Bike-Walk Alliance of NH

Author: Emily McMaster

  • Spring Fling Recap

    Spring Fling Recap

    May 16th Social was a success!

    To celebrate and promote Bike Month, the GSW, BWANH and NHRTC joined together for a season kick off event at Great North Aleworks in Manchester on Tuesday May 16th. About 50 people attended.  The free event included many new and old members of GSW, BWANH and NHRTC. Leaders from BWANH, GSW, NHRTC and Manchester Moves each spoke for a few minutes while the majority of the evening was socializing.

    Long-time BWANH supporter State Representative Linda Gould from Bedford was thanked for her many years of support for various bike-ped advocacy efforts. Tom Christiansen spoke about Manchester Moves, and Greg Bakos gave an update on the recent project to complete the Cohos Brook Trestle on the South Manchester Rail Trail.

    BWANH Board members were sporting their brand new safety vests with BWANH logo. (Stay tuned for updates on how these new safety vests will be distributed.)

    Each organizati0n hosted a table with literature. BWANH even picked up a few new members and donations from the event. Many thanks to Great North Aleworks, an NHRTC supporting business, who provided the event space for us at a discount. The event gave folks a chance to meet other bike-ped advocates, “put names with faces” and learn about statewide and regional advocacy efforts – as well as sample awesome beverages from Great North Aleworks.  Make sure you put the next social gathering on your calendar!

  • Legislation to Make Roads and Trails Safer

    Legislation to Make Roads and Trails Safer

    While three classes of e-bikes are recognized in state statutes (see table), high-powered e-bikes don’t fit into any of those classes and are more like electric motorcycles, whether they have pedals or not. (more…)

  • North Country Cycling News

    North Country Cycling News

    Lots of cycling going on in the North Country these days.

    May saw a plethora of cycling education and bike rodeos as five towns and schools participated with about 200 kids learning some great riding skills and bike etiquette and rules. (more…)

  • Monadnock Region Rail Trails Update

    Monadnock Region Rail Trails Update

    By: Michael Kowalczyk, MRRTC President

    The Monadnock Region Rail Trail Collaborative (MRRTC), an affiliate of the Bike Walk Alliance of NH, was formed in 2018 with the goal to bring together people and organizations that share the goal and interest for improving the regional rail trails. (more…)

  • NH Rail Trails Conference – October 27

    NH Rail Trails Conference – October 27

    Mark your calendars for Friday, October 27th, 2023. That is the date of the biennial New Hampshire Rail Trails Conference, hosted by the New Hampshire Rail Trails Coalition (NHRTC).

    This full day (9am to 4pm) conference will be in-person with a variety of presentations, break-out sessions, poster displays, and guest speakers from NH agencies and other Rail Trail organization leaders. The theme of this year’s conference is “Collaboration, Communications and Connections.”

    Morning and afternoon snacks plus lunch will be provided. There will be time for networking and a follow-up off-site social is optional. Come to meet NH rail trail organization leaders and state officials to learn more about recent developments and exciting plans for the future of NH rail trails.

    This conference is open to the general public. It is a great opportunity to get updates on new, existing, in-process and planned rail trails in New Hampshire, as well as meet and connect with rail trail supporters and managers across the state.  The conference will take place at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institution Drive, Concord.

    Click this link to register.  For more information, email info@nhrtc.org.  Hope you can make it!

  • Mt Washington Valley Rec Path Opens

    Mt Washington Valley Rec Path Opens

    Congrats to local advocates in the Mount Washington Valley area for sticking with it and making the Mount Washington Valley Rec Path a reality! This awesome 2.9-mile paved multi-use non-motorized path has been a time coming but is finally here! Paving began in May 2023, and recently (July) this trail became officially open to the public. The only remaining bits are some landscaping, signage and other details.  An official ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for this fall. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 12th at 10:30, at Cranmore parking lot next to the path’s start, if you are interested in attending.

    The trail has convenient parking at the Hemlock Lane trailhead endpoint (near Walmart) and at Cranmore Resort at the opposite endpoint, as well as points in-between. Walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and others will enjoy this multi-purpose scenic path and all the many connections to destinations that it offers along the way. This incudes access to local businesses, the outlets stores, and connections to the Pudding Pond and Sticks & Stones trailheads for hiking and mountain biking.

    Now that the Rec Path is completed, the Mt Washington Valley Trails Association (MWVTA) looks forward to continuing the trail eastward, towards Fryeburg, Maine to link to the Mountain Division Trail. They are also looking westward, planning a 1.6 mile section in Bartlett from Attitash Ski Area and Thorne Pond to the Bartlett School and Library. Eventually they will “Close the Gaps” and link these short sections to form a continuous trail system, a “Linear Parkway” that provides recreational opportunities to residents and visitors along the way.

    Click here to read more about the current project with proposed routes and trail links in the Mount Washington Valley.

    The Rec Path trail came to fruition by a long partnership that included amazing work by many, including recently by students at the Mt Washington Valley Career and Technical Center who created three kiosks for the Rec Path, the Hancock Lumber Company, the Pequawket Foundation, Paul Cail and his students at MWV Career and Tech School, with signs fabricated by Gemini Sign & Design, LTD.

    Also, the MWVTA is excited to announce that OVP Management Inc. recently gifted nearly one acre of commercial land on Hemlock Lane in North Conway to the Mt. Washington Valley Trails Association to be incorporated into the master project plan for the North Conway Recreation Path.

    Read more on the Mt Washington Valley Rec Path via these links –> https://mwvrecpath.org/#home

    … and –> https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/local/dream-coming-true-north-conway-bypath-takes-shape/article_fa45f4fc-d636-11ec-b94b-53d44cc93f76.html

    https://mwvrecpath.org/uploads/GBFilePickerThumbs/Dream%20come%20true_%20North%20Conway%20Rec%20Path%20now%20open%20_%20Local%20News%20_%20conwaydailysun.com.pdf

    Make sure you check it out soon!

  • Strider Bikes Hit Kearsarge Schools

    Strider Bikes Hit Kearsarge Schools

    More great work by Tim Blagden (former Executive Director of the Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire) and the Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail.

    As a result of a partnership among the following organizations: Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail, Town of Warner, Warner Police Department, Central New Hampshire Bike Coalition, Bike-Walk Alliance of NH, and Cyr Lumber, a learn-to-bike program is launching throughout the Kearsarge regional school district (SAU 65).

    All 7 towns included in that district (Bradford, Newbury, New London, Sutton, Springfield, Warner, and Wilmot) will be implementing a learn-to-bike program for kindergarten and first graders.

    The program includes a fleet of strider bikes (also referred to as balance bikes) used to teach very young children basic bicycling skills.

    Strider bikes start out having no pedals and a lowered seat height. Riders propel and balance themselves using their feet on the ground. The bikes allow young children to learn basic bike balancing, propulsion, momentum, breaking and steering, without the added complication of learning pedaling, which comes later, as the child develops.

    “Strider” is a brand name of one of the companies that makes balance bikes. Strider is unique in making bikes with 14” tires and having the conversion kit which allows pedals and a chain to be added to their bikes. Strider is affiliated with AllKidsBike.org.

    The fleet of bikes being deployed by the Kearsarge District consists of ten balance bikes with 12” wheels, ten convertible Strider bikes with 14” wheels, and ten pedal bikes with 16” wheels. The Strider bikes can be converted from balance bikes to pedal bikes easily.  The variety of sizes will accommodate the range of students in kindergarten and first grade.

    The Kearsarge school district’s Physical Education (PE) department will be teaching kindergarten and first graders basic biking skills as part of their physical education curriculum.

    In addition to the bike fleet, the program also provided bike storage racks, a pump, a multitool, and storage bins. The bike storage racks were built by the PE teacher based on a design found online.  Bike-Walk Alliance is providing training for the district’s PE teachers, and also provided bike helmets and bicycle safety coloring books.

    The community is incredibly grateful to all the organizations and individuals who helped make this program possible.  Bike-Walk Alliance is evaluating ways to distribute this model program statewide.  Please reach out if you are interested in participating in this effort.

    More info:

    Strider Bikes

    5 Reasons Balance Bikes Help Kids Learn To Bike

    AllKidsBike.org

  • Maine Establishes E-Bike Rebate Program

    Maine Establishes E-Bike Rebate Program

    The Bicycle Coalition of Maine is working with the state and the Efficiency Maine Trust to create a statewide rebate program.  (more…)

  • SUVs More Dangerous for Bicyclists

    SUVs More Dangerous for Bicyclists

    SUVs cause more severe injuries than cars when they hit bicyclists likely because the vehicles’ tall front ends strike the bicyclists higher on their bodies, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows. (more…)

  • E-scooter Speed Limits Encourage Sidewalk Riding

    E-scooter Speed Limits Encourage Sidewalk Riding

    Many cities are turning to speed limiters for electric scooters to address concerns about rider safety and conflicts with pedestrians. (more…)