Bicycling Advocacy in New Hampshire 2008

Bike-Walk Alliance of NH Update, April 2008

May is National Bike Month

Spring has finally arrived in NH and cycling has shifted into high gear. While most of us do not bike on sloppy roads, credit must be given to those who commute by bike year-round. And May is National Bike/Walk to Work Month with May 16 being the day for many events around the state. BWA-NH has partnered with NH-DOT to promote and publicize these events with a “toolkit” available to help get things started. A free safety kit is available for event organizers. For a complete listing and to learn how you can participate, check our web site www.bwanh.org.

Updated NH Bike Maps

A new set of seven NH bike maps based on the seven tourist regions will be available from NH-DOT by late May. These maps are smaller in size but more comprehensive than prior versions. Interconnecting facilities such as rail trails, airports, park-n-ride locations, state parks, and even the water taxi on Lake Winnipesaukee are included. Elevation profiles and some sample loop rides are indicated. Everything is referenced on a grid format to make the points of interest easy to find. While nothing is ever perfect, BWA-NH is pleased to have been on the NH-DOT Steering Committee during the design and development of these maps. Updates will be posted on the DOT web site, likewise downloadable versions will be available at http://www.nh.gov/dot/nhbikeped/maps.htm.

Status of 2008 NH Bike Bill, HB-1203

“Our” bike bill cleared the House on March 5 and was forwarded to the Senate Transportation and Interstate Cooperation Committee on March 13. At press time the Senate hearing(s) had not been scheduled but additional testimony from the public will be desired. The BWA-NH email list serve and web site will be used to notify interested supporters.

National Bike Summit, Washington, DC

For the third consecutive year, BWA-NH Executive Director Linda Gould represented the GSW and NH cyclists at this three-day national conference on March 4-6. GSW President Bill Kennedy also attended and received the LAB Region 1 “Club of the Year” award. (See Bill’s article for details.)

Safe Routes to School

This Federally-funded program for children in grades K-8 living within two miles of their schools provides for both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects, up to $200,000 each for the second round of funding now underway. All applications must be submitted to NH-DOT by May 12. If your community has a desire to improve conditions for children walking or biking to school, check out this reimbursement program by visiting the NH SRTS web site http://www.nh.gov/dot/bureaus/planning/SRTS_home.htm. BWA-NH is pleased to be one of ten voting members on the SRTS Statewide Advisory Committee to review and approve grant applications.

Bike-Ed Programs Underway  

NH BikeSmart programs have started in many schools for grades 3-5 with some funding obtained from the first round of the SRTS program. A more involved on-bike program called “Kids II” is planned for schools in Concord and Hopkinton. For adults wishing to improve their cycling skills, for the third consecutive year the LAB “Road-I” course is being offered by BWA-NH at CCSNH Manchester, formerly known as NHCTC-M on Front Street. This five-evening, 15-hour course is described on the BWA-NH web site www.bwanh.org and in course outlines distributed by the college.

Another round of “Residential Kids-II” programs has been requested whereby the course is conducted in the homes and neighborhoods of the kids using their bikes on their streets. With no transportation issues, the parents like the convenience and the kids like being with their friends (and close to home) as they learn something new that they can enjoy for years to come.

Finally, the “Safe Kids 500” event at the NH Motor Speedway in Loudon is to promote proper helmet use and safe cycling on the famous racetrack. The kids have a blast knowing they are biking where race cars go around and around while parents have a chance to see and cycle on the track from the inside. Save the date of Wednesday, June 18, 5-7 PM for this free event. Details will be posted on the www.bwanh.org web site and the email list serve ASAP.

Rail Trails:  

There is so much activity is underway concerning rail trails (or transportation corridors) around the state that we cannot possibly cover all the details in this newsletter, so please see our web site www.bwanh.org. Salem, Derry, Manchester, and Andover NH have many programs in process. Of particular note, the Derry Rail Trail Alliance board had a chance to meet with Carl Knoch, Manager of Trail Development for the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Carl is a wealth of information and his suggestions should help all rail trail efforts in NH. Finally, a new book called NH Rail Trails by Charles Martin just went on sale. For details see http://www.BranchLinePress.com or the book's companion web site, http://www.NHRailTrails.org.

Looking Ahead:  

We encourage all interested parties, cyclists or not, to speak up in favor of improved bike-ped policies, education, and facilities. GSW members can renew their membership for just $20.00 more than the basic GSW rate of $15.00 if they wish to help financially with a tax deductible donation. Anyone can join the free BWA-NH email list serve (E-Group) to learn what is going on then take action as desired. BWA-NH strives to be the voice for bicyclists and pedestrians across the whole state. Together we can make a positive difference!

Want to help the Bike-Walk Alliance?

Join the Alliance as an individual or a sponsor, help with the bike-ed programs, and get involved with local planning issues affecting bicycling in your area. The more people who know what is going on in our NH bicycling community, the sooner the better, then everyone can express their opinions in a timely manner to help make a positive difference for all bicyclists.

Did you know that by joining the Alliance your payment includes a full GSW membership with all the benefits? Present GSW members are encouraged to join the Alliance when your current membership is due for renewal. For more details please visit our web site at www.bwanh.org or to join now use the membership application on this web site.

BWA-NH Focus

The Bike- Walk Alliance of NH is the only statewide advocacy group for bicyclist and pedestrian activities including legislation, safety and education programs.

BWA-NH Goals

To be the voice for bicyclist and pedestrians in New Hampshire.

To promote bicyclist and pedestrian safety, education, and access.

To ensure streets are bicyclist and pedestrian friendly.

To provide resources and support for bicyclist and pedestrians of all ages.

To act as a clearinghouse for bike/ped literature, resources, and curriculum.

To promote bicycling and walking as a means of transport, physical activity and exercise.

To be a statewide liaison for all bicycling and pedestrian organizations.

Walking and bicycling instead of taking short trips in the car improves air quality, increases rates of physical activity, and may help people to maintain a healthy weight.

Making bicycling and walking safer and easily accessible to more people, may reduce the burden of chronic disease and injury and improve the health of New Hampshire citizens.

Please check this advocacy page frequently as new developments and announcements will be posted here even if not in our newsletter. Time and space contraints prevent everything from appearing in print. Use of this web site to convey detailed information in a timely manner for those interested seems like a good idea to us, and we hope you agree. As always, comments are welcome!

Granite State Wheelmen