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A public meeting will be held Tuesday, August 20 in Plainville to discuss closing the gaps in the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. The meeting will include a presentation by Andy Carrier, a consulting engineer who is working with Connecticut transportation officials on closing the gaps in the trail, including a nine-mile break in Plainville.
The gap is Plainville is caused by active railroad lines, swamps and difficult terrain. It is the largest break in the trail in Connecticut. The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Kelsey Hall at the Plainville Congregational Church, 130 West Main St. Connecticut Association for Community Transportation, Capitol Region Council of Governments, The Partnership for Strong Communities and Transit for Connecticut will hold the event "Housing, Transit and Access to Jobs: An Update on CTFastrak" on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Housing and transit advocates, community and business leaders, and DOT staff will speak to attendees on CTFastrak and how state agencies are working together to ensure that housing and jobs are located near CTFastrak. Experts will present examples of leveraging successful bus rapid transit systems around the country to develop communities. The event will feature DOT Commissioner Jim Redeker, CT Housing Commissioner Evonne Klein and CT DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith. "Housing, Transit and Access to Jobs: An Update on CTFastrak" will take place at The Lyceum at 227 Lawrence Street in Hartford. If you would like to attend, RSVP Friday, September 20 to: Mary Tomolonius at 860-693-0368 or mary.cact@yahoo.com. Bike Walk Connecticut has a lot of events lined up for us to encourage others to join our great group! We need members like you to consider volunteering at the events we have lined up in August and September. Giving just 2-3 hours at one event would be a great help.
What will we need from you? We just need you to show up at the event for the time you sign-up to volunteer. Our outreach committee will bring all the materials and instructions on what you need to do. We just need dedicated members to spread the word to the rest of Connecticut on why Bike Walk Connecticut is a great organization to be a member of! Here are some of the events we will need to staff with volunteers: Sunday, August 18 from 1-2 p.m. at the East Hartford Park and Ride lot at Main Street and Silver Lane for the "Week a Year Ride" Kick-off on the East Coast Greenway. This year's ride goes from Hartford to New York. There will be approximately 45 cyclists. We are looking for a Bike Walk Connecticut representative to speak to the group about the progress being made to make Connecticut more bike friendly. This volunteer can ride a stretch of the ride after speaking. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 6, 7 and 8 at the Simsbury Septemberfest. We will be sharing a table with Bike Walk Simsbury and the Farmington Valley Trails Council. The festival hours are Friday from 4-10 p.m.; Saturday from 11a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday is TBA. Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15 at Live Green CT in Norwalk. We will be sharing a table with the Merritt Parkway Trail Association and the East Coast Greenway Alliance. The event is Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday is TBA. Sunday, September 22 at the Criterium and Cyclefest in Hartford. We will have a table at the Cyclefest. The hours are TBA. Saturday, October 12 at the FitKids Expo, which is part of of the Hartford Marathon events. More information to TBA. Please click here to fill out our volunteer form. As a small, lean, not-for-profit, we rely on volunteers to help fulfill our mission—so thank you for offering to help out! Western New England Greenway kicked off a seven-day Reconnaissance Ride on Sunday, August 11. The ride started in Norwalk, CT and will make its way 335 miles north to Burlington, VT by Saturday, August 17.
The cyclists will ride through Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. Below is the schedule for the ride. Sunday, August 11: Norwalk, CT Sunday, August 11: New Milford, CT Day’s ride: 39 miles to New Milford Meeting: in Norwalk on Sunday morning prior to departure. Monday, August 12: Great Barrington, MA Day’s ride: 55 miles to Great Barrington Meeting: West Cornwall Covered Bridge - Noon Tuesday, August 13: Williamstown, MA Day’s ride: 52 miles to Williamstown Meeting: Tuesday morning in Great Barrington prior to departure Wednesday, August 14: East Arlington area, VT Day’s ride: 42 miles to East Arlington Meeting: Wednesday morning in Williamstown. Thursday, August 15: Fair Haven, VT Day’s ride: 46 miles Friday, August 16: Bridport, VT Day’s ride: 56 miles to Bridport Meeting: Fairhaven on Friday morning prior to departure. Saturday, August 17: Burlington, VT Day’s ride: 46 miles to Burlington Click here for more information. On Tuesday, August 13, Tom Tyler, Director of the Connecticut State Parks & Public Outreach Division of DEEP, will discuss the Centennial Celebration of Connecticut State Parks at the Old State House in Hartford.
Tyler will discuss how a small group of businessmen and naturalists recognized a need to preserve Connecticut's special places from industrialization, formed the State Park Commission and began saving some of Connecticut's most beautiful places for public enjoyment. Following Tyler's talk, he will be joined by Dr. Eugene Leach, Professor Emeritus, Trinity College and Mary Rickel Pelletier, of the Hartford Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission for a panel discussion about parks, forests and amusement parks. Diane Smith, the Connecticut Network's Senior Producer for Program Development, will moderate the program. The program starts at Noon and is free to attend. Click here for more information.  The Hammonasset Beach State Park and the Shoreline Greenway Trail will celebrate the opening of the "walkway across the marsh" on Thursday, August 22. The walkway is the key link in the Hammonasset section of the Shoreline Greenway Trail.
Following a brief program, guests will be invited to walk across the walkway and explore the Shoreline Greenway Trail in the Park, or join the continuation of the State Park Centennial Sojourn, with a 21-mile bicycle ride to Farm River State Park in East Haven. Click here for more information. - Submitted by our colleague Karen Burnaska, Coordinator, Transit for Connecticut
On June 25th, Governor Malloy and DOT Commissioner announced Transform CT, an 18-month outreach campaign that will culminate in the development of a strategic transportation plan for the state. Residents and stakeholders will play a key role in the development of the plan. As of today the Transform CT website has received over 8700 ideas. Please log on to the website, www.TransformCT.org, and express you views. It is extremely important that decision makers are aware of your support for increased and improved bus transit in Connecticut. Include the importance of bus transit to get to work, school, medical appointments and shopping. Also note the importance of timely bus/rail connections, express bus service and dial-a-ride programs. Two topics posted on the website today are: "What transportation investments should we make today that our children and grandchildren will thank us for tomorrow?" and "What transportation systems or elements of transportation systems do you admire in other parts of the country that Connecticut could learn from to improve our quality of life?" Bus transit needs to be up there along with roads and rail. Bus transit is the backbone of Connecticut's transportation system and improving bus transit will improve the quality of lives for all residents of the state. Please add the importance of adequately funding bus transit, the need for the state to use transportation funds for transportation projects only and to invest wisely in transit projects that will generate economic benefits, reduce congestion, help improve the environment, and provide much needed transportation options. Please log on to Transform CT today! RELATED: Share Your Thoughts and Ideas on the Future of Conn. Transportation (7/14/13)  A new report produced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that pedestrian deaths increased by 3% from 2010 to 2011, making up 14% of all traffic fatalities. The report shows that 73% of pedestrian fatalities occurred in an urban setting versus a rural setting. Over two-thirds (70%) of pedestrian fatalities occurred at non-intersections versus at intersections. Eighty-eight percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred during normal weather conditions compared to rain, snow and foggy conditions. A majority of the pedestrian fatalities, 70 percent, occurred during the nighttime (6 p.m. – 5:59 a.m). Between 2010 and 2011 all these percentages stayed relatively level. Connecticut's rate is slightly better than the national average, at 11.8%. But still, that's 11.8% too high. The NHSTA report shows 220 traffic fatalities in Connecticut in 2011, with 26 of them being pedestrians. For more information, see NHTSA's 2011 Traffic Data Fact Sheet and Everyone's A Pedestrian, the federal government's new a one-stop shop for safety tips and resources for local leaders, city planners, parents and others involved in improving pedestrian safety. NHTSA's Important Safety Reminders
For Pedestrians:
For Drivers:
— NHTSA’s Safety Countermeasures Division  The Connecticut State Parks is celebrating its centennial with a year-long celebration. Part of the celebration will include a 10-day trek across Connecticut by bike, kayak and foot, which is being dubbed the Centennial SoJourn (Summer OutdoorJourney).
The event kicks off on Thursday, August 15, and continues through Sunday, August 25. The Connecticut DEEP web site says there are a number of activities throughout the 10-days that will be perfect opportunities for families to get outside and join the celebration. There are a core group of individuals that will participate in the SoJourn from start to finish. The “core” group will be travelling about 20 miles/day. Most of the route will be done by bike, but they will also be paddling down the Connecticut River, riding the Essex Steam Train, hiking, and camping along the shores of the Connecticut River, on the beaches of Long Island Sound and at Beardsley Zoo. The final destination is Sherwood Island—Connecticut's first state park. A celebration will be held here to recognize everyone who completed the journey and kick-off the next phase of the State Parks Centennial Celebration. Click here for more information. According to a new report by the League of American Bicyclists, From 2003 to 2012, the number of women and girls who bicycle rose 20%, compared to a .5% decline among men.
The report, "Women on a Roll," which the League says is a first-of-its-kind, showcases a trend seen on streets nationwide: Women are changing the face of bicycling, and bicycling is transforming the lives of women. "Increasingly, advocacy groups and industry leaders are recognizing the gender gap as a clear—and critical— limitation to growing the bike movement and the market," said Carolyn Szczepanski, the League's Director of Communications and Women Bike. "This report puts hard data behind that imperative—and reveals what's working in getting more women on bikes and where there is clear opportunity to increase female leadership and participation." According to the report:
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