Click here to read the executive summary of the bike parking report and click here to review the bike parking survey results.

Many Voices Heard at Bike/Ped Forum

The VBPC's 3rd Annual Bike/Ped Forum brought together enthusiasts from a variety of sectors including bike shops, advocacy groups, bike clubs, state government, chambers of commerce, and regional planning commissions. In the photo above, participants listen as Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Sue Minter, describes the impacts of Tropical Storm Irene on Vermont's infrastructure. The Forum, through six breakout sessions, provided an important opportunity for individuals with a stake in bike/ped issues to meet one another and explore ways to work together. The Coalition is grateful to the 2011 major sponsors, the Department of Tourism and Marketing, Bike Vermont, Onion River Sports, and the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, who made it possible for the Forum to expand to include so many additional voices. Please mark your calendar now for the 2012 Forum which will be held on Wednesday, October 24 and lend your voice to these important discussions. Thank you.

Tour de Farms -  Sunday, September 18th, 2011 - Great Riding and Great Food

This year's Tour de Farms attracted a record number of bicyclists: 581. It was a glorious day filled with sunshine, great food, stunning scenery, toe-tapping music, and the camaraderie of bicyclists having a wonderful time in the great Vermont outdoors. The VBPC and co-organizers Rural Vermont and ACORN are grateful to sponsors Earl's Cyclery & Fitness, Wolaver's Organic Brewery, American Flatbread, and the Vermont Fresh Network. Below are a few photos that give a glimpse of this special day.

Please mark your calendar now for the 2012 Tour de Farms: Sunday, September 16. To see more enticing photos and to read a great account of the 2011 Tour, please click on this link: http://threadvt.com/?p=390

A bicycling farmer's account of the first three tours can be found here:

http://www.localbanquet.com/issues/years/2011/Fall11/tour_f11.html

Updated "Share the Road!" Bumper Sticker Now Available!

A new, revised "Share the Road!" bumper sticker is now available. The updated bumper sticker has a summary of Vermont bicycling laws on the back side and the summary includes the changes that went into effect in 2010. The stickers are available singly or in bulk quantities at no charge, but please consider sending a contribution to defray the cost of production and postage. You can direct requests to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

YouTube Video Shows Road Conditions that Cyclists Face

Note: The video clip referred to below was prepared in advance of the August 28, 2011 storm and flooding and repaving of a 2-mile stretch of Route 2. The VBPC is aware that the storm caused extensive damage to infrastructure statewide and understands that VTrans has its hands full with a host of severe problems. Our thoughts are with those whose homes, businesses, and lives have been impacted by this devastating event.

VBPC member Roger Bombardier recently filmed the "shoulder" area of Route 2 between Montpelier and Waterbury with his helmet-mounted camera. He edited his footage to a 2+ minute clip that can be seen by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc8G88ckU6I

Please consider showing this link to selectboard members, town planners, and others who may not realize how bad conditions have become for Vermont's bicyclists.

Carry a Summary of Vermont's Bicycling Laws When You Ride

For a one-page summary of Vermont's bicycling laws that can be folded easily and carried by a bicyclist,

please click on this link:  Vermont's Bicycling Laws. The VBPC thanks Judy Bond for researching the

statutes and creating this document.

Podcast of Mark Johnson radio program on WDEV held on August 3rd, 2011

Discussion of motorist harassment of bicyclists

For 1-1/2 hours the switchboard lit up with a steady stream of callers who wanted to comment on issues surrounding crumbling infrastructure, motorist harassment, registration of bicycles, and more.

Click on the link below to listen.

http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2011/08/03.aspx

2011 Earth Day ride

Shown here are 17 of the 25 bicyclists who participated in the 2011 Earth Day ride on April 22. The group included five legislators: Rep. Valerie Stuart, Rep John Bartholomew, Rep. Willem Jewett, Rep Jim McCullough (not shown), and Rep. Chris Pearson (not shown) as well as 9 youth and 3 adults from the Killington Mountain School cycling team. The VBPC encourages everyone to have fun and "Share the Road." (Photo courtesy of Mark Collier)

Which State Road Shoulders Need Work?

Are you aware of sections of road shoulders that are particularly in need of repair and/or sweeping? Your input is being sought now by the Coalition as we work to prepare a list for Vtrans of shoulders that are most in need of sweeping and another list of shoulders that are most in need of repair. For sweeping purposes, VTrans is relying on a list of priority roads that the Coalition created four years ago. It’s time to update the sweeping list using input from VBPC members. Please send your feedback to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Note that VTrans only maintains about 20% of Vermont’s roads. Please don’t submit shoulders that are maintained by municipalities. If you’re unsure, you can find this information on the VTrans web site. It’s important to be as specific as possible. For example, don’t suggest that “all of Route 100” is a high priority for sweeping. Given current budgetary limitations, it will be most effective if you list the sections most in need of attention. Please submit your recommendations by the end of March and please distinguish sections that need repair from sections that need sweeping.

State Announces Bike/Ped Plans

In remarks before the House Transportation Committee on January 27, Deputy Secretary of Transportation Sue Minter outlined the administration's bike/ped plans for Fiscal Year 2012 which begins July 1. Deputy Secretary Minter stated that: "This administration is committed to accommodating needs of bicyclists and pedestrians." This is good news, indeed, and it's news that the bike/ped community in Vermont has waited a very long time to hear.

The following are some of the highlights the Deputy Secretary shared:

The state's FY 2012 bike/ped budget is up 2 percent over FY 2011. In these extremely difficult economic times, this is an indication that the Shumlin administration is acknowledging that bike/ped hasn't received the attention it deserves. (A list of which bike/ped projects are scheduled for construction in FY 2012 is available from VTrans. Please let me know if you are interested in these details.)

In FY 2012, the state will increase bike parking at park and ride facilities, public buildings, downtown areas, and at strategic public transit locations. (At the urging of the VBPC, Rep. Jason Lorber, D-Burlington, is drafting legislation that will increase the availability of bike parking at state buildings. Rep. Lorber serves on the House Institutions Committee. It's gratifying that members of both the administration and the legislature will be addressing this issue. The VBPC also had discussed the need for improvements in this area with Rep. Mary Hooper (D-Montpelier) and Joan Lenes (D-Shelburne). Both serve on the House Institutions Committee.)

Local bike/ped safety education programs will be funded in FY 2012. No details yet as to the dollars available or the application process.

Although the state will re-open the bike/ped program that allows municipalities to apply for funding for bike/ped infrastructure, there will be some research before the door is flung wide open. The plan is to devote FY 2012 to assessing current needs. Part of this process will be an analysis of crash data. Members of the bike/ped community will be included in the conversation and invited to provide input. The VBPC welcomes this openness on the part of the Shumlin administration and we look forward to hearing specifics regarding when these discussions will begin. In FY 2013, the state will undertake a cost/benefit analysis to determine which bike/ped projects make the most sense to advance.

Jon Kaplan, the state's Bike/Ped Program Manager, announced that the first public meeting on the Bike/Ped Economic Study will be held February 16. VTrans has commissioned a study to determine the number of dollars that bicycling and walking generate in the Vermont economy. Public input into this process is welcome.

The VBPC will report updates on the above as info becomes available. Thanks for your support of the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition.

VBPC's 2nd Annual Bike/Ped Business Forum

Representatives from bicycle shops, touring companies, manufacturers

and clubs came together with members of advocacy groups and state

government and owners of B&Bs at the VBPC's 2nd Annual Bike/Ped

Business Forum on October 27 in Montpelier. The discussion focused

on how members of the bike/ped community can share information

and work together to benefit Vermont's small businesses, bicyclists,

and pedestrians.

(Photo courtesy of Anne Ferguson)

Seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, led a ride in

Waterbury, VT on the afternoon of October 13. Lance provided

short notice via Twitter. The afternoon was sunny and crisp,

perfect for a fall bicycle ride in the Green Mountain state. Word

spread quickly and Lance was met by an enthusiastic crowd

ready to ride. Lance was in Vermont to speak at a fundraiser

for ovarian cancer research.

(Photo courtesy of Kathleen Daye)

"Safe Passing" Bill Becomes Law!

The “Safe Passing” Law: What It Means for Vermont’s Roadway Users New legislation that offers protections to Vermont’s “vulnerable” roadway users was signed by Governor Douglas on May 20. The law, Act 114, defines pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, bicyclists, people on horseback, roller skiers and others as “vulnerable users.” Essentially, those who aren’t completely encased in metal are much more susceptible to injury and are, therefore, in this category of roadway users.

The Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition (VBPC), a statewide nonprofit education and advocacy organization, spearheaded a grassroots effort that resulted in the “Safe Passing” bill clearing key committees and both chambers of the legislature. The full text of the new law can be viewed on the home page of the VBPC: www.vtbikeped.org

In brief, here’s how the law will benefit all bicyclists and pedestrians in Vermont:

• Motorists are now required to pass bicyclists, pedestrians, people on horseback, roller skiers, and other vulnerable roadway users with “due care, which includes increasing clearance, to pass the vulnerable user safely”

• All those in motor vehicles now are prohibited from throwing objects at vulnerable users and from harassing them in other ways, such as approaching them too closely and too rapidly

• Bicyclists may now (legally) indicate their intention to make a right turn by using their right arms

• Bicyclists may now (legally) move to the left to make a left turn, avoid a hazard in the roadway, or pass another roadway user

• Bicyclists, when riding at night, are now required to have a light on the rear (attached to either the bike or cyclist) or at least 20 square inches of rear-facing reflective material/reflectors on the bicycle/bicyclist

All of the above changes will help improve conditions on Vermont’s roadways for those who enjoy bicycling, running, walking, horseback riding, roller skiing, roller skating, and other activities.

Although it’s been a widely-accepted practice that a bicyclist can signal a right turn with his or her right arm, it is now permitted by law. It’s important for a bicyclist to move to the left to prepare to make a left turn or avoid a hazard in the road. Nevertheless, this move has never been described officially in statute and sometimes other roadway users interpret it as inappropriate or illegal.

While the new law offers protections, it also calls upon bicyclists to display a greater degree of responsibility for safety. For the first time, a bicyclist, while riding at night, is required to have a red light on the rear or a minimum amount of reflective material. The light or the reflective material may be mounted on either the bike or the bicyclist. The law gives the bicyclist plenty of flexibility, while at the same time, requiring that the bicyclist be highly visible to other roadway users.

Prior to the passage of this law, if a driver or passenger in a car threw an object at a vulnerable roadway user, the only legal recourse was to charge them with littering. Clearly, harassment and littering are two, very different offenses.

Unfortunately, there are roadways users who are ignorant, thoughtless, and/or arrogant. Some are motorists, some are bicyclists, and some are pedestrians. The VBPC works to encourage all roadway users to demonstrate respect and courtesy for all other roadway users. Bikes were on the roads before cars and horses were on the roads before bikes. Equestrians, bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists will be sharing Vermont’s roads for a long time into the future. With a little mindfulness and consideration, such sharing can be a pleasant experience for all.

The Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition is happy to respond to questions and comments about the new legislation. Feedback may be directed to Executive Director Nancy Schulz at (802) 225-8904

or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click here to see a pdf of the new law

Citizen Advocacy Works!

by Judy Bond, VBPC board president

Recently, there have been several great examples of citizen input with great results. Strong bike/ped support shaped the design of the Champlain Bridge to have good sidewalks and bike-friendly shoulders. Hundreds of individually-crafted letters of support influenced the House Transportation Committee to take up H.540. The addition of bike routes to Google Maps was a direct result of the many requests from the cycling community. So to all of you who have written or spoken up: a huge “thanks!” And please know that if you do respond to a VBPC Action Alert, your input is very important.

Wish List

The Coalition is seeking a donation of a digital camera with 10 megapixels of resolution. The Coalition’s current camera has 5 megapixels, severely limiting the quality of the images reproduced in the VBPC newsletter and web site. Thanks for keeping your eyes open for a possible camera for this purpose.

The Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition is a member-supported organization. Please join us, and share the word!