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Updated and improved, the second edition of “Explore Maine by Bike” was released this month by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and the Maine Department of Transportation.

The full-color booklet details 33 bicycle routes across the state, from 10-mile jaunts to 100-mile adventures. Each route includes, not only a cue sheet and map, but also descriptions and photos of the scenery, notes on the terrain and insight into the road conditions.

The BCM was contracted by the Maine DOT to develop the substance of the book and the first edition debuted in 2003. While the Maine DOT designs, publishes and prints the resource, BCM distributes it free of charge.

And the second edition is even better than the first. According to Allison Vogt, executive director of the BCM, the cue sheets have been improved and more options have been added for cyclists seeking shorter routes. “We’ve also made huge strides in the multi-use path and trail infrastructure in the state, including the 85-mile Downeast Sunrise Trail that was opened last week,” Vogt says.

The roads are safer now, too. Since the initial publication of “Explore Maine by Bicycle,” the state passed a three-foot passing law and the BCM has engaged in a consistent media campaign to publicize the statute.

“Regardless of whether you prefer to ride 10 miles or 50, live in Maine or just visit, the Explore Maine by Bike book is an amazing resource,” Vogt says. “You can conveniently and easily access Maine’s roads and trails with the help of cue sheets and background information that helps you get the most our of your ride.”

Read more about the Bicycle Coalition of Maine here.

One ad educates motorists about the Maine law requiring them to give at least three feet of clearance when passing cyclists. The other ad stresses the importance of cyclists wearing bicycle helmets.

The PSAs will appear on WCSH6 throughout the month of May. In addition to the purchased airtime, the station donated airtime valued at $4,200 for additional spots on WCSH6 and WLBZ2 in Bangor later in the summer.

The ads also will be shown on public access stations in Maine. They are posted on the coalition’s Web site (http://www.BikeMaine.org) and social networking sites such as Youtube and Facebook.

“Part of making Maine a better place to bicycle is creating an environment where drivers know that bikes belong on our roads and that extra care should be used when driving around bicyclists,” said Allison Vogt, the coalition’s executive director. “We also want to ensure that cyclists follow basic safety rules such as wearing helmets to protect against head injuries.”

The coalition partnered with a service learning class at the University of Southern Maine to produce the PSA about Maine’s three-foot law. The ad opens with lyrical footage showing how many cue balls, dock planks and fishing bobbers equate to three feet.

The scene switches to bicyclists navigating in traffic, and the ad notes that “three feet could make the difference between life and death” for a cyclist. USM students Malcolm Tevanian and Israel Jasmin produced the ad using a script written by the coalition.

Oliver Chase, a Portland five-year-old, and his mother, Ellie Chase, appear in the bicycle helmet PSA. Callie Banks, a Portland fourth grader, narrates the ad. Shoshana Hoose, the coalition’s communications coordinator, wrote the script and edited it. The PSA notes that Maine law requires children under 16 to wear helmets, and that all cyclists should do so.

Both ads may be viewed at http://www.bikemaine.org/news-room/share-the-road-media-campaign.

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine has been working since 1992 to make Maine a better place to bicycle. The coalition advocates for Maine cyclists at the Legislature and in Washington, D.C., teaches bicycle safety to thousands of Maine schoolchildren each year, partners with state agencies on a Share the Road media campaign and serves as a resource on local bicycling issues."

According to the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, students in at least 27 Maine schools, from Aroostook to York counties, will commute by foot or bicycle this week.  While most schools have activities planned for October 7 (International Walk & Bike to School Day), some have organized walking and/or bicycling events on other days.

Parents, teachers and volunteers at each school have organized the events, including “walking school buses” (children walking under adult supervision) and “bike trains” (groups bicycling under adult supervision). Maine’s Safe Routes to School program, managed by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine under contract to MaineDOT, provides support and encourages more schools to participate.

“The Safe Routes to School program seeks to change the habits of a generation,” said Allison Vogt, the coalition’s executive director. “The events taking place this week will help make that happen by showing students, parents and teachers the value of commuting by bicycle and by foot.”

Since the Maine Safe Routes to School program began in 2001, more than 150 schools have become involved.  The program has provided funding to more than 30 communities for infrastructure improvements to make walking and biking safer.

The program has two regional coordinators: Sarah Cushman (sarah@sarahcushman.com ) in southern Maine and Darcy Whittemore (saferoutes@BikeMaine.org ) in the central part of the state. For more information or details about the October 7 events, please e-mail them or call 207-623-4511.