The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail will be closed on each side of West Main Street in Planstville this coming weekend (Friday, June 27-Monday, June 30). There will be no cyclist detour noted, so your best bet is to avoid cycling in this area during the closure.
This month the Governor’s Greenways Council designated five new greenways in Connecticut, as well as commended nine individuals and a non-profit organization that have made significant contributions to the promotion, development and enhancement of Greenways.
The Council presented the following awards: 2014 CT Greenways Council Award Recipients:
2014 Officially Designated Greenways Upper Farmington River in Canton – With this designation, the entire Farmington River in the Town of Canton is now an official Connecticut Greenway. This greenway encourages the protection of natural resources and promotes sustainable recreational uses in the corridor. The Town of Canton can be contacted for more information. Lower Farmington River in Windsor and Bloomfield – This was a collaborative nomination between the two towns listed and the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). The purpose of the designation is to promote the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of the Lower Farmington River. The goals for the Lower Farmington River Greenway are: Natural resource protection within and on both sides of the River; Encourage, enhance, and promote existing and new recreational opportunities along the River; Promote through education the inter-connections between cultural resources and the River. This greenway designation is also one of the management goals for the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Management Plan, dated June 2011. For more information contact the FRWA. frwa.org Mill Brook Greenway in Windsor - This was a collaborative nomination between the Town of Windsor and the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). The purpose of the designation is to promote the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of Mill Brook. The goals for the Mill Brook Greenway are: Natural resource protection within and on both sides of the Brook; Encourage, enhance, and promote existing and new recreational opportunities along the Brook; Promote through education the inter-connections between cultural resources and the Brook; Continue and enhance collaborations with the Towns of Windsor, FRWA, and others for better coordination and planning for the Mill Brook Greenway. For more information contact the Town of Windsor. Hanover Pond Linear Trail in Meriden - This is an extension of the previously designated Quinnipiac River Gorge Trail and Quinnipiac River Greenway. The Hanover Pond Trail is a ten-foot wide asphalt multi-use trail with the use of motorized vehicles prohibited. The paved trail has been constructed to adhere to A.D.A. (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements for handicapped accessibility. The trail sits on the railroad bed of the Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad (circa 1890’s) and provides scenic viewing areas from Meriden’s Red Bridge, at the entrance of the Quinnipiac River Gorge Linear Trail, to the Orville H. Platt High School. Contact the Meriden Linear Trail Advisory Committee for more information.www.meridenlineartrail.org Upper Connecticut River in Windsor - This was a collaborative nomination between the Town of Windsor and the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). The purpose of the designation is to promote the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of the Upper Connecticut River. The goals of the Upper Connecticut River Greenway are: Natural resource protection on the west side of the Connecticut River within Windsor; Encourage, enhance, and promote existing and new recreational opportunities along the River; Promote through education the inter-connections between cultural resources and the River. For more information contact the Town of Windsor. A public meeting will be held in South Windsor on Friday, June 27 at 8 a.m. to discuss the development of South Windsor Center.
According to the town, the Planning & Zoning Commission is looking for ways to encourage the evolution of the Town Center into a walkable, pedestrian-friendly place with a variety of uses. The meeting will be held at the Council Chambers of the South Windsor Town Hall. The public is invited to join in the discussion. For more information, visit southwindsor.org. Thanks to everyone who responded to our first annual bike friendly, walk friendly town survey! The survey is now closed so we can compile results. Please watch for an announcement by the end of the month.
Top 20 Towns for Survey Participation Here's how survey participation stacked up when we closed the survey. As you'll see, population doesn't seem to have a lot to do with the number of responses from any given town. Small and medium sized towns are right up there with a few bigger cities. West Hartford maintained the lead, while the competition between MIddletown and Hartford persisted up until the last minute, with Middletown leading cities of Hartford and New Haven. Interesting! Here's the latest as of Sunday June 15on the top 20 participating towns in our bike friendly, walk friendly town survey. As you'll see, population doesn't seem to have a lot to do with it. Small and medium sized towns are right up there with a few bigger cities. Didn't take the survey YET? Please visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/bikewalkCTnd complete it before midnight on Sunday, June 15 -- tonight!. SOS! We still need to hear from these towns! Bozrah ... Canterbury... Deep River... Hampton... Hartland... Harwinton... Killingly ...Naugatuck... Oxford... Preston... Roxbury... Salem... Scotland... Seymour... Sharon... Sherman... Voluntown Top 20 Towns for Survey Participation ... so far ....
Sunday, June 15, 2014 | West Hartford Town Hall Parking Lot
READ MORE What better way for dads to celebrate Father’s Day than to bring their children to a Bicycle Festival in West Hartford that includes bike decorating stations, Big Wheel time trials, safety tip demonstrations, a World Champion Stunt Rider, juggler, face painting, free professional photographs of dads with their children on bicycles and live music!? Building on last year’s first bicycle festival in West Hartford, the town’s Bicycle Advisory Committee is hosting something even bigger and better this year. It’s free, open to all and incredibly family-friendly with cordoned-off safe riding areas and bike parking, terrific food vendors (Pinkberry, Get Toasted, and others) and even a Fashion Show (new this year!). Professional Photographer Mark Marques will be on hand once again to take photographs of people with their bicycles, an extremely popular free option at last year’s festival and especially fun this year with the Father’s Day theme! Wheel Fun 2014 Schedule of Events (subject to change) ............................................... 9:30-10:00am Bike Down Main. Begins in the Marshalls Bishops Corner parking lot and will end at the West Hartford Town Hall Parking Lot. Riders ride at their own risk and must wear helmets; we suggest riders be age 11 or older. 10:00am Festival Opens 11:00am Performance by Chris Poulos, BMX World Champion Stunt Rider noon-12:30pm Bike/Walk CT will demonstrate bicycle safety tips 12:45-1:15pm Fashion show of bicycling apparel and gear 1:30-2:00pm Decorated bikes parade 2:00-2:30pm Raffle 3:00pm Guided four-mile family friendly ride in West Hartford. Sponsored by REI, Lulu Lemon and Bloomfield Bike ($3 fee for insurance) Ongoing Events throughout the day .............................................. . Live music throughout the day . Face painting and Valentine the Clown at the Bike West Hartford table . Unicycling juggler . High Wheel Vintage bike demonstration . Big Wheel Time Trials . Bicycle decorating station sponsored by the Greater Hartford YMCA . Professional Photographer Mike Marques will take FREE photographs of people with their bicycles in a special tent . Bike Parking Area (no need to worry about where to park your bicycle) 360 Federal Credit Union will hold a Bike Safety Day on Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The event will give kids ages 4-14 the chance to learn bicycle safety tips from the Enfield Police Department. They will also have the chance to ride their bicycles and perform agility exercises through an obstacle course. 360 Federal Credit Union is holding the event to prevent injuries and accidents. Participants will learn about traffic signs, proper hand signals and staying away from dangerous traffic. For more information visit thttp://www.360fcu.org or contact Carissa at 860-627-4238 or carissa.pape@360fcu.org. The annual Kids Health and Safety Day will take place in Middletown on Saturday, June 14 from 10 to 2 p.m.
The day will include a 4.5 mile family bike ride that is sponsored by the Middletown Complete Streets Committee. The ride will leave at 9:30 a.m. from the Cross Street A.M.E. Zion Church on West Street. There will also be a bike rodeo where kids can bring their bicycles for a free safety check from Pedal Power. For more information, read the article in the Hartford Courant here. Didn't take the bike friendly, walk friendly town survey yet? What are you waiting for?! The survey closes at midnight on June 15. Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bikewalkCT and take it now. It'll take only a few minutes. Thank you!! Today's Top 10 Towns for Bike Walk Survey Participation - as of JUNE 12 1 West Hartford 2 Middletown 3 Hartford 4 Trumbull 5 New Haven 6 Weston 7 Canton 8 Glastonbury, Fairfield 9 Simsbury, Farmington 10 Stamford We're still waiting to hear something, anything! from these towns below. Can you help? Surely there are some parents who want their kids to be able to walk or bike to school; there must be some seniors who'd like to be able to do their errands on foot; at least a few people might like to be able to walk or bike to town parks and amenities. We want to hear from them!
Complete Streets Leadership Forum
Implementing complete streets in Connecticut's 169 towns will require citizen involvement, local leadership, and collaboration with town planners, engineers and public safety officials. To that end, Bike Walk Connecticut will also host an initial workshop to bring together people from communities that are already working to implement complete streets with others who want to make their own towns better places to bike and walk. If you are interested in the workshop, please indicate so here: http://conta.cc/1qSGmFY |
Bike Walk Connecticut
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