Bike Funding and Montpelier Council Meetings

[Montpelier Bikes]

Hello bike advocates,

Please be aware of two upcoming meetings where the public is invited
to comment to City Council on the upcoming budget: January 11th and
26th, both at 7:00pm in City Hall council chambers, Montpelier.

Status: Montpelier Bikes has been in communication with Mayor Hooper,
Councilwoman Angela Timpone and the council as a whole throughout the
budget process. The way things stand now is that council has adopted
a complete streets policy that should ensure that the needs of
cyclists and pedestrians are taken into account whenever repaving is
done. No funds have been allocated for bike lanes, rather they are to
be included in overall project costs.

In the current climate of tight funding, there's no telling what
comments could be raised from the floor about this, so it is important
that the cycling community is in the room to speak to the importance
of bike infrastructure in town for a variety of reasons: for personal
health, energy conservation, pollution prevention, cutting down on
traffic congestion, freeing up parking spaces, and overall
contributing to a prosperous downtown and a vibrant community.

This is also the time for us to request that council follows through
with the formation of a Complete Streets Committee as called for in
the Master Plan. This group will include city officials and members
of the cycling community; the committee will help prioritize bike
projects, see to the funding of bicycle infrastructure, and would see
to it that bicycle needs are not overlooked.

It is important for councilmembers to see that there are people who
support lanes and road marking for bicycles. Whether you're a
commuter or a resident, please come if you can to voice your opinion
for cycling in Montpelier.

For more information, please contact Bill Merrylees at Community
Connections, e-mail bmerr...@u32.org or phone 223-3456. Residents
may contact their Council members directly, see link for contact info:
http://www.montpelier-vt.org/page/264/Council-Members.html

Thank you.