- Submitted by Ethan Hutchings, City of New Haven Transportation, Traffic & Parking Department Hall of Records The City of New Haven will be conducting the 7th Annual Point-in-Time Survey and Parking Count on October 16th & 17th, 2012. We are looking for volunteers to participate in collecting pedestrian, cyclist and parking data within downtown New Haven. As this is will be the 7th survey, a clear upward trend in the number of daily multimodal commuters within the downtown transportation network is evident. Your assistance in collecting data for this survey will place the city in a better position to accommodate daily commuters with future transportation infrastructure improvements. What we are asking you to do: We are looking for people who can assist in collecting data by standing at an intersection to count pedestrians or cyclists. We are also looking for people who can walk through a parking lot or a garage to count empty spaces - since we already have the maximum capacity for all garages and lots in this study. You are welcome to volunteer your time to assist on both days but we also understand that you may have considerable time constraints. We can safely say that if you were to volunteer to count at one corner of an intersection, the amount of time it would take from start to finish would be one hour, as we can make arrangements to pre-assign an intersection to you, with instructions already given on how to perform the count. Counting at one garage or lot would be less than one hour if that is all the time you can give. You can also come to the staging area prior to the count times listed, where we will assign a location & review the information with you so you are comfortable with the counting process. Please review the flyers below to see what times we need people to perform each type of count. Contact information is provided at the bottom of the flyers so you can let us know when you can volunteer or if you would like to follow up with us for additional information. If you plan on volunteering either in the morning and/or mid-day, breakfast and lunch will be provided out of the staging area - which will be in the Hearing Room at the Hall of Records building @ 200 Orange St in downtown New Haven. Thank you in advance, as your assistance will be greatly appreciated. City of New Haven Transportation, Traffic & Parking Department Hall of Records 200 Orange St. G3 New Haven, CT 06510 transportation@newhavenct.net
The Friday, Sept. 28 edition of WNPR's Where We Live is scheduled to feature a discussion of Hartford's iQuilt project and making the city more bike- and walk-friendly. Tell us now - what's working for pedestrians and cyclists in Hartford? What's not? What small changes would make a big difference? Weigh in below - by Thursday Sept. 27, please! Learn more: iQuilt Plan iQuilt pocket guide Hartford's Intermodal Triangle Project
To register and for more details, see our Discover Hartford page.
What will you see? Tons! Read more here. Join us! Congratulations to Bridgeport on the city's new grant for bicycle infrastructure! Bridgeport seems like a challenging place to create the state's first bike share, but hopefully the addition of new bike routes will help. According to the most reliable data available from the Census, only about 100 Bridgeport residents bicycle to work each day, versus about 1,400 residents in New Haven. But Bridgeport is also a vibrant urban area, so it's likely that many more residents will be able to bike or walk to work once more appropriate infrastructure, designed for people aged 8 to 80 to use, becomes available. Unlike Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford, which each see an enormous surge in population each day due to an influx of commuters to local jobs, Bridgeport actually loses population because of its much smaller local jobs base. This means that residents within the city may need even more help getting to transit that leaves the city and services other nearby towns, which is where a bike share could play an important role. Good luck to those working on this! Please feel free to contact Elm City Cycling for any assistance - many of the active members are very familiar with biking in Bridgeport, or work in that area. - Contributed by Mark Abraham
The Town of Simsbury has installed signage along the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail that reminds bicyclists to make their presence known when passing slower trail users. “It’s not uncommon to be walking along the trail or taking a leisurely bike ride and suddenly a faster bicyclist zips by without warning,” said Ann Marie Potter of BikeWalkSimbury! “Someone could easily get injured. It’s a safety issue and a matter of courtesy for all trail-users, particularly in more congested sections.” The green-and-white signs read: “Cyclists Must Alert When Passing.” One is posted near the Iron Horse Blvd/Drake Hill Road intersection; the second is along Rte. 315 heading to town center from Tariffville. “We’re hoping that by raising awareness, more cyclists will remember to announce their presence, especially when they’re going by at a fast clip,” Potter said, noting that signs posted along the trail indicate a maximum speed of 12 mph. “Many bicyclists do shout out ‘On Your Left’ or ring a bell to announce that they are passing,” Potter said. “But many don’t. It’s a problem out there.” First Selectman Mary Glassman said that as trail-use increases in popularity, it becomes even more important for cyclists, runners, roller-bladers and walkers to practice courtesy. “We’re proud to have such a gem running through our community,” she said. “Each year we see more people of all ages having family time together, just taking in the scenery or getting some exercise,” she said. “We want everyone to enjoy the trail and be safe, no matter how fast or slow they are travelling.” Trail courtesy, according to Potter, includes staying to the right and passing on the left. Walkers or joggers with earphones should be able to hear passersby. Walkers with dogs should keep a short leash and be aware of passing traffic. Helmets are encouraged. “A lot of this is common sense,” Potter said. “All trail-users should have a positive experience when they’re out there enjoying a lovely fall day.” In 2010, Simsbury was named the first “Bicycle-Friendly Community” in Connecticut at the bronze-level and the town is currently seeking silver-level status. An announcement is expected in October. Farmington also is seeking the designation, which South Windsor received earlier this year. - Contributed by Ann Marie Potter for Bike Walk Simsbury. The National Women's Bicycling Summit took place on September 13 in Long Beach, California. This first-ever event was co-hosted by the League of American Bicyclists and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, in partnership with Women on Bikes SoCal and Pro Walk Pro Bike. The Summit provided a unique opportunity to network, share best practices, and develop action steps to get more women in our community cycling. A new initiative was formed, Women Bike. Information regarding this program can be accessed at http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/women/ - Contributed by Pam Girard How does transportation shape our lives and environments? How has it impacted Hartford's development? How will you navigate the city in the future? Join in the conversation about these important questions on Monday, September 10th at Connecticut's Old State House for the second installation of the Barstools to Ballots series. Christine Stuart from CT News Junkie will moderate an animated panel discussion on the past, present, and future of transportation. Panelist Thomas Maziarz, DOT Bureau Chief of Policy and Planning will speak on behalf of the Department of Transportation and will discuss his agency's priorities and projects and how they will impact those who live and work in Hartford. Christopher Brown of BikeWalkCT will also be a part of the panel discussion, with support from members Tony Cherolis and Luis Rivera. The Old State House doors will open at 5:30 for networking and appetizers by Salute Restaurant. The program starts at 6:00 pm. A cash bar will be available including beer and wine. Parking is a available, and tickets from Constitution Plaza Garage will be validated for $5 parking the night of the event. Funding for this program provided by the Greater Hartford Arts Council. Monday, September 10 Opens at 5:30 pm Programs starts at 6:00 pm Connecticut's Old State House 800 Main Street Hartford, CT REGISTER HERE (Fee: $8 pre-registered members; $10 pre-registered non members; $12 for all walk-ins) Download the flyer For the filming of a second TV spot for the Connecticut "Still Revolutionary" tourism campaign, members of local cycling clubs from Litchfield County and New York were hired to be stand ins during a segment at the West Cornwall Covered bridge over the Housatonic. Bike Walk Connecticut board member Tom O'Brien was recruited to be one of the biking extras. Read more in the Courant and the New Milford Spectrum. Short video here.
If you are a cyclist and have experienced difficulty navigating the streets of West Hartford with its lack ofbike lanes, and islands which impede cycling, please come to a town wide bicycle forum sponsored by The West Hartford Bicycle Advisory Committee on Monday, September 10, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Room 314 (Town Council Chambers) in the West Hartford Town Hall.
Scheduled to speak are Senator Beth Bye, Sandy Fry, the principal transportation planner for the Capital Region of Governments, and Mayor Scott Slifka. Also scheduled to be in attendance is a representative from CT FastTrak. Goals include the installation of more bicycle lanes in West Hartford, the designation of bicycle paths, the organization of a bike to school day and a bike to business day, and the possible introduction of a bike share program in the Town of West Hartford. The West Hartford Bicycle Advisory Committee is dedicated to making West Hartford, Connecticut a more bicycle friendly community. Please come and listen to our plans, share with us your concerns and ideas and spend an evening with your fellow cyclists. For more information please email contactfranklinnow@gmail.com. RELATED: If West Hartford Builds It, People Will Bike on It (West Hartford Patch) |
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