==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH == 
February 2009 : BWA-NH expands programs and outreach in 2009
If you bike or walk in New Hampshire, there is something on this Bike-Walk Alliance of NH web site that should be of interest to you! There is so much activity here in the Granite State involving biking and walking it is difficult to write about all of it. However, let's get started!
Rail
trails:
BWA is becoming better known throughout NH as the voice for bicyclists and
pedestrians concerning advocacy and education. The various NH rail trail groups
agreed to form the NH Rail Trail Alliance (NH-RTA) which is actually a division
under the BWA "umbrella" to minimize overhead and gain more wide-spread
support than being an independent organization. By working with the NH-RTA
Steering Committee and staff members at the Department of Resources and Economic
Development (DRED), BWA now has a vote on the Statewide Trails Advisory Committee
(STAC). While interest in rail trail development and management prompted BWA
to seek membership on DRED's STAC, all off-road facilities of interest to
bicyclists and walkers will be of prime concern to BWA. By sharing information
and ideas between all users of the NH trail systems, BWA sees our involvement
in STAC to be a win-win story for everyone.
Implementation HB-1203 RSA's:
While HB-1203 was officially signed into law by Governor John Lynch last July
and is in effect as of January 1, 2009, the public needs to be informed of
this new law and how it should improve the interaction between motorists and
bicyclists. BWA is working with NH DMV, NH DOT, and both radio and TV PSA
producers to help spread the word. Driver education instructors will be informed
during their monthly workshops conducted by NH DMV while BWA will help when
and where possible. Support from AAA is also expected. Informational handouts
and the PSA's are planned for distribution in April and May to help everyone
become aware of the "3-foot rule" and all the other points covered
in this bill. To
view the bill click here.
NH DOT Bike-Ped Coordinator position to be filled:
NH DOT is actively seeking to fill this position which falls under the Bureau
of Rail and Transit. At press time, two candidates from within DOT met the
basic job description requirements and applied for the position. If one of
these people is not selected, the search will continue outside DOT. BWA was
represented on the three-person interview committee to allow the NH bike-ped
community to have a voice in the selection of the new coordinator. BWA sought
input of questions and concerns via posting to three list serves and additional
email groups so that our organization can speak for all interested parties.
As of February 9, results of the interviews are being reviewed by DOT management.
Safe
Routes to School:
This federally-funded SRTS program for children in grades K-8 living within
two miles of their schools provides for both infrastructure and non-infrastructure
projects, up to $100,000 each for the third round projects. The application
period for Round 3 closed on Monday, February 2, 2009. Projects submitted
to the NH DOT Safe Routes to School Coordinator will be reviewed by the nine
Regional Planning Commissions after which the applicants will present their
requests to the SRTS Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) at the NH DOT Concord
office on Hazen Drive. The SAC then conducts a deliberative session and sends
their recommendations to DOT Commissioner George Campbell. At this time over
$3M remains for SRTS grants.
The new year offered Granite State communities another opportunity to apply
for reimbursement grants under Safe Routes to School (SRTS).
This 100 percent federally funded program encourages and enables students
in kindergarten through 8th grade to safely walk and/or ride bicycles from
home to school. SRTS is designed for children, including those with disabilities,
who live within approximately two miles of school.
Applications for the Round 3 cycle of grants had to be filed with both the
N.H. Department of Transportation (NHDOT) and the Regional Planning Commissions
(RPCs) by the end of business on Monday Feb. 2, 2009. See
the complete January SRTS e-newsletter
for details.
BWA-NH is pleased to be one of ten voting members on the SRTS Statewide Advisory Committee. For more details about this reimbursement program, please visit the NH SRTS web site http://www.nh.gov/dot/bureaus/planning/SRTS_home.htm.
Bicycling education programs requested:
Several
of the communities which applied for SRTS funding have included a bicycling
education component in their grant application. BWA has been asked to provide
various levels of bike-ed ranging from simple one-period presentations to
longer programs including on-bike activities to "Train the Trainers"
programs for a sustainable bike-ed program in a given school. There are five
LAB-certified bicycling education instructors in NH who will provide the expertise
for these programs. BWA is pleased to coordinate the efforts and to help meet
the SRTS goals. See our Bike-Ed
page for an introduction.
Note:The NH BikeSmart
program featuring 45-minute presentations aimed at students in grades
3-5 now enters its third season. The program is owned and managed by Roger
Lohr of Hanover NH, 603.643.0920, email Lohr21@myfairpoint.net. Details will
be found on this web site as a courtesy to promote all levels of bicycling
education in our schools, but BikeSmart is not a BWA or LAB supported program
nor does BWA have any control or management of NH BikeSmart.
7th Annual NH Bike-Walk to Work Day now part of "Green Commute Week":
NH DOT has again partnered with BWA to organize and promote the annual Bike-Walk
to Work events during May, this being the 53rd annual at the national level
having been started by the League of American Bicyclists (actually the LAW)
in 1956. This year in NH, alternative transportation including ride sharing,
van pools, bus and rail transit options will be promoted along with bicycling
and walking. A combination of these transportation methods should help a person
not to drive a single occupant car. Note that the "to work" phrase
does not mean just going to work! Any destination normally accessed by using
a car counts. Shopping, visiting friends, going to the gym, school, or GSW
ride starting locations all count. Stay tuned and visit the BWA web site www.bwanh.org
for details about this statewide event. There will be commuter breakfasts
and drawings at most locations then a wrap-up event to announce awards in
June.
BWA-NH organizational structure enhanced:
At the December BWA-NH Board meeting, the foundation for an Executive Committee consisting of ten divisions or committees was created. With all the bicyclist and pedestrian advocacy and education programs now underway or planned, BWA-NH simply needed more talented people devoting more time to make things happen. The organization chart and listing of people filling the positions will appear soon. BWA-NH is very pleased with the progress to date. The expertise and commitment being devoted to the primary BWA-NH goals is very significant and will result in a "cross-over" of support between the divisions and committees. Established groups and organizations are encouraged to join BWA-NH as affiliates with everyone retaining their own identity and internal structure. Groups just forming are welcome to join BWA-NH as members or sponsors in order to derive the benefits which can be provided by a state-wide "umbrella" organization - and that is us!
BWA-NH attains IRS non-profit status:
In
conjunction with the enhanced structure, BWA-NH is now a fully-certified IRS
501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. This allows tax deductable donations and
grants going back to our name change on April 10, 2006. All donations, memberships,
and sponsorship are deductable less $15.00 a year which pays for the GSW newsletter
and membership benefits. Our new Fundraising Committee will be seeking grants
to fund expenses such as PSAs for implementation of HB-1203 and "train
the trainer" programs to have bike-ed taught in public schools on a sustainable
basis. And this is just a beginning!
National
Bike Summit, Washington DC, March 11-13, 2009
This year Greg Bakos of the BWA-NH Programs Committee will represent NH bicyclists and pedestrians at this annual League of American Bicyclists event. Many workshops and meetings with the US Reps and Senators from NH make the summit a very worthwhile event. Representatives from other NH organizations including GSW President Bill Kennedy are expected to attend but BWA-NH will be in the lead as the only state-wide bike-ped advocacy and education organization. For details about the Bike Summit and LAB in general, please visit http://www.bikeleague.org/.
While
writing about the LAB, BWA-NH Director Dave Topham was appointed by LAB President
Andy Clark as the LAB NH Ambassador. This is a title change of sort as Dave
was the LAB NH Rep for about 20 years anyway, but all LAB positions were under
review by their Board and a new round of resumes had to be considered. Training
by the League is now underway to fully explain the responsibilities that go
with the new title - all for no pay, of course!
National Bicycle Commuter Act
While the year ahead promises plenty of challenges, there are also incredible opportunities. One is that people need to get on their bikes now more than ever - and thanks to the Bicycle Commuter Act, this will be first year you can actually get some credit from Uncle Sam for riding your bike!.
Many
details are now available. If you are interested,
read on!
New
video awareness tests posted
See the "How Smart are You?" page for new videos from Peter Warner of Transport for London (TFL). Motorist often don't see bicyclists just because they are not looking for them. Distractions like cell phones and texting are major problems, but if a person is concentrating on one item the changes in surroundings (which might include a bicyclist) are often not seen. How about you? Take the video awareness tests to see if you notice details!
Other rail trail news
Activity
around NH concerning rail trails continues in high gear. A steering committee
was formed as a result of the Nov. 8 rail trail activists meeting. The committee
first met at the BWA-NH Concord office on Nov. 20 with many emails and long
phone calls since then. General plans call for the various rail trail groups
to work together to share information and address problems of mutual concern.
Details will be announced in January and they will be posted on this BWA-NH
web site.
Meanwhile, the five-mile Salem Bike-Ped Corridor project along the old B&M
Manchester to Lawrence line is moving ahead. A survey of town residents along
the corridor indicated an 85% approval rate. The Board of Selectmen was given
an update on December 1 which was well received. A drawing for survey participants
resulted in the winner giving two bicycles from Buchika's Ski and Sport Shop
to the Salem Boy's and Girl's Club, just in time for Christmas. The next project
step is to develop engineering plans and to meet with residential and commercial
abutters along the corridor. Many challenges await but with community support
and not asking for tax payer dollars, the project should move ahead. The Salem
Depot building restoration is well underway with exterior work to be completed
by spring. Check out the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor web site at www.bwanh.org/sbpc.
The Derry Rail Trail Alliance is doing a great job finding private funds to
pave a section of their trail to connect to the Windham Rail Trail. Having
a continuous trail from Massachusetts state line in Salem to Broadway (Route
102) in Derry is a major step toward completing the entire Salem to Manchester
rail trail. Usage by walkers and bike commuters, shoppers, residents, children,
and tourists will literally explode given results of similar trails in other
parts of the country. Please visit the DRTA web site at www.derryrailtrail.org.
Another section of the Manchester-Lawrence rail corridor is likely to be made
into a rail trail, this in Methuen, Mass. It will connect the planned Salem
section to the Methuen Depot thus adding another 1.5 miles to the overall
rail trail. The MBTA, owner of the Massachusetts section of the corridor,
agreed to give the City of Methuen a long-term lease to develop a rail trail.
As with all such efforts, motivated volunteers are needed to make it happen.
For details visit
www.MethuenRailTrail.org.
Further north in the Lakes Region, a lot of activity has been underway concerning the "W.O.W. Trail" in the Lake Winnipesaukee area. A new web page has been added to our BWA-NH NH Rail Trail section to highlight the work being done by this well-orgainized and energetic group. For details see their web site at www.wowtrail.org/index.html.
For
more details about rail trails around New Hampshire, please check our NH
Rail Trails listings via the index provided on this web site.
