We are delighted to share Local Motion’s 2016 annual report with you. Our annual report is not only a snapshot of the work that has been done in the past year, but also a look ahead to what can be achieved in the next. If the past year serves as an indication, 2017 is going to be a watershed year for walking and biking in Vermont.
As we look back on 2016, the numbers speak for themselves - over 6,000 kids participated in our Bike Smart skills trainings and just shy of 700 adults participated in our Everyday Bicycling trainings. That's almost 7,000 people learning how to safely and enjoyably ride bikes! Local Motion rented over 9,000 bikes this past year and over 13,000 people rode on the Island Bike Ferry. Over 1,000 people responded to a survey identifying what priorities for biking and walking should be in 2017. 33 communities across the state worked with Local Motion to make biking and walking safer for their residents.
2016 was a year of people actively engaging in the conversation about safe biking and walking in Vermont. In order to continue that conversation and realize the dreams of the many thousands of Vermonters who want to have the choice to walk and bike and be safe while doing it—we have our work cut out for us. We need to change our roads. We need to change our laws. And most important, we need to change our culture: how we drive, how we ride, and how we look out for each other on the road.
Will you help fuel the change? The momentum and the opportunity are there. We are ready. All we need is you.