== Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==

December 2008: BWA-NH sets sight on 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!

New year around the corner with new ideas and new projects

With 2009 almost here, BWA-NH is becoming better known throughout NH as the voice for bicyclists and pedestrians concerning advocacy and education. While very successful in some areas since 2004, other aspects of bike-ped projects and support need to be addressed. The BWA-NH Board consisting of five part-time volunteers cannot do everything we see that needs to be done. As such at the December Board meeting, we plan to create an Executive Committee of additional volunteers to capture the enthusiasm and talents of people wishing to make good things happen. The scope and details of this new Executive Committee will be posted on this web site after the meeting.

Rail Trails

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.

NH Bike Bill HB-1203 implementation underway

Now that HB-1203 was officially signed into law at the ceremonial signing by Governor John Lynch on July 18, BWA-NH is working on the implementation phases with media coverage to start spreading the word of what this bill entails. The public needs to be informed of this new law and how it should improve the interaction between motorists and bicyclists. We are now in the "phase-in stage" of HB-1203 before it is effective on January 1, 2009. BWA-NH has supplied inputs to NH DMV, NH DOT, and a source of cable TV PSAs to help spread the word. Driver education instructors will be informed during their monthly workshops conducted by NH DMV while BWA-NH will help when and where possible. Further information will be coming soon to help everyone be aware of the "3-foot rule" and all the other points covered in this bill. To view the bill and for additional details, please see the legislation page on this web site.

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 this round opened December 8 and will close 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 available for SRTS grants. Please see the SRTS page for more 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

Bicycling education via the NH BikeSmart program concluded in June with 5,134 students and 450 adults representing grades 3-5 in 39 schools being reached this year. A more advanced LAB "Kids-II" program was held in Hopkinton for 85 students in grade 8; more are slated for the upcoming school year. See the BikeSmart page for more details. Under discussion are several "train the trainers" courses in order to reach more students with these nationally-recognized and standardized bike-ed programs.

State of NH Bike Maps now available

A set of seven free regional NH bike maps were made available from NH DOT on May 16, 2008. After nearly two years of meetings, presentations, state-wide hearings, inputs for various cycling groups, revisions, budget cuts, and other time-consuming projects, the new maps were available in time for the Bike/Walk to Work Day events. To ensure the maps reach bicyclists and not just tourists looking for a free souvenir that is soon trashed, they must be requested. Distribution will be made via the rest areas on the NH Interstate Highways, by contacting the DOT, and from other key NH locations around the state. BWA-NH is a member of the bike map steering committee and can testify that a lot of time and effort has gone into these maps. To be sure, they are not perfect and the state infrastructure is a moving target that cannot be reflected on a map which may be outdated before it is printed. To compensate for such, the NH DOT Bike-Ped web site http://www.nh.gov/dot/nhbikeped will carry updated versions of the maps available for free downloading plus notation of corrections. Any problems or suggestions concerning the maps should be sent to the attention of Jerry Moore in the NH DOT Bike-Ped Office at JMoore2@dot.state.nh.us. (Please use email to contact the Bike-Ped Office, not the phone.)

The new maps are smaller but more comprehensive than prior versions. When folded they are just 4.5" x 6" so they fit nicely into bike bags or jersey pockets. The printing is very sharp and easy to read on the 18" x 24" layout. Included is an elevation profile, ratings for the suggested on-road routes, improved and unimproved rail trails, features including airports, covered bridges, commuter rail stations, rest areas, state parks, park & ride locations, sample recreational ride loops, and even the water taxi on Lake Winnipesaukee. Rules of the road concerning bicyclists are stated, complete with the RSA numbers. Governor John Lynch provided the welcome message. The seven maps are based on the seven tourist regions of NH: Merrimack Valley, Seacoast, Monadnock, Lakes, Dartmouth / Lake Sunapee, White Mountains, and the Great North Woods. Distinctive cover photos help identify the maps. The life-cycle of these maps is estimated to be five years. The NH DOT Bike-Ped Office hopes the bicycling community finds the maps to be helpful, especially since state-wide inputs from many bicyclists were incorporated into the final design.

Recent News

Did you miss reading about what the BWA-NH has been doing in past years? If so, check out our Recent News page.

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