Update on Bike Racks

Wouldn’t you know, I have not heard back from our Town Planner or DPW director on my inquiry about creating a network of bike racks across town. Granted, I sent this via email and from what I’ve heard usage of email by our town officials is spotty. (Why have their email addresses published then?)

Next step: Good ol’ fashioned paper-based snail-mail.

But biking as alternative transportation option is getting a fair amount of press coverage. Take a look at this Boston Globe article describing how employers are how helping their employees drop their four wheels for two; or this one about the continuing struggle between drivers and riders over sharing the road; and finally this one about what needs to happen to raise the visibility of bicyclists and bicycling in general.

Closer to home, the RI DOT has a site dedicated to bike travel. It’s OK; at least you can get area bike path maps and read all about the state laws pertaining to bike travel.

An even better site is that of the Providence Bicycle Coalition (PBC). Lots of great info. While coasting around I discovered this Projo article about Barrington’s efforts to erect a covered bicycle shed and get RIPTA to help pay for it. If that works out, I wonder if we could get the same at our Park & Ride? It just goes to show that there is more than one funding avenue out there for these types of projects.

Saddle up for the ride. More to come on this.

[Image: BikePortland.org, http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/43605746/]

Help Bring the Trail to Tiverton

Have you ever gone for a stroll on the Bristol Bike Path? Or maybe even tried to ride across a few different trails from East Providence all the way to the backyard of the Audubon Society's Environmental Learning Center in Bristol?

If you have, you know first hand what a wonderful backbone such a trail can be for a community. Families and individuals out there riding, skating, and walking their way to health and relaxation, and of course, getting from Point A to Point B in the process. And many times, new small businesses (e.g, bike shops and rentals, refreshment stands) crop up close by to support the burgeoning new gathering spot.

We have that same opportunity in Tiverton and a new group of volunteers called Tiverton Trailblazers is seeing that it becomes a reality. The new path, or greenway, aims to reclaim a long-abandoned stretch of train rails between the Sakonnet River Bridge and the North Tiverton/Fall River line. What makes this effort even sweeter is that the new bridge (ridiculous naming debate aside) will have a pedestrian lane, allowing you to go right over into Portsmouth.

Converting rails to trails is nothing new. Several national advocacy groups such as the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy have been working for years to create a new way for all of us to get around. Closer to home, the East Coast Greenway aims to connect all the major cities along the east coast with one continuous trail. Such inter-modal transportation alternatives are a win-win for any community, especially when they are connected to a wider array of paths, trails, and existing street systems. Carbon-free transportation, improved health and wellness, recreation alternatives, the list goes on.

But it takes a lot of hard work to make it a reality. If you've been looking for a way to give back to the town and do some volunteering, Tiverton Trailblazers might be a great way to do it. Visit their website for more information. There you can see pictures and maps of the proposed trail site, and find out how to lend a hand.