== Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==

 

July 2008: Many activities underway!

Governor John Lynch signs "our" NH bike bill HB-1203

House bill HB-1203 concerning bicyclists, motorists, and state roadways has been signed by Governor Lynch. A "ceremonial signing" with media coverage is scheduled for July 18.

Rail trails update

Progress is being made on the rail trail project along the old Manchester to Lawrence corridor. The Salem Bike-Ped Committee is soon to launch a web site and start meeting with abutters after surveys are sent to businesses and residents. The Windham Rail Trail Alliance gave their trail a final top coat so now it is smoother and nicer than ever. The Derry Rail Trail Alliance is doing well toward reaching their goal of full funding to start construction. And the Manchester Regional Trails Alliance has many plans underway to connect segments of their trail system and will host a fund-raising bike tour on September 14 - see the Rail Trails page for more details.

Bicycling education

Various bicycling education programs have been completed during the recent-ended school year. The NH BikeSmart program as coordinated by Roger Lohr of Hanover reached 5,134 students and 450 adults representing grades 3-5. Seven instructors visited 39 schools giving 79 presentations of this standardized course. A more comprehensive 7-hour LAB "Kids-II" program including on-bike activities was conducted for the eighth grade class of 85 students in Hopkinton.

"Safe Kids 500"

The "Safe Kids 500" event on June 18 at the NH Motor Speedway in Loudon attracted over 500 kids plus their parents. Helmet fitting, helmet give-aways, and many miles around the famous mile-long track were enjoyed under fair skies.

Safe Routes to School

The second round of the Federally-funded NH Safe Routes to School program is now in the final stages of presentations and deliberations by the Statewide Advisory Committee. Total funding requested by various communities is approximately $1.4M. BWA-NH is a voting member on this committee. See details in the June issue of the NH Safe Routes to School newsletter.

LAB National Rally in Fryeburg, Maine

The LAB National Rally is combined with the Maine Bike Rally on July 11-13 in Fryeburg, Maine. BWA-NH and the GSW will have a shared table-top exhibit area. Many fun activities and rides are planned by BCM; likewise the event will be a good chance to meet the LAB staff of their main office in DC.

Get involved and help us help you!

If you really want to help us continue our advocacy and education efforts here in New Hampshire, please consider joining our organization. Remember, a full one-year membership in the Granite State Wheelmen recreational bicycling club is included with every sponsorship of BWA-NH starting at $35.00 a year. A sponsorship application is available on the home page of this web site.

New State of NH Bike Maps now available

A new set of seven regional NH bike maps are now available from NH DOT. 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 on May 16. 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.

BWA-NH and GSW represented at National Bike Summit, March 4-6, 2008

BWA-NH Executive Director Linda Gould and GSW President Bill Kennedy attended the LAB National Bike Sumit in Washington, DC on March 4-6, 2008. The GSW received the LAB Region One Club of the Year Award for its long-time support of the League and for helping form BWA-NH. Recognition was given for the work done by BWA-NH in a short time including the introduction of the "bike bill" HB-1203 to make bicycling in NH better for all cyclists.

On "Meet your Congressman Day" during the National Bike Summit in March, Senator Sununu holds the LAB award given to the Granite State Wheelmen for its support to the Bike Walk Alliance of NH which has been promoting bicycling laws, rail trails, and bicycling safety and education in New Hampshire since 2004. From left to right in the photo, we have Christopher Zigmont of Pedro's, a representative from the Bikes Belong Coalition (sorry, we don't have her name!), Charley LaFlamme from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, BWA-NH Executive Director Linda Gould, US Senator John Sununu, and GSW President Bill Kennedy.


Looking Ahead:

BWA-NH has a long way to go to catch up with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine (BCM) and MassBike, but we feel some good progress has been made this past year toward making NH more "bicyclist friendly." 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!

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.

Other news

BWA-NH On-Line Calendar:

Check out our on-line calendar to see what is planned around the state affecting the bike-ped community. We hope this will enable more NH residents to learn what is planned for their communities and be able to participate in the decision-making process.


Want to help the 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. Learning what is planned for your community is critical to ensure roadways are designed or rebuilt to properly accommodate bicyclists. Get involved and help spread the word! The Alliance can help via use of our email list-serve system. You do not need to be an Alliance member to use this free service. The more people who know what is going on in our NH bicycling community, the sooner the better, then everyone can have their say 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 fully-funded 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 check out the membership page on this web site.

 

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