WEST HARTFORD, CT (February 19, 2015) – Travelers has provided Bike Walk Connecticut with a general corporate sponsorship award of $5000 to become a 2015 Premier Business Member.

"At Travelers, we are committed to helping develop strong, vibrant neighborhoods where our employees live and work," said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers. "We are pleased to support Bike Walk Connecticut's mission to help make our roads safer for cyclists, pedestrians and commuters."

The funding supports Bike Walk Connecticut’s efforts to make Connecticut a better place to bike and walk.  Bike Walk Connecticut works with residents, elected officials and staff in state and local government to encourage “complete streets” and other policies that make it easier for people to get around by bike or on foot. The group’s work also includes an educational summit and bike education programs.

“Travelers has been a longtime supporter and sponsor of Bike Walk Connecticut,” said Kelly Kennedy, Executive Director of Bike Walk Connecticut.  “With all the new focus on building a first class, multi-modal transportation system here in Connecticut, we couldn’t be more excited to have the continued backing of such a well-respected business.  Travelers really gets how important bikeable, walkable communities are to our economy and quality of life.”

Travelers is committed to building vibrant communities that provide opportunity. Through corporate funding and the Travelers Foundation, the company focuses its giving in three core areas: education, community development and arts & culture. Travelers committed more than $21 million in 2013 to these initiatives. The company supports and encourages its employees’ volunteer efforts. Many employees are active members of their community, and collectively perform tens of thousands of hours in volunteer service each year. The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business.  A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Travelers has approximately 30,000 employees and generated revenues of approximately $26 billion in 2013. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.

To learn more about Bike Walk Connecticut business membership and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.bikewalkct.org/business-membership.

Fast forward to 10 minutes for the start of the Governor's address.  And listen for what he has to say about biking and walking.

Governor Malloy's office has put out two primary documents on his transportation vision--there's a the 5 year ramp up plan (2015-2019), and there's the 30-year plan.

The 5 year ramp up plan includes $101MM for bike ped work.  The 30 year plan includes $780MM of bike ped projects, including $250MM for the Merritt Parkway path.  Now all we need is for everybody to agree to pay for it!  Easy as pie?  

The Merritt Parkway project, complete streets, and connecting gaps in the trail network are equally weighted in the proposal.  $30MM is laid out for trail maintenance.

There will be much to discuss in the legislative session!

Governor Malloy's five-year proposal to ramp up CT's transportation system includes:

·     $101 million for bicycle and pedestrian trails

·       $1.7 billion for rail improvements, including bridge repairs, station improvements and capacity and speed upgrades

·        $612.5 million for Interstate 84 in West Hartford; I-95 Baldwin Bridge to Gold Star Bridge; the I-91/I-691/Route 15 area; Route 9 in Middletown; I-84 between exits 3 and 8; reconfiguration of interchanges 29 on I-91, among others

·        $281.3 million for the I-84 Aetna Viaduct redesign; the I-84/Route 8 "mixmaster" in Waterbury; the West Rock Tunnel rehabilitation and more

·        $43 million in bus improvements

See http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-malloy-transportation-plan-0218-20150218-story.html#page=2

Heads Up!  There's a legislative Transportation Committee hearing on Wed Feb.11 at 12:30 pm where we'll have the opportunity to show lawmakers just how much public support there is for biking and walking in Connecticut and forSB 502 to become a comprehensive, forward-thinking "Bike Bill." 

Your presence, email testimony, and oral testimony at the Feb. 11 hearing will make a huge statement to legislators that Connecticut needs to get serious about making the state a better place to bike and walk. 

While SB 502 does not contain definitive bill language at this early point in the legislative session, it is intended to :

1. Clarify the law on riding as far to the right as practicable (AFRAP), as recommended by the League of American Bicyclists.  See Bike Walk CT's proposal here, developed in collaboration with the LAB. 
2. Permit and encourage modern bicycle facilities, including two-way bike lanes and "cycle tracks."
3. Clarify when and how motor vehicles may pass slower moving vehicles, including bicycles.

Please email a statement to legislators explaining why these kinds of things, and making CT a better place to bike and walk, are important to you.  If you can attend Wednesday and speak at the hearing, all the better!  Send your remarks in Word or PDF to TRAtestimony@cga.ct.gov and your legislators. Please copy bikewalkct@bikewalkct.org too! (It makes us happy!)

Find out who your legislators are here.  For other important instructions on the hearing and sending testimony, click here. 

Bike Walk Connecticut is pleased to let you know that plans for our biennial summit are underway.  

The 2015 Bike Walk CT Summit will take place on Friday, April 24 at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center in Old Wethersfield, in central Connecticut and a short distance from I-91.

We tried to find a centrally located, business class venue for a Friday and Saturday event, but none were to be found (it's wedding season!). We know the Friday schedule is not ideal for some of our members, but we hope many of you will still be able to attend.

This year, the summit will be preceded by a full day of NACTO Bikeway Design Training on Thursday, April 23, for planners and engineers at the state, local and regional levels. This training will complement our complete streets project and the new US Mayors Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets.  Professionals from the public and private sectors are welcome.

Help us make the summit a success!  We could use a few good volunteers to help coordinate programming and logistics.  We have some ideas of our own, but what would you like this year's summit to address? To volunteer or send programming ideas, email bikewalkct@bikewalkct.org with SUMMIT in the subject line.

More details to follow as soon as possible.  We think you'll be energized!

The Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 12:30 P.M. in Room 2E of the Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Hartford.  Among others, the "Bike Bill" ( Proposed S.B. No. 502 AN ACT CONCERNING BICYCLE SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS) is on the agenda.

• Public speaker order will be determined by a lottery system.  Lottery numbers will be drawn from 9:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. in Room 2300 of the LOB.  Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list.  
  
• Please submit 65 copies of written testimony to Committee staff from 9:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. in Room 2300 of the LOB.  Testimony received after the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing.  
  
• Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to TRAtestimony@cga.ct.gov and your legislators. Please copy bikewalkct@bikewalkct.org too! (It makes us happy!)  Find out who your legislators are here.  

• You may email testimony in lieu of speaking at the hearing. 
  
• Testimony should clearly state testifier name and related Bills.  
  
• The Committee requests that testimony be limited to matters related to the items on the Agenda.  The first hour of the hearing is reserved for Legislators, Constitutional Officers, State Agency Heads and Chief Elected Municipal Officials.  Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony.  The Committee encourages witnesses to submit a written statement and to condense oral testimony to a summary of that statement.   All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information.  As such, it will be made available on the CGA website and indexed by internet search engines.
  

West Hartford, CT (January 30, 2015) – Since last fall’s Pro Walk/ Pro Bike/ Pro Place conference, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has been clear that bicycle and pedestrian safety is his signature issue as the head of US DOT.

As a former mayor, Foxx is well aware of the rising numbers of people who want to get around by bike and on foot, and the uptick in pedestrian and cyclist deaths and injuries.

So at last week’s U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting, Foxx challenged those officials to help us help them make America's streets safer.

The US DOT’s “Mayors' Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets” invites mayors and local elected officials to take significant action to improve safety for bicycle riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities over the next year. The Challenge will showcase best local practices to improve safety, share tools for local leaders to take action, and promote partnerships to advance pedestrian and bicycle safety.  Participants will attend the Mayors' Summit for Safer People, Safer Streets in March 2015.

Here’s what Foxx challenges mayors to do:

1. Join the Mayors Challenge at http://www.dot.gov/content/join-challenge.
   
2. Issue a public statement about the importance of bicycle and pedestrian safety.
   
3. Form a local action team (if a bike/pedestrian task force isn’t already in place) to advance safety and accessibility goals, then take local action through the following Mayors Challenge activities during the next year to improve pedestrian and bicycle transportation safety in their communities.
   

• Take a Complete Streets approach.
  
• Identify and address barriers to make streets safe and convenient for all road users, including people of all ages and abilities and those using assistive mobility devices.
  
• Gather and track biking and walking data.
  
• Use designs that are appropriate to the context of the street and its uses.
  
• Capture opportunities to build on-road bike networks during routine resurfacing.
  
• Improve walking and biking safety laws and regulations.
  
• Educate and enforce proper road use behavior by all.
  

How individuals can get involved: 

1. Call or email your mayor or first selectman or send them (and copy bikewalkct@bikewalkct.org)
   
2. Tell them that bike and pedestrian safety, complete streets, and educating the motorists, cyclists and pedestrians on their responsibilities for sharing the road are issues that matter to you.
   
3. Urge them to sign on to the challenge. Share this link so they can learn more: http://www.dot.gov/mayors-challenge 
   
4. Offer to serve on your town’s bike/ped task force for local action.
   

What we’re doing:  Bike Walk Connecticut urges Connecticut’s chief elected officials to participate in the challenge and engage their residents in carrying out. These actions in the Mayors Challenge  go to the heart of Bike Walk Connecticut’s mission, and we applaud Foxx’s leadership. 

Bike Walk CT is again offering the League of American Bicyclist-designed Traffic Skills 101 program, a day long course to give cyclists the skills, knowledge and confidence to handle on-road cycling in traffic.  

WHEN:  Sunday, April 12, 2015, 7:45 am to 5 pm
WHERE:   Thomas W Raftery, Inc. 1055 Broad Street, Hartford (corner of Broad and Jefferson).  Cyclists and cars can pull into the indoor garage for parking - the door is located on Jefferson, just west of Broad.
COST:  Bike Walk CT members:  $50; Nonmembers:  $65
INSTRUCTORS:  Tony Cherolis and Rob O'Connor, both League Certified Instructors (LCIs)

About Traffic Skills 101
TS 101 is a day long course consisting of approximately 4 hours in class and 4 hours outside, split between skills drills and an on-road ride.  Among other things, you will practice starting, stopping, shifting and scanning, learn how to ride in traffic, including proper lane and intersection positioning, and crash avoidance techniques. You will practice all that you learn on a ride through the streets of Hartford.  Successful completion of this course is a prerequisite for taking the League Certified Instructor course.

Other Important Details

• Bring your bike, helmet, water bottle, lunch
• The class starts at 8 am sharp!  Please arrive no later than 7:45 am.
  
• Class size is limited to 20, so register early!  
  
• A minimum of 10 registrants is needed to hold the class.
  
• Sorry, no refunds unless the class must be cancelled.

>>REGISTER FOR TS 101 ON APRIL 12, 2015

If you haven't yet joined or made your year-end tax-deductible donation to Bike Walk CT, now's the time!

We know transportation is going to be a big focus of Connecticut lawmakers in 2015, and the buzz is already starting. Governor Malloy is widely quoted today as saying "Ultimately, the people of Connecticut, acting through their legislature, need to decide whether they want to continue talking about transportation and the problems associated with it . . . or whether we actually want to do something about it."

Bike Walk Connecticut "actually wants to do something about it."  Do you?

Making Connecticut a better place to bike and walk is good for the economy, good the environment, good for our health, and a great way to get younger people to move here and stay here.  With your financial support, we can really make a difference.  

Help shape Connecticut's future.  Join, Sponsor or Donate to help make Connecticut a better place to bike and walk.  

Click here to become a Business Sponsor, or click here to Join as an Individual, Businesses, Clubs, Municipalities & Other Organizations.

And please, spread the word!  Encourage your friends and colleagues who want Connecticut to be a better place to bike and walk to join.  

Bike Walk CT is pleased to announce that the planning firm of Fitzgerald & Halliday is a Bronze level business/organizational member again for 2015. 

FHI takes pride in building better communities through its planning work, and in helping community organizations like Bike Walk Connecticut carry out their mission of serving the public good.

Additionally, FHI Vice President Ken Livingston has volunteered as Bike Walk CT's longtime treasurer.  Ken has reached his term limits and is going off the board in 2015.  His service and commitment to Bike Walk Connecticut will be deeply missed!

We are pleased to share the good news that the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen have donated $550 to Bike Walk Connecticut and become a Silver level Business/Organizational member.  "Giving Back" is part of the club's philosophy.

The Narragansett Bay Wheelmen were Bronze level backers of Bike Walk Connecticut for 2014. Bike Walk Connecticut sends its hearty thanks to NBW for its generous support!

Since you're reading this, we know you care about biking and walking in Connecticut. But are you a member yet?

Our goal is to get 500 members by the time the 2015 legislative session starts on January 7. Let's do this.  Our current member count is 298 on Dec. 15.

Please become a member of Bike Walk CT if you aren't already.  A bigger, stronger, engaged membership community will hasten the pace of progress toward making Connecticut a better place to bike and walk.   

So please join, donate, or do both at the most generous level your circumstances permit.  Not a joiner?  Please consider a monthly or one-time donation that fits your budget. It makes a difference. Thank you.

CTfastrak open houses are happening throughout central Connecticut! Click here to find one near you. Printable Open House flyer here.
This week:  

• December 15, 2014:  NEWINGTON
  6-8pm, Newington High School, 605 Willard Avenue.  map
• December 17, 2014:  WATERBURY
  6-8pm, Waterbury City Hall, 235 Grand Street.  map
  

Come learn more about Connecticut's new bus rapid transit system.  Find out about:
Planning your trip  *   Buying tickets  *   Exploring new routes  *   Connecting to other bus routes.  A new CTfastrak bus, ticket vending machine and online trip planner will be available at each open house for hands-on demonstrations.

No RSVP needed. These events are free and open to the public. Questions or comments? Contact info@ctfastrak.com. 

'Tis the season for giving!  Do you want Connecticut to be a better place to bike and walk? Then JOIN and GIVE generously to Bike Walk Connecticut.   

We're aiming for at least 500 members by the time the legislature opens on January 7--let's go in strong!