Montpelier Bikes - news & call for volunteers
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Becka Roolf - Going Green
Jun 5, 2008, 10:48:01 AM6/5/08
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Montpelier Bikes Project • June 5, 2008
News, Announcements, & Ways to Get Involved
The Montpelier Bikes Project is getting rolling. We had a great meeting at the Town Energy Meeting last Thurs (see below for notes), and our first step is to count bicyclists and ask you - where should the City put new bike racks? A broader survey about "barriers to bicycling in Montpelier" is coming soon.
••••• SculptCycles In Montpelier •••••
If you haven't already seen, touched, experienced the SculptCycles in downtown Montpelier, the opening is this weekend! Join the SculptCycle parade to every sculpture Saturday June 7 @ 2 pm from the corner of State & Elm, followed by opening reception, food, dancing, etc. For more information and all the details: http://www.sculptcycle.org
••••• Counting Bicyclists: Volunteers Needed for Next Week •••••
It's time for us to stand up and count! Montpelier will add our log to the National Bicycle & Pedestrian Documentation Project, starting this June and again in September. The Montpelier Bikes Project needs volunteers to count for 1.5 hour shifts, morning and evenings on ONE weekday and midday on ONE Saturday. You do not have to do both days. We will count on nice-weather days if at all possible. We'll count pedestrians, too.
We will have a very quick mini-training on Monday, June 9 at Langdon St. Cafe @ 5:30 pm. Come and raise a glass or mug to bicycling and get a quick intro to the forms & procedures.
Locations: Spring & Elm, School & Main, Barre & Main, State & Bailey.
Dates: Exact date TBD, based on weather forecasts. We will "call" it a couple days before.
• Weekday Count: Tues., June 10 with raindates of Wed June 11 or Thurs, June 12.
• Morning shift 7:45-9:15 am; Evening shift 4:30-6 pm.
• Weekend Count: Sat., June 14 with Sun as a raindate.
• Midday shift: 12:30-2 pm.
To sign up to count: Email Becka Roolf - in...@goinggreenvt.com with your availability for ALL of the dates / times above, so that we can be sure to have coverage for whichever day is not rainy.
--> You'll need to arrive 5-10 min before your shift starts and come to the mini training on Mon. June 9 (see above).
••••• The $100 Question: Where's the Bike Rack? ••••• We need your input!
This is a $100 question because that's about how much a basic "inverted u" rack (like the ones in front of Coffee Corner) will cost. As part of this project, Montpelier Bikes will be working with the City of Montpelier to install approximately 20 new racks in downtown. The City has allocated about $980 for bike racks, and we will raise an additional $1000. Would you like to "Buy a Bike Rack" ($100) or "Sponsor a Space" ($50)? We're not quite set up to take donations yet, but think about if you might be interested.
Step One: Inventory
Montpelier Bikes has compiled a DRAFT list of where in Montpelier there are bike racks.
Here's our list - http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dhnt55jc_0fqkvqxdc
Can you help us add to this list? Over the course of the summer, we will further document the condition and usability of these racks. Email if you want to help with this.
Step Two: Assess Demand *This is where we really need your input.*
Where would you like to see a bike rack? Email your suggestions to in...@goinggreenvt.com.
Also - this is beyond the City's current budget - but where would you like to see a covered bike shelter, or bicycle lockers?
If you'd like some help visualizing what any of these look like, check out the document above, which includes photos.
You may include locations on private as well as public property. If there are locations where the current bike racks are very unusable, you may suggest new racks there. (I can think of a few locations like this myself.)
~~~~ looking to the future ~~~~
Step Three: Prioritize New Locations & Install Racks
Based on the suggestions sent, Montpelier Bikes will work with the City to determine locations - where would new racks serve a variety of users, where is there demand, is there enough space for installation? The City will install the racks.
Step Four: Celebrate Success and Assemble a Plan for Additional Racks (if needed), Covered Bike Shelters, Lockers, etc.
To be determined; the City may seek grant funding or appropriate a small amount each year.
••••• Could You Host a Bicycle Sign in Your Yard? •••••
Montpelier Bikes is looking for sign "hosts" who live along main streets in town - Main St., Elm St near the pool, Northfield St., Barre St., Berlin St., State St. near the creemee stand. If you live along one of these streets, please let us know if you would be willing to put a sign in your yard this summer, and store it somewhere safely for the winter to put back up next spring. Want to see what the sign looks like? See the website: http://montpelierbikes.blogspot.com/
The signs will ideally go up this weekend, so please let me know if you can host!
••••• Notes from Energy Team "Town Meeting" •••••
The rising cost of oil, gasoline, and other fossil fuels has the attention of quite a few people. While many of the sessions focused on home heating and weatherization, we had two sessions focused on bicycling.
We got a quick demo of the FreeRide / Community Bike -- a utilitarian re-used bicycle with bright yellow fenders and a shopping basket on the front. Several people volunteered for bicycle counts and bicycle rack inventory.
We also had a good discussion on potential bicycle-friendly improvements to our city streets.
• Our bicycling mayor, Mary Hooper, rolled out an idea about making Elm St. and Main St. one way to accommodate bike lanes (and more parking). Everyone thought that was an interesting idea worth pursuing.
• We discussed the potential use of a "Sharrow" design to indicate bicyclists' rights to ride in the middle of a shared lane. Share + arrow = Sharrow. For more information, and photos on the sharrow, see: http://bikecommutetips.blogspot.com/2007/01/sharrow-appearing-soon-on-street-near.html As part of this discussion, we noted that 70% of Vermont drivers don't know that bicyclists have a legal right to be on the road.
• There was interest in improving the eventual path crossing of Barre St. and other path connections. The group noted that the Central Vermont Regional Path is now slated for construction in 2010. This construction date continues to be two-years out; path projects take a long time.
••••• Public Meeting on the Cross Vermont Trail - June 17 •••••
Find out about a section of the Cross Vermont Trail to be constructed from Montpelier into East Montpelier.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 6 PM, at the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission (above Rite Aid, 29 Main St., in downtown Montpelier)
Montpelier Bikes formed in 2007 as a subcommittee of the Montpelier Energy Team. Our steering committee includes representatives from Onion River Sports, the Montpelier Downtown Community Association, consulting firm Going Green, Community Connections / Montpelier Safe Routes to School, FreeRide, and local citizens. The Montpelier Bikes Project is funded with a grant from the Mazur Foundation, and with the support of the City of Montpelier.
More info: http://montpelierbikes.blogspot.com To be added or removed from the list, please email: montpel...@gmail.com
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Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning & Design Expert
Safety Trainings • Bike/Walk Promotion
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