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Entries tagged: Vt

According to Vermont’s Local Motion, the Vermont Legislature just passed two critical roadway safety bills this session and plans to remove mountain bike trails in Essex were halted.

According to Local Motion:
“1) Ban on Texting While Driving (S.280)

The VT House and Senate put aside their differences and agreed to a bill that bans texting for all drivers and also bans cell phone use by teenage drivers. The Governor indicated he would sign the bill. Thank you Local Motion members who responded to our advocacy call! Thanks also to Senator Mazza for seeing this through. Free Press Coverage

2) Safe Passing Bill (H.540)

Thanks to the tremendous leadership of Nancy Schulz and Judy Bond of the VT Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition, the Legislature passed a bill clarifying how motorists must pass walkers, cyclists and other “vulnerable roadway users” and also prohibiting motorists from threatening behavoir towards walkers and cyclists. Read the final bill language here. If you appreciate this work, please consider joining the VT Bike/Pedestrian Coalition.

3) Saxon Hill Mtn Bike Trails Spared…For Now

Thanks to the leadership of Fellowship of the Wheel, Chittenden County’s mountain biking club, over 100 people turned out to a public forum where the Town of Essex was considering a development proposal that would have removed nearly all mountain biking trails from Saxon Hill. The next day the developer withdrew the project’s plans.”

Learn more about Local Motion.

Learn more about the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition.

Over 100 people attended the 2nd annual Chittenden County Bike/Pedestrian Summit sponsored by Vermont’s Local Motion. According to Local Motion, “Keynote speaker Mary Collins, Author of American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture, challenged the 110 attendees to see physical activity in new way. After a cross country tour talking to families, coaches, sports professionals, doctors and planners, Mary concluded that getting out and getting active is a civil rights issue. For people living in poverty or living in cities, active lifestyles aren’t always possible. Being in shape doesn’t necessarily mean having the self-discipline to go to the gym; it also means having public spaces and a built environment that are safe and encouraging to people to get outside and move.

Read more: An Inspiring Walk/Bike Summit!

The Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition and New York Bicycle Coalition won a major victory with the design of the new Champlain Bridge connecting Addison, VT and Crown Point, NY. The existing bridge was shut down when engineers discovered critical deterioration last fall. Significant for transportation (100 mile detour), historic, and scenic reasons, getting bike/ped access was a huge goal for both Alliance organizations. The modified design now includes both multipurpose (bike) lanes and raised sidewalks.

Congrats to both coalitions for their critical organizing and winning this great victory! For visualizations of the unique “network tiered arch” bridge go to www.nysdot.gov/lakechamplainbridge/photos-visualizations.