Connecticut’s Cycling & Pedestrian Efforts Continue

– By Nichole Strack, Summer Intern from Trinity College. nichole.strack@ctlcv.org

Connecticut’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Committee met this past Tuesday, June 8 at the Capitol Region Council of Governments to report its progress on implementing its Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan.

Since March 9, 2010, the committee has established a Bicycle Education Program at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in several regions. The committee and the CCBA have provided workshops for Physical Education teachers and a fleet of bikes available for the older age group. Specifically, programs will be held this summer at the Boys and Girls Club in South Hartford and classes will be offered in Windsor as well.

As summer draws to a close, the CCBA will begin its transition to Bike Walk Connecticut to advocate for all bicyclists and walkers in Connecticut. It will seek active involvement of other bicycle and walking groups, build strong relationships with bike shops and other businesses, and place a extra emphasis on walking. The committee was also pleased to report Simsbury’s transformation into a Bicycle Friendly Community and its on-going involvement in completing the gaps in the East Coast Greenway, specifically in East Hartford and Bloomfield.

The committee went on to discuss the inclusion of sharrows—shared lane markings—in the 2009 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The purpose of sharrows is to assist bicyclists with lateral positioning when a shared lane is next to on-street parallel parking or in lanes that are too narrow for a motor vehicle. They also alert road users of bicyclists’ likely locations, encourage the safe passing by motorists and reduce the incidence of wrong-way riding.

Another key topic of discussion was skateboards. Connecticut law currently treats skateboarders and skaters the same as bicyclists. In effect, bicycles, roller skates, sleds, skateboards, coasters and other toy vehicles are all permitted to share the road—leading to increased accidents. In addition to the problems posed by these regulations, a lack of data reporting pedestrian accidents burdens the CCBA and the committee’s mission to facilitate improvements for bicyclists and other pedestrians. The data is needed to prove a problem truly exists and also to persuade lawmakers to reconsider their treatment of skateboards and “toy vehicles.”

While CCBA and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Committee continue to make significant advances for bicyclists and walkers across Connecticut, they still face significant challenges in ensuring safe bicycle traffic (see below, for example).

For more information on how to get involved, visit http://ctbikepedplan.org/and http://www.connbikes.org.