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May is National Bike Month Apr 27
May is National Bike Month – Get Out and Celebrate Bicycling!
With the theme “It’s Easier Than You Think!” Bike Walk CT is taking the lead to encourage bike commuting on National Bike to Work Day, May 18. Breakfasts for bike commuters will be held in Bethel, Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, Stamford, Waterbury, West Hartford, and UConn Health Center (Farmington). See http://www.bikewalkct.org/bike-to-work/ for the details. We plan to have a friendly competition among the events – the prize is bragging rights for the bike to work event with the highest attendance per capita for the City in which it's located (so bigger towns won't have an unfair advantage). Another "prize" is showing that residents of your town are serious about non-motorized transportation and deserve attention and resources. Recruit your family, friends, co-workers, city officials and all the public and private sector employees you can convince that they should give bike commuting a try!”
check our latest Bike to Work information to be sure you have the most up to date information on the breakfasts and the meetups.
“Connecticut DOT will be well represented at Bike month events – Tom Maziarz will be at the downtown Hartford bike to work breakfast, Dave Head will attend the West Hartford event, and Kate Rattan will be in New London. And DEEP Commissioner Esty will be riding into the West Hartford and downtown Hartford events (from Cheshire!) PLUS, DOT (Colleen Kissane) will attend the Andover trail ribbon cutting and the May 19 Simsbury sculpture unveiling. Let’s have a big turnout at all these events to show state agencies how important investments in biking infrastructure are!”
May 1 kicks off the 3 month National Bike Challenge (www.nationalbikechallenge.org). Whether you bike daily or infrequently, for recreation or for transportation, we need you and all of your biking friends to sign up. Our goal is to end the challenge as a top 10 state, with your help we can get there. And you will be eligible for prizes after just 3 days of riding! Download poster for the Challenge here
Bike Walk CT has a team of 10 and would like others to create their own teams .. something like Bike Walk CT - West Hartford Chicks, or Bike Walk CT - Grande's or Venti's ..Bike Walk CT - Sound Cyclists... any name that both identifies your team as part of the Bike Walk CT organization and yet has an additional identity.
Simsbury has an event planned for almost every day during bike month, including the unveiling of the new bike sculpture on Sat May 19th . click here for a calendar of events for Simsbury.
Saturday May 12th @ 10am is the long awaited ribbon cutting for the Andover Bridge.
If you know of other events or more details about the above events, Please let us know and we will add it to the May is Bike Month calendar, our web site, FaceBook and eNewsletter. Send to bikewalkct@bikewalkct.org
as a side note.. do you know that on the Hartford Metropolitan CTTransit buses, there are about 5000 bikes per month which enjoy the ride.
Bike Rack Construction Underway in Hartford Apr 15
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On March 30, about 12 bike racks were installed along Main St. in Hartford. It was the first day of installation for about 287 racks planned to be placed throughout the City. The current schedule is for completion about the end of July. This project has been several years in the making and has include the contibutions of many individuals and organizations. Read more here. Link to more pics on Facebook.
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National Bike Challenge! Are you ready? Apr 09
Being a non-profit organization with limited resources, the statewide Bike to Work campaign doesn't include bagels and coffee in every little CT town, although many non-metro Hartford cities are now holding events. For example New Haven and the Elm City Cyclists have a very well organized Bike to Work program. Other cites interested in joining can contact Sandy Fry, who has all the details you'll need to set up a satellite event. All you'll need is a food sponsor (employer, city, or yourself), a folding table, and some sweat equity.
For those that don't have a local Bike to Work Event but still want to get in on the movement, we present to you -- the power of the internet. Bike Walk CT has oddles of resources on their website for first timers. Connecticut will also be competing in the National Bike Challenge. The Challenge puts Connecticut head to head against other states, and hopefully the cyclists in our great state won't leave us with some embarrassing rankings. The Bike Challenge website gives you the tools to track miles, set up corporate teams, and show the nation that CT is serious about bicycle commuting.
Let's bike to work Connecticut. It's easier than you think!
Municipal Liability Protection Law On the Chopping Block - Phase II Mar 31
Some good news!!
As you know, the Judiciary Committee deadline to pass bills out of committee is April 2nd (Monday). Since SB 445 is NOT on the agenda for their Monday meeting, we can now say we have won this round. No need to make any more calls or emails for now. We will remain vigilant to make sure the bill doesn't show up in some other form before the end of this short session on May 9th, but we are in a very good strategic position.
Nice Effort !! Thanks to all!!!!
Bike to Work 2012 - It's Easier Than You Think Mar 29
Bike to Work Page .. click here
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NEXT PLANNING MEETING - Tuesday, April 3rd, 5:30 PM at the CRCOG offices, 241 Main Street, Hartford. Directions: http://www.crcog.org/about/directions.html. If you can't attend in person, there will be a conference call number (218-632-0550, Access code: 1038483).
SAVE THE DATE - Planning has begun and Bike to Work 2012 will be bigger and better than ever before. The main event will be Friday, May 18, with breakfasts in downtown Hartford and New Haven, and we plan to add more events. There will be meetups, so bicyclists can join forces to ride in.
NATIONAL BIKE CHALLENGE - This year Connecticut will participate in the National Bike Challenge, which will include a tracking mechanism so you can keep track of your bike miles. You can also create teams and compete against other groups (and employers) to rack up the most bicycle miles in May. This is a national Bike to Work movement being organized by the League of American Bicyclists. Sign up early and start forming your teams.
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National Bike Summit .. Washington DC March 2012 Mar 22
National Bike Summit in Washington DC
Nice Connecticut contingent ... see pictures here
Red Light Safety Camera Enabling Legislation Mar 09
Red light safety camera enabling legislation has been introduced. Raised Bill No. 5458 (click here) was heard in the Transportation Committee on Monday the 12th,
Bill has passed out of the Transportation Committee .. to follow the bill's progress, Click Here
2012 Annual Rides List Feb 11
Spring is just around the corner and time for an update of Our New England Rides list. Our Thanks to Pete Salomone for organizing and publishing this annual document. click here
CT BikePed Advisory Committee Annual Report Feb 02
The third annual report of the Connecticut Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board is out. It is required by the Complete Streets act and may be found at:
Vote to Preserve Bike/Ped Funding Jan 31
This just out from the Rails to Trails Conservancy:
Unfortunately, by a vote of 27 to 29, the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee just moments ago voted down the bipartisan Petri/Johnson/Lipinski amendment that would have fixed many of the deficiencies in the House transportation bill, particularly as they relate to the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School programs. The amendment would have also restored eligibility of rail-trails.
But all is not lost. The many thousands of you who contacted your representatives during the past few days about this amendment made a strong and powerful statement that Americans from all across the country want, need and deserve more trails and walking and bicycling opportunities.
See how your representative voted now.
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The Surface Transportation Bill that is on the table undoes many years of progress on the bike/ped front. Things that we take for granted (funding of even a partial bike/ped coordinator) would no longer be permitted. It is important for all of us who care about bike and ped programs to contact our congress person, whether they are on the transportation committee or not.
The League of American Bicyclists has set up a web page that will identify your congressperson and will send them an email requesting that they vote against this bill. - click here
the Rails to Trails Conservancy also has a web site which will send an email to your congressperson .. click here
Come to the 2012 National Bike Summit Jan 27
The National Bike Summit, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, will be held March 20-22, 2012 in Washington DC (http://www.bikeleague.org/conferences/summit12/index.php) and you should be there! If you want to know why, contact MaryEllen Thibodeau at methibodeau@bikewalkct.org . Here's what MaryEllen has to say about her experience at past Summits:
For Rough Rides (that should not be) Jan 04
When you nail a pothole that should have been fixed five years ago and wonder who to complain to (besides your friends and at The Beat Bike Blog) about the rim you just bent, there are now several options.
- The Connecticut Department of Transportation is sponsoring a website which allows users to submit data about both bike accidents/crashes and unsafe biking conditions. The accident form is for a
ny type of bicycle crash, whether or not a motorized vehicle was involved. The latter form allows users to provide the DOT with suggestions for how the situation can be improved.- SeeClickFix provides its users with the capacity for uploading photos of the issue in question. These concerns are published so that others in the community can view them, thus making a visible record of concerns. If an issue is reported on a particular topic or in a specific area, different entities are automatically notified. For items reported in Hartford, the 311 Call Center for non-emergency city services is contacted. Publicly documenting concerns is a way to cut through bureaucratic bullshit, or at least to prove that something requiring action has been reported on and consequently ignored by the City, State, or private entities responsible for fixing the problem.
- Calling 311 is a third option from Monday-Friday, 8-5. There is a map showing 311 open/closed cases, currently available online. It has been yanked from the City website in the past without explanation. A case number is assigned so that you can follow up.
Reposted with permission from Beat Bike Blog. Author Schleppi Longstocking. Link to original.
Annual Dinner of 2011 A Great Success Dec 27
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On Dec. 13th, Bike Walk Connecticut held its Annual Dinner. 130 people enjoyed a social hour, perused the many offerings at the silent auction, ate a great dinner, and heard about changes in the culture at the State Department of Transportation. Click here for the full story. |
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Discover Hartford Parks Tour 2011 Oct 22
| The 2011 Discover Hartford Tour is now a pleasant memory. Over 500 people enjoyed a beautiful late October day, with 10, 15, 25, and 40 mile bike tour options linking Hartford’s historic parks, and walk-talk tours of Elizabeth, Keney, and Bushnell Parks. The Tour was co-presented by Bike Walk CT and the City of Hartford, with proceeds benefitting Bike Walk CT and the Hartford Parks Trust Fund. |  |
Photos from the Tour - Slideshow1 Ken Livingston's Video of the starting line Slideshow2
- We took a post tour survey and will be using this valuable data to improve the tour next year. Post Tour Survey Results
- Survey Summary and Potential Improvements for next year
- Survey Comments Spreadsheet