th - Sunday, February 17th

New this year: The Champlain Islands Ice Marathon, with 1K, 5K, 25K and 40K timed events on the oval.