In April of 2021 the Winooski Parks and Recreation Department sent out a call for volunteers to lead a weekly bike ride.  I was one of three people to volunteer.   Astin and Kristine also responded.  Astin is a social worker and Kristine teaches high school math.  We were given the title of ‘Bike Ambassadors.’ We decided to meet every Wednesday at 5:30 in  front of Monkey House which is on the Winooski traffic circle.  That first year we averaged about 10 riders per week.  Kristine gradually expanded out online presence and started posting our bike routes.  Astin was very good at welcoming new riders into the fold.  

9-22-23 Ride

On Thursday September 21st I used Ride with GPS to plan a route in Franklin County. I was going to take my road bike but in the event I chose to use my gravel bike instead. My route included a stretch of the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. I did more or less the same ride last year in late September and I remembered that the rail trail was not well maintained. My road bike has narrow tires and is not happy on rough ground.  

September 8th ride

On Friday mornings I usually teach a swim lesson at 8:30. Late in the evening of  September 8th I got an email canceling the Friday lesson.  This meant that I had the day off.  I decided to take the commuter bus to Saint Albans and start a ride from there.  Usually I  get all my gear ready the night before but it was so late in the day when I got the cancelation that I decided to wait until the morning to get ready.  I got up at five, had a bagel with a mixture of peanut butter, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, and then got ready to go.  The commuter bus to Saint Albans stops in Winooski at 5:45 AM and 6:45 AM. I decided to take the 6:45 bus.  I took a map along because there were a few route details that I was not sure of.  

Local Motion is excited to announce the addition of over 170 business locations and two new Burlington bike routes to our Interactive Biking and Walking Map. The “ONE Love Loop” and the Pine Street “Arts & Craft Loop” are now waiting to be discovered via the Interactive Map. The map can help you know where to go and find local parks, beaches, restaurants and bars, hotels, shops, and public restrooms.

Signs

I had a talk with this guy who had a  sign on the back of his bike.  He said that he has lots of different ones.  I asked him if the sign made it harder to ride when it was windy and he told me that it did not make a big difference.  I have the sense that all of his signs are positive.  I wonder what kind of sign I would display if I had a setup like his.  I have a couple of favorite bumper stickers.  One says, ‘Bumper Sticker’ another says ‘Eschew Obfuscation ’.   The sign man asked me about my panniers.  They are made by Ortlieb and are waterproof. More than one person has asked me about them.  I often get into bike-oriented conversations at the bike racks in front of City Market.  People comment on my bike or I ask someone a question.  I have talked about lights, brakes, panniers and the challenges of winter riding.  The bike racks are  like the hitching posts where people used to leave their horses.  Luckily bikes don’t poop!

Hosted on Thursday, September 14, 2023

Presented by Peter Furth, PhD Professor of Civil Engineering at Northeastern University.

This webinar introduces the concept of Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) — an objective measurement that engineers, planners, and advocates can use to determine how comfortable a design will likely be in a given context, and the type of riders likely to use it. Building comfortable bike infrastructure is key to increasing ridership, especially among less-confident riders. But how do you know if a proposed bike lane, shared street, or other design will be comfortable and yield the ridership you want? Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) provides an objective measurement that engineers, planners, and advocates can use to determine how comfortable a design will be in a given context and the type of riders likely to use it.

More about Peter Furth: 

Peter G. Furth is a researcher and professor at Northeastern University known for his work in transit planning, traffic signals, and bicycle infrastructure. Furth is also considered an expert on Dutch cycling policy and history. He has a BS, MS and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has authored over 70 publications in the transportation research field. He was a contributing author to the NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide, and has received the best paper award from the Transportation Research Board three times, most recently in 2023. He is also the recipient of ITE’s education innovation award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals for his work on Level of Traffic Stress.

Additional Resources: 

It’s the start of a new school year, and we’re finally seeing things returning to normal. Schools are getting excited about getting kids active and are using Safe Routes to School (SRTS) to solve the School Drop-Off Dilemma.

We have 65 SRTS school and educational partners engaging in the work!  Every year, these schools run fun events encouraging active transportation, like this fun walk to school day event at Twinfield Elementary pictured below. 

On Friday mornings I teach a swim lesson at the YMCA that begins at 8:30 AM.  I like to get to the Y  early so I don’t have to rush. I live in Winooski and if I am going into Burlington I calculate that it will take me about an hour to get ready to go and then ride to my destination. On Friday August 1st I started getting ready at 7:15 AM so I could be at the Y at 8:15 AM. Getting ready means  dressing, packing a change of clothes for after my shower at the Y, gathering my bathing suit and teaching shirt and choosing which bike shoes, hat, gloves and buff to wear for the day. I also put lights on my bike, helmet and hip pack. In late August and early September the days are warm but the mornings are cool. I wear a light jacket when I leave my house in the morning. In the event I got to the Y at 8 so I decided to go to City Market before going to the Y. I noticed that almond butter was on sale so I got some. Usually I just eat peanut butter.

Local Motion is excited to announce the addition of over 170 business locations and two new bike routes to its Interactive Biking and Walking Map. The “ONE Love Loop” and the Pine Street “Arts & Craft Loop” are now waiting to be discovered via Local Motion’s Interactive Map. The map helps users know where to go as they find local parks, beaches, restaurants and bars, hotels, shops, and public restrooms.

Winooski Wheels

In late March I took my commuter bike for a tuneup to Winooski Wheels, a new bike shop in downtown Winooski. I am so glad to have a bike shop in town! I support Old Spokes bike shop, but because I don’t own a car, every time I dropped off my bike there, I had to walk an hour to get to my home.  Then I had to walk back when the bike was ready to be picked up. Winooski Wheels is only a 10 minute walk from my house, which makes it much more convenient.  Every city should have a few essential services  including a swimming pool, a library, a bookstore, a bakery, a hardware store, a bike shop, and a grocery store. At least we have a bike shop, a pool and a library!