TRANSPORTATION NEWS:  recognition of bicycle role in transportation future!
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BICYCLE SAFETY (MORE)


Possible Cross-Weston Bicycle Routes subject to further review as well as approvals by public safety entities
Some alternatives for residents and non-residents that pass through the town of Weston on bicycles below. Many other routes also facilitate bicycle transportation, but these are of more interest to the local community. While they may connect to the more important roads, they are not of themselves spine routes.

Foremost is the Route 57 – Route 53 connection. This road, part of the designated cross-state bicycle route system, enters from Westport, travels through the town center, and follows 53 to Redding, Bethel, Danbury and points north.

Route 57, from the 57-53 intersection north of the Center, is the only west side direct N-S route through Weston. It leads to Georgetown, Ridgefield and other towns on the western border of the state.

Lyons Plain, branching off 57 in Westport, provides an important Southwest to Northeast connection. One cross-town option is the continuation of Lyons Plain onto Valley Forge, which reconnects to Rte 53 near the north end of town. This Lyons Plain-Valley Forge route also connects to Old Redding Road, Weston’s gate way to Route 136, Easton and to Route 58 which procedes North to Redding and  Bethel or South to Fairfield and Bridgeport.

Broad Street-Good Hill-River Road provides a valuable cross-town link from Newtown turnpike in Westport/Wilton to Lyons Plain.

Cannondale Road from route 57 is the primary route from upper Weston that connects to Wilton, Route 7, and the Cannondale Train Station.

Godfrey Road goes from Route 57, about 2.5 miles north of the Center, to Valley Forge. It is the only direct east-west cross-town connection in Upper Weston.

 There are many other possible, even important connections. For example, if one wanted to bike from Valley Forge to the Town Center a reasonable choice would be Davis Hill (either end) to Steep Hill, to Old Hyde, Norfield and thence to the Center. Another route of importance to local users is Langer Lane from Georgetown Road to Wilton. Sturges Road then provides connections to Wilton, Route 7 and Norwalk.

 



Cyclists, drivers battling over crowded Greenwich roadways
Greenwich TIME
Heath Goldman, Staff Correspondent
Published: 09:42 p.m., Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Just as warm weather brings out swarms of mosquitoes, it draws packs of cyclists to town roads.

"Cycling has become incredibly popular within the last few years. It's like the new golf," said Rob Koshar, who opened his bike shop, Greenwich Bicycles, 25 years ago. "Part of it is that everyone knows who Lance Armstrong is. He's done to cycling what Tiger Woods has done to golf."

While cycling is a great way to get outside and enjoy Greenwich's roads and trails, drivers and cyclists alike are finding Greenwich's roads increasingly crowded, raising debates about road etiquette and bike lanes.

"It's really annoying when huge packs of cyclists fan out in the middle of the road," said Greenwich resident Cheryl MacCluskey. "But I'm a biker myself. I know both sides. Us bikers don't really have a place to ride."

Jon Connelly, who lives off Round Hill Road, has a firmer stance as a driver.

"I have been behind bike packs that extend so far across the road they almost block cars going the other direction in the other lane," Connelly said. "They are profoundly obnoxious; they're like traveling armies."

Cyclists and their supporters around town, however, counter that drivers bear responsibility as well. Cycling advocates, many of whom say the sport is a vital part of the town's way of life, stress that motorists need to be more mindful of cyclists and respect the rules of the road when encountering them.

FUN SEEKERS TO PROS: MORE CYCLISTS ON THE ROAD

Cyclists on town roads run the gamut from friends getting some exercise and having fun to professional cyclists on training rides under the auspices of one of Greenwich's cycling clubs.

Groups like Sound Cyclists Bicycle Club and the Greenwich Triathlon Club, both of which anyone with an interest in biking can join, send out multiple group training rides a week during Daylight Saving Time -- the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November -- otherwise known as the "cycling season." Composed of about 10 bikers, the fastest rides are at competitive race speed around 30 mph and the slower, shorter rides accommodate beginners.

Rick Bailer, the president of Sound Cyclists, projects that by the end of the 2010 cycling season, its membership will have grown by 20 percent, swelling its ranks to about 1,500 members from across Fairfield County.

John Stellwagen, the president of the Greenwich Triathlon Club, said that about 60 of the club's 85 members are active this year, compared to 40 active last year.

The "Wednesday night bike group" started as an informal "pick-up ride" in the '90s that left from Greenwich High School, and it has grown to 200 of the most advanced cyclists in Greenwich. On a good night, about 50 people will ride together, said the group's leader, Matt Armstrong. Reaching speeds as fast as 30 mph, these cyclists complete a 46-mile ride that takes them as far north as South Salem, N.Y., in less than two hours. Barring inclement weather, the group rides every Wednesday night during the season.

Managing the dynamics inside large bike packs is a difficult task in itself, not to mention the need to worry about motor vehicles.

"Biking in a pack is very different from riding by yourself," Bailer said. "There's a lot of communication about obstacles in the road or slowing down. Our faster riders are challenging each other but respecting each other's space; you can't ever overlap your wheels with the peoples' wheels around you."

Before each ride, Stellwagen said group leaders brief their cyclists about looking beyond the pack and sharing the roads with cars.

"We tell our riders to stay away from riding two abreast in traffic and leaving big gaps in the group, so drivers can just pass us all at once," Stellwagen said.

WHEN THEY CROSS PATHS

Large groups of cyclists are frequently found on the main arteries that lead to the backcountry, causing traffic to slow on streets like Round Hill Road, North Street and Lake Avenue.

A particularly popular cycling route is the Tour de Greenwich loop that includes Stanwich, Taconic, Round Hill and Parsonage roads and Lake Avenue, according to Mickey Yardis, the owner of East Putnam Avenue sporting goods store Threads and Treads. The 20-mile Tour de Greenwich bike race is held in September.

Alex Prio, an independent cyclist who has lived in Greenwich for 20 years, has noticed cyclists on even busier roads.

"I think it's silly when cyclists go on main roads, especially the Post Road," Prio said. "But I always give them enough space when I pass (while driving)."

"Some idiot drivers don't have the nerve to pass the packs of bikers, and then you get stuck in a long line of cars," said Celeste Littman, who lives off Lake Avenue. "When you do pass the bikers, though, it's dangerous for the driver because you run the risk of a head-on collision with another car or running over one of the bikers."

Peter Jayes, treasurer of Greenwich Safe Cycling, said cars often put themselves and bikers in danger by failing to adhere to the "three-feet" passing law in Connecticut. The law, was passed in October 2008, requires vehicles to leave three feet of space around cyclists when overtaking them.

Mary Hull, a town resident and executive director of Greenwich Green & Clean, was involved in an accident when she was looking for a safe place to pass a large group of cyclists and another car attempted to pass her and the bike pack at the same time. The other car hit Hull's vehicle, though nobody was injured.

"People just have to have a little patience when they're behind cyclists," Hull said. "Cycling is a very positive sport. I think it's great that they're on the roads for fun and exercise, developing their brains, because I swear that exercise is good for every part of your anatomy."

Daniel Mayet, a 20-year Greenwich resident, agrees with Hull.

"There should be less cars on the road and more bicycles," Mayet said.

According to Greenwich Police Sgt. John Slusarz, head of the department's traffic section, the few car-vs.-cyclist accidents that occur each year typically are low-speed collisions at intersections or on roadways when cyclists swerve in front of cars to avoid obstacles.

Slusarz stressed that such collisions are not always the fault of the driver, citing a recent accident in which a cyclist in a large pack rode his bike into a car. The cyclist and driver escaped without major injuries.

"It just goes to show that both bicycle riders and car drivers really need to share the road," Slusarz said. "Both parties cause problems for each other. Sometimes car drivers are on their cell phones or punching in GPS directions, and sometimes bicycle riders get tunnel-visioned because they're so into the sport."

BIKE LANES

Greenwich resident Robert Baldridge, whose 18-year-old son was hit by a car while he was biking in town and suffered mild injuries, said he thinks the town needs to do everything it can to make the roads safer for both cyclists and drivers, including installing more bike lanes.

"I saw a kid going down a sidewalk downtown the other day, and thought, `that's dangerous.' But it was probably more dangerous for him to be biking on the road with traffic," Baldridge said. "I worry about bikers all the time."

In 2008, two bike lanes were built along northern Sound Beach Avenue. Extending from East Putnam Avenue to Lockwood Road on both sides of the street, the lanes are five feet wide and are separated from the motor vehicle road by a white line.

Bailer said that if more bike lanes like those along Sound Beach were built on Sound Cyclists' routes, his cyclists would certainly stay within them.

"The wider berth we'd have on bike lanes would make bikers feel more comfortable," Bailer said. "Everyone would be safer."

Greenwich Safe Cycling is pushing for more bike lanes, Jayes said, and in 2001 the group helped prepare a Bicycle Master Plan for the town that identifies safe bicycle routes and provides information and bicycling.

Currently, the Sound Beach bike lanes are the only two in Greenwich because most roads do not have room for official bike lanes, said Melissa Evans, traffic operations coordinator for the town's Department of Public Works. The bike lanes must be striped on both sides of the street and be four feet wide when there is no curb and five feet wide when there is a curb.

"Our general policy right now as we go around town paving roads is to try to re-stripe roads when possible to provide a wider shoulder for a shared-use lane," Evans said.

However, Evans said the Southwestern Regional Planning Agency is conducting a study about improving bicycle facilities on Route 1 from the New York state line through Greenwich and into Stamford. The study will result in a fall report and recommendation for action.

Because bike lanes are difficult to create, educating drivers and cyclists about safety and sharing the roads may be the key to alleviating tensions.

"If all the car operators and bicycle riders were more aware of each other and their surroundings, the accident rates and congestion would come down," Slusarz said.

Greenwich Safe Cycling is doing just that, Jayes said, reaching families at "grass-roots levels" by educating children through school programs and events like organized children's bike rides.

"Everyone should be able to safely enjoy beautiful roads," Jayes said.



Fairfield County/East Coast Greenway Bicycle & Pedestrian Summit
Thursday, October 22, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. (registration 9:30)
UConn, Stamford

Walk the Merritt (optional) 8:30 - 9:30 am, Italian Center, Stamford; Wine Reception 4 - 6 pm, 36 Northwind Dr, Stamford

For more information or to register:  http://fairfieldbikeped.eventbrite.com/

For AICP members, the summit (10am -3pm) offers 3.5 CM credits.

Purpose

·         To heighten public awareness of bicycling, walking and public transit as valid and important alternate transportation options.

·         To broaden support for the Merritt Parkway Trail as an important recreation and commuter corridor

·         Formation of a Fairfield County Bicycle/Walk Coalition

Focus

·         Public presentation of the flagging and GPS mapping of a hiking trail, the first step for a long-standing initiative to build a multi-use (pedestrian, bicycle, wheelchair) trail along the 37.5 mile length of the Merritt Parkway right-of-way. The trail will be a vital east/west commuter corridor through Fairfield County when it is completed. It will not only serve trips within Fairfield County, but will link to other trails in Westchester and Connecticut that comprise the East Coast Greenway, an urban version of the Appalachian Trail stretching from Maine to Florida and it will intersect with existing and planned north/south trails in the state

·         Presentations on what other communities around Connecticut and in neighboring states are doing to get people out of their cars and on to their feet -- such as bike sharing programs, bike lanes, trails, Complete Streets, ride sharing, Safe Routes to School and Transit Oriented Development (TOD).

·         Discussion about and interest in the formation of a Fairfield County Bicycle/Pedestrian Alliance (similar to the Central CT Bicycle Alliance)

The fee includes an optional Merritt hike with coffee & donuts at 8:30 am, lunch, and a 4-6pm wine reception.
 

Hosts:

East Coast Greenway Alliance, Connecticut Forest & Parks Association, Merritt Parkway Trail Alliance
 

Co-Hosts:

Connecticut Bicycle Coalition, Greenwich Safe Cycling, Regional Plan Association, Sound Cyclists Bicycle Club, Farmington Valley Trails Council, Tri-State Transportation Campaign

 

Sponsor: Newman's Own Foundation


The forum will be at the Boys & Girls Club on Horseneck Lane in Greenwich, very close to the train station.  There's plenty of parking for anyone coming by automobile.

Reclaim the Roads! ! !

A Discussion Forum For Active People:
Cyclists, walkers, runners, roller bladers and persons with disabilities

September 30th, 2007 ~ 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
This event is hosted courtesy of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Inc.
    
Keynote Speaker:      Bill Wilkinson, AICP, Executive Director, National Center for Bicycling & Walking

On-Site Expo:     See/purchase the latest equipment  

PROGRAM AGENDA

3:00 - 3:05 PM:       Welcoming Remarks- Stephanie Paulmeno, Greenwich Community Health Planner, will address public health value of a built community that supports healthy life styles
3:05 - 3:15 PM:           Donna Gaudioso-Zeale, Director Center for Healthy Living, Greenwich Hospital, will speak about the value of exercise obtained through many different venues
3:15 - 3:45 PM:           Keynote Speaker, Bill Wilkinson will address the concept of creating healthy communities, healthy environments, and “best practices” from other locations
3:45 - 4:00 PM:     Refreshment Break
4:00 - 4:10 PM:      Franklin Bloomer will present the Town of Greenwich’s Bicycle Plan and discuss what could be in Greenwich
4:10 - 4:20 PM:     Arline Lomazzo will present the Town of Greenwich’s Pedestrian Plan and the work that grew out of it.    
4:20 - 4:25 PM          Instructions for the breakout sessions
4:25 - 4:45 PM          Breakout Sessions
4:45 – 5:00 PM          Reconvene for Breakout Summaries
5:00 – 6:00 PM          EXPO and Vendor Exhibitions


On- Site EXPO Features Supplies And Equipment Available Through Our Local Vendors
Participating vendors have provided our door prizes and give-aways.

Program sponsored by the Greenwich Department of Health and Greenwich Safe Cycling and co-sponsored by:

Greenwich Board of Education                American Red Cross-Greenwich Chapter
Greenwich Department of Public Works               Greenwich Hospital
Greenwich Parks & Recreation Department          League of Women Voters of Greenwich
Greenwich Police Department                The Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich


Blazing A Bike Trail Through Hartford
Hartford Courant
Tom Condon
December 17, 2006

As a bicyclist who has lived west of downtown Hartford - in the city and in West Hartford - for nearly three decades, I've always wanted a bike trail into downtown. The streets are too crowded and dangerous to encourage large-scale bike commuting, though some intrepid souls do it.

There was no audience for this idea way back when, but times have changed. Bike paths and multi-use trails are now seen as great recreational amenities and potential commuting alternatives. If I had any question about this, the response to a column about trails a few weeks ago sealed it. Dozens of you from all over the state contacted me to say you were building trails, moved near a trail or wanted trails to connect to shopping or workplaces.

The East Coast Greenway, an off-road trail that is under construction from Maine to Florida, is marching through Connecticut, a segment at a time. So much of it is complete or in the works that there are only two major challenges left: a New Haven to New York link, which could be achieved with a trail along the Merritt Parkway, and a connection from Hartford to the Farmington Canal trail west of the city.

The latter would require a pathway through the city. Over the past couple of years a few people, Jack Hale of the Knox Parks Foundation, Place contributor Nick Caruso and others, have talked about possible routes. The formation of the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance last year gave more impetus to the idea.

Ten days ago, the estimable Sandy Fry, transportation planner for the Capital Region Council of Governments, gathered a group together to walk/bike a possible route from the Founders Bridge, where it would meet the trail from East Hartford, to the western boundary of the city.

The general idea was to use Bushnell Park, the long flow of parking lots under I-84 and the Park River's North Branch corridor north of Farmington Avenue to head out past the University of Hartford to Bloomfield or West Hartford.

It will take money and engineering skill, the cooperation of property owners and a few tricky transitions, but it can be done. We did it.

Our entourage included Fry and Rebecca Augur from the Capitol Region Council Of Governments, Dr. Bob Painter, Gerry Maine and Kevin Burnham from the city, Rob Dexter and Charles Beristain (on a bike) from the bicycle alliance and Eric Weiss of the East Coast Greenway Alliance.

We ran into a bit of a problem right off the bat; how to get off Constitution Plaza. Bikes are actually prohibited on the plaza, but a marked bikeway would be a good thing, because it would bring more people there. But there will either have to be a ramp on the north side of the Hartford Club or near the stairs heading for Front Street to get riders down to the road. It shouldn't be a big deal.

It's easy enough to take Atheneum Place down to Main Street, and to cross at the light. A path on the south side of Gold Street, if such were possible, would get a rider to Bushnell Park. From there it is an easy and pleasant ride through the park to, and around, the State Armory to Broad Street.

Across Broad Street, we encounter the first part of what might be three-quarters of a mile of surface parking lots. These cover a buried portion of the Park River, which partly explains their connectivity. If a trail could be fashioned more or less over the river conduit, it would be possible, with a street crossing or two, to get all the way to Forest Street near Hartford Public High School.

Fry wondered whether riders would feel safe riding behind the buildings along Capitol Avenue. Painter, the city councilman who initiated the bike lanes on the avenue, said perhaps on weekends the riders could use the street. This is still in its early stage.

At Hartford Public, it would be necessary to hook around the property to get to Farmington Avenue. This can be done, and would be a boon both for the school and the people who live in the adjacent Clemens Place apartments.

North of Farmington Avenue, behind the buildings on Woodland Street, the North Branch of the Park River is above ground. It is a remarkable little river system, with small ridges, valleys, bluffs and even a tiny island. It's hard to get to the river from Farmington Avenue; a bike path would have to jog up to Woodland Street and then down behind one of the buildings. But once there, it would be possible to build a trail along the east side of the river.

It turns out that the city would like to have an access road along the river, so it might be possible to have both. As the river moves north, the woodland is surprisingly rustic. You wouldn't know you were a hundred yards from streets, factories and a hospital. We (OK, I) almost got lost at one point, but Fry had thoughtfully brought maps and Burnham, as befitting a transportation official, always seemed to know where we were going.

From Albany Avenue, where we ended this nearly three-hour exploration, officials are looking at following the Griffin rail line through Bloomfield to its terminus, picking up a CL&P right-of-way through Tarrifville and linking to the Farmington Canal trail in Simsbury.

There may be another way to create a trail through the city, perhaps by shoehorning a trail along the Amtrak right-of-way, though that will be tight with the busway going there. So this might be the best option.

And though there are difficult issues, it's certainly worth considering. Fry plans to form a committee to study it. The governor and state transportation officials should bless the effort. Bike trails into Hartford from all directions would be a very good thing.


Cyclist wants free ride on Point
 Greenwich TIME
By Neil Vigdor
Published August 13 2005
A Stamford cyclist cited with trespassing at Greenwich Point earlier this summer after refusing to pay the town's $10 entry fee for the beach said he hopes to make a test case out of the incident.

Paul Kempner, a 75-year-old retiree and avid cyclist, said he will ask the judge who hears his case on Aug. 24 in state Superior Court in Stamford to dismiss the $92 infraction against him.

He claims nonresidents on bicycles or on foot should be allowed to enter the town's beaches for free or for no more than $50 for an entire year rather than the current, "prohibitive" $10 daily fee.

Greenwich is not abiding by a 2001 landmark state Supreme Court order to open its beaches for outsiders to exercise their First Amendment rights, Kempner said.

"I think it violates the spirit of the court order," said Kempner, who is the first person to challenge the town's nonresident beach fees since they were established in 2002. "I could have just pled guilty and paid the $92 and let it finish then and there, but I didn't do that."

First Selectman Jim Lash defended the $10 entry fee, as well as the $20 daily parking fee charged to visitors with cars.

"We think they're reasonable," he said.

Residents also must pay to use the town's beaches. Seasonal beach cards cost $25 for adult residents and include free parking for vehicles registered in town. Residents who do not obtain the cards are charged the same fees as nonresidents.

On June 8, Kempner disobeyed a gatekeeper's orders to the pay the fee and entered the beach, said police, who issued the cyclist a summons when he exited.

Lash said the town has no plans to drop the case, and is not concerned about a possible negative precedent that might result from the infraction being dismissed. The town typically does not send any of its attorneys to criminal arraignments, and has no plans to do so on Aug. 23, said John Wayne Fox, Greenwich's corporation counsel.

Kempner, meanwhile, questioned the town's decision to pursue the case.

"I just don't understand why Greenwich is taking this position for cyclists, runners and walkers," said Kempner, whose run-in with the gatekeeper bears striking similarity to a now-famous incident at the beach involving a Stamford jogger.

Stamford lawyer Brenden Leydon sued the town over its residents-only beach-access policy after he was denied entry to Greenwich Point while jogging in 1995. The First Amendment case garnered national attention and made it all the way to the state Supreme Court, which ruled the policy unconstitutional but did not prescribe fees the town should charge nonresidents.

CHECK OUT NEW PAGE ON STATE WEBSITE!!!
(We have had the map below on out website for years...finally, thanks to hard work by advocates, the need for original thinking on transportation has gained acceptance!)