Hartford Courant reporter Bill Leukhardt shares a piece of good news today on the Southington portion of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, which runs from New Haven to Massachusetts.
Right now, the path ends by Curtis Street in Southington, about two miles from the Plainville border. People either turn around and walk back south into Southington, or use streets and sidewalks to cross Plainville to reach the trail, which resumes again in Farmington. The Southington project is a segment of an ambitious, long-term state effort to bridge a 9-mile gap that spans all of Plainville and small sections of Southington and Farmington. It is the biggest gap in the trail. Southington's Town Council will discuss the project at its meeting tonight. Read the full story by Bill Leukhardt here. Learn more about the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail here (southern portion) and here (northern portion). According to a new report issued yesterday by the Connecticut Public Research Institute, Connecticut commuters are driving less and utilizing public transportation more, especially in the state’s urban areas.
More commuters are choosing to travel by bicycle in Hartford and New Haven especially. New Haven is ranked 10th nationwide regarding increases in bicycle commuters. The city saw an increase of 0.3 percent between 2000 and 2010, ConnPIRG found. Read the full story by Emily Boushee on CT News Junkie. The town of Fairfield received a $1.2 million grant for improvements to the Kings Highway East and Commerce Drive area.
The federally funded grant, which was recently approved by town bodies, was received from the Connecticut Department of Transportation through the Federal Transportation Alternatives Program and will enable the town to make improvements along Kings Highway East from Chambers Street to Brentwood Avenue. The funding will be used to construct new sidewalks and curbs along both north and south sides, with median improvements for improved pedestrian access and aesthetics. There will also be ADA compliant handicap ramps installed at intersections. Bicycle amenities, such as bike racks, signs and bike parking will also be included, as well as possible bike routes, according to First Selectman Mike Tetreau. The town applied for the grant following a public informational meeting held last June where requests were made to improve and encourage more walking and biking in this area. Design for this project is expected to start Spring 2014 and be completed around October 2014. Construction should begin April 2015 with project completion around December 2015, according to Tetreau. It's that time of year again…time to look for the perfect holiday gift for your family, friends and co-workers. Are you not sure what to get this year? Why not purchase the gift that keeps on giving all year long—a Bike Walk Connecticut Membership! Bike Walk Connecticut is holding a holiday membership drive. By purchasing a membership for someone else, you will help to make Bike Walk Connecticut stronger! We help to make Connecticut a better place for cyclists and pedestrians. If you purchase a Bike Walk Connecticut Membership for that special someone during our holiday drive, we will send out a e-mail on December 24, letting that person know you purchased it for them and what is to come with their membership. More information and how to purchase a gift membership can be found here. New research from the National Center for Safe Routes to School—based on parent survey data collected by nearly 4,700 U.S. schools from 2007 to 2012—shows that more K-8 students are walking to and from school across the country.
According to the data, the percentage of K-8 children who walked to school in the morning increased from 12.4 percent to 15.7 percent (representing a 27 percent increase). Similarly, the percentage of K-8 children who walked from school in the afternoon increased from 15.8 percent to 19.7 percent (representing a 24 percent increase). Another significant finding of this research was that the percentage of parents who reported that their child’s school supporting walking and bicycling for the school commute rose from 24.9 percent to 33 percent. Although walking increased among students who attended low-, medium- and high-income schools, walking increased especially among students who attended low-income schools (schools where at least 75 percent of students were eligible to receive free or reduced price meals). There was a small but statistically significant decrease in bicycling to school between 2007 and 2012, from 2.6 percent to 2.2 percent in both the morning and afternoon. And using the bus decreased significantly between 2007 and 2012. Within one mile of school, the largest shift between travel modes occurred between busing and walking, with busing decreasing significantly and walking increasing significantly. The full report, Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School from 2007 to 2012, analyzed parent survey data collected by nearly 4,700 schools located in all states and DC from 2007 through 2012. The surveys represent more than 525,000 K-8 school children across the country. Our friends at The Village for Families and Children are looking for an event manager for The Village Ride, now in its third year. Proceeds from the ride benefit the programs of The Village for Families & Children, Inc. This is a six month position, from January - June, 2014.
Summary: The Event Manager is responsible the successful execution of The Village Ride event. Reports to Senior Development Director. Responsibilities
Qualifications
Please apply online at http://www.villageforchildren.org/career-opportunities/administrative.html Stamford city leaders announced the completion of the Hope Street project. The project, which started in April, widened a a stretch of Hope Street, which added pedestrian signaling and other safety and cosmetic improvements that are geared to improve traffic flow.
The project that was just completed includes new concrete sidewalks with a buffer of ornamental brick pavers between the sidewalk and curb line, which will improve the street's appearance. Existing crosswalks were improved with new striping and curb cut ramps that meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The improved crosswalks also included pedestrian signaling to improve safety, I recall was announced this week for Tailwind bicycle racks used for hitching children's trailer bikes to adult bikes. The racks, sold in black or silver, have stock code numbers 939001 for black and 939002 for silver, which was printed on the original packaging. The racks have double side rails. "Burley" is printed on the curved back plate of the rack. They were sold from November 2011 through September 2013.
According to the recall report, the top portion of the rack that connects the children's trailer cycles to the towing bicycle can break and allow the trailer cycle to disconnect. For more information call Burley Design at 800-311-5294 or visit www.burley.com and click on Recall Information at the bottom of the page. |
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