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Premier Sponsor
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For their generous support of our Bike for Life program, launching in 2013
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Partners
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Thank you for working with us to promote people-powered recreation and transportation!
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Getting Ready for Intervale XC Skiing
 Want to help create 3-miles of groomed XC ski trails in Burlington's Intervale?
Volunteers are needed to provide this great free resource -- groomers, snowmobile mechanics (really) and event helpers.Contact Mary Catherine to pitch in. There will be a small pre-season workday on Saturday, December 1st, 9am to Noon. Meet at Tommy Thompson Gardens, Intervale Road (1/4 mile past McNeil Generating Plant). Stay current with conditions and volunteer opportunities on our Facebook page . Intervale XC Skiing seeks to provide area residents affordable, active winter fun. It's a collaboration between Local Motion, the Intervale Center, Skirack, Burlington Parks and Recreation, Catamount Trail Association, RunVermont, Winooski Valley Park District and Intervale farmers. Seeking sponsors! Want to give your business visibility? Join Cloudveil, Vermont Design Works or Skirack by contacting Chapin Spencer. |
Causeway Is Open! BTV Path Repairs Begun
Thanks to the 500+ families and businesses who donated to The Big Fix and the Friends of the Island Line, the Colchester Causeway reopened on October 26, 2012! Thanks to your generosity, Local Motion provided a $33,108 check to Colchester to help with the repairs.
On November 1, Local Motion and RunVermont also handed over a $50,000 check to the City of Burlington as repairs commenced on two areas of the path (Lakeview Cemetary and Northshore). Together we are repairing the Island Line Trail and preparing to relaunch the Bike Ferry! Read more ... |
Unique, Up-Cycled Gifts for the Holidays
Bike Recycle Designs, part of our Bike Recycle Vermont venture, is excited to be featuring its products at many Burlington stores and markets this holiday season!
Bike Recycle Designs sells beautiful inner tube earrings, spoke bracelets, tire belts, sprocket bottle openers and other up-cycled products year round.
BUY IT! Visit us at the Winooski Holiday Art Market through December, and at the Burlington City Arts Holiday Artist Market on December 21st and 22nd. You can also find us year-round at the Outdoor Gear Exchange, Maglianero Cafe, the Skirack, and other stores. Support Bike Recycle and make sure your holiday gifts come from up-cycled bike parts this year!
MAKE IT! Drop by to any Make Stuff! Night on Wednesdays from 6-9pm and you can become a volunteer jewelry maker. Soon, Bike Recycle Designs will have a permanent workshop space where volunteers can come work during afternoon shop hours. If you're interested in volunteering for Bike Recycle Designs, you'll have more opportunities to get creative and give your time to this exciting project! For more information, email Hannah or call (802) 264-9687.
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Host a Bike Commuter Clinic at your Workplace 
Would you like to try biking to work -- but want a few pointers?
We're here to help! Contact Jason Van Driesche about setting up a bike commuter workshop at your workplace. We can even do a clinic on winter bike commuting. There's no bad weather, just bad clothing and inadequate gear! In partnership with CATMA, Old Spokes Home and the City of Burlington, we hosted a successful workshop on November 28 for a dozen Burlington employees (see picture). We make it fun and interactive, so contact us today! Bike commuter clinics are now FREE for employers in Chittenden County that participate in the Go Chittenden transportation demand management (TDM) initiative. Contact Jason for more info. |
Do you have a bike/walk project that you'd like your Town to construct? VTrans will award up to $300,000 per project in communities around Vermont.
With a new Fed transportation bill, the State has revised the former "Transportation Enhancements" grants into "Transportation Alternatives" grants. Non-profits are no longer eligible, but they can partner with Towns who can apply. There are mandatory training sessions in December and the application deadline is January 18. Talk to your Town officials about this opportunity. More info here. |
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New LINK Buses to Double Bike Capacity
Thanks to the vision of CCTA and VT's Congressional delegation, the new LINK buses between Burlington and Montpelier will have capacity for 4 bikes -- and protected in the luggage bays under the bus! Click on the picture below to get step-by-step bike loading instructions.
Email a thank-you to CCTA General Manager Bill Waterson. Read more... |
70 People Attend Montpelier Bike Summit
 Montpelier Mayor John Hollar deserves kudos for showing the kind of leadership that will improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians in Vermont. On November 7th, Montpelier held its first ever Bike Summit -- and 70 citizens showed up to demonstrate how much they care about bicycling. The mayor requested that staff from the Public Works, Planning, Parks, and Police Departments attend, and he extended an invitation to all residents. Long-time bicycle enthusiast Bill Merrylees believes that a working group will continue from this summit. Many of the attendees called on the City to develop a bike and pedestrian master plan. Additionally, the city is on board with applying for a "Bike Friendly Community" designation once a few concrete steps have been taken. Want to help? Get involved! Email Bill Merrylees or Nancy Schulz.
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Landslide Victory for BTV Path Items!
On November 6, Burlington voters overwhelmingly approved two funding items for the rehabilitation of the City's bike path network!
Item #2 ($6M of waterfront improvements including $2M for the path) passed with 75% approval (12,032 to 4,032); and Item #3 (an annual $180,000 maintenance fund for the path) passed with 73% approval (11,837 to 4,312). Thanks to Mayor Weinberger, the City Council (which unanimously supported the ballot items), the Friends of the Burlington Bike Path, the Bike Path Task Force and the residents of the city. Three amazing campaign volunteers deserve special recognition: Matt Barrows was the awesome campaign intern, Jordan LaCourt was the designer of all the materials, and John Bossange was the chair of the campaign. Read more ... |
Rutland's New Path to Spur City's Revitalization
Kudos to Rutland City for opening their first pathway on November 3, 2012! The first phase of an ambitious arterial pathway through the City drew over 100 excited residents on Saturday morning. Go Rutland!
Click here to see all the photos on Facebook! Click here for the Rutland Creek Path website. |
2012 A Banner Year for Secure Bike Parking
 | | Above: Thomas Cohen (Secure Bike Parking intern) and Christine Hill (Bike Recycle Designs) on their way to the Farmer's Market with trailers in tow |
The 2012 season was quite a success for Secure Bicycle Parking. In total, we parked 3262 bikes! These bikes were parked at the Burlington Summer Farmer's Market, and 18 different events over 51 days throughout the summer. Thanks to our premier sponsor, Skirack, as well as to our many dedicated volunteers -- without whom it would have been impossible for Secure Bicycle Parking staff to park as many bikes as we did. Additionally, this year saw some improvements. During the course of the season, we constructed 32 new bike racks. We now have the potential to park up to 256 bikes for a single event! We also improved our bicycle retrieval system to make it easier for volunteers to help us park and retrieve bicycles. While we used a van for the majority of our events, 8 events were successfully set up using a bicycle trailer. Next season we hope to do more events using the bicycle trailer! |
Buy Kids' Toys; Support Bike Skills Training
Every year, our local Kohl's store in the University Mall sells high-quality kids' books and toys at $5 each to support the Vermont Children's Hospital. This year, 100% of the proceeds from this fund go to Kohl's Kids Bike Smart, a bike skills training program powered by Local Motion that helps schools around Vermont incorporate bike skills training into their PE classes and afterschool programs. By putting these items on your Christmas list this year, you give two gifts: the item you buy, and the funding you provide. What could be better? See specific toys and books here. |
2012 Year-End Appeal Underway
 Here at Local Motion, we are fortunate to have the unswerving support of our members and friends -- support that funds the myriad walking, biking and active lifestyle initiatives we champion across Vermont all year long. As the end of the year approaches -- and many deserving organizations ask for your financial support -- we ask that you consider Local Motion in your philanthropic plans. Your contribution will make a direct and crucial impact on our work to achieve healthy and sustainable Vermont communities -- communities where neighbors feel safe an supported in choosing people-powered ways of getting around, and communities where transportation is affordable and accessible to all. For example ... Read more ... |
On Bicycles: A Book Review  On Bicycles - 50 Ways the New Bike Culture can Change Your Life sounds like the title of a self help book, but it does not quite fit that description. Edited by Amy Walker, who lives and rides in Vancouver, On Bicycles is a good introduction to bike riding as a means of everyday transportation and a tool for social change. There are chapters on biking and the environment, biking with children, making cities safer for bikes, bike advocacy and combining cycling with other modes of transportation. Read more ...
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Local Motion member, storyteller and writer Peter Burns is an avid biker, walker and swimmer in the Burlington area. He began bike riding through the winter in the early 80's. A passionate advocate for biking and walking, he tries to maintain a tiny carbon footprint.
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(Cartoon courtesy of Andy Singer)
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Happy Trails!
Local Motion 2012 Crew: Abdullah, Brian, Chapin, Charlene, Dan, Don, Hannah, Jane, Jason, Kevin, Leslye, Lou, Marion and Mary Catherine |
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