From Deb Hubsmith (info@saferoutespartnership.org), via email:

Do you want to help protect and sustain Safe Routes to School funding? If so, please sign up to participate in a meeting with a Member of Congress in your home district. Just fill out some basic information at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NX6T8MW so we know how to contact you and which Congressional district you live in.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is working with other bicycling and walking groups to conduct meetings with Members of Congress across the country to discuss the benefits of federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian facilities and programs. This is your opportunity to make sure your U.S. Representative knows why Safe Routes to School is important.

[continue reading…]

Another Virginia Locality Calls for More Trails and Bikeways

The Hanover County Board of Supervisors   passed a resolution  supporting bicycling and calling for an active transportation network. 

This makes Hanover the fourth locality in Central Virginia – after Ashland, New Kent and the City of Richmond –  to pass pro-bike/ trail resolutions.

The resolution passed unanimously at the Board meeting on December 8.

The resolution calls for the county to promote bicycling facilities and commits the county to work,  “…with neighboring localities and partner with national organzations to connect  to connect…”  into a a wider network of trails, bikeways and greenways. 

US Bike Routes 76 (TransAmerica Route), USBR 1 and the East Coast Greenway all pass through the county.

(l to r) George Homewood, Bud Vye, Champe Burnley, Stran Trout

The VA Bicycling Federation awarded New Kent County their Bike Friendly Community Award at the Richmond Metropolitan Planning Organization’s December meeting.   Accepting the award for  New Kent were George Homewood, Director of Economic Development and Supervisor Stran Trout.

The award acknowledges New Kent’s efforts to support cycling and creating six permanent cycling routes in the county.

The MPO approved the county’s application for a federal Transportation Enhancement grant application which helped pay for the routes.

New Kent has been a leader in Central Virginia for proactively including cycling as an integral part of their transportation infrastructure.

LTAP workshops have been a convenient and low cost way for municipality staff, elected officials, planners, contractors, and bike advocates to get up to speed with bike-ped safety issues and infrastructure improvements. Now UVA is combining LTAP with their other professional development program under a new name, The Transportation Training Academy, or The Academy.

So keep an eye out for The Academy’s bike-ped workshops. All bike advocates should try to attend these, along with their local engineers, planners, elected officials and citizen volunteers. The networking can be as valuable as the training, if not moreso. There’s an upcoming workshop Jan. 20 in Charlottesville.

From the email announcement by the TTA’s director, Bill Kelsh:

The Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) at the University of Virginia (U.Va.) is pleased to announce the launch of the U.Va. Transportation Training Academy (The Academy). The Academy’s mission is to impart the required knowledge and skills to Virginia’s transportation workforce to perform their jobs more productively, safely, and effectively so as to: (1) enhance traveler mobility and safety, and (2) improve the design, construction, and maintenance of transportation facilities in the Commonwealth. The Academy is a result of the merger of two previous training programs offered through CTS: the Virginia Local Technical Assistance Program (VA LTAP) and the Transportation Professional Development Program (TPDP). By merging these two programs, we are uniquely positioned to support the workforce training and professional development needs of Virginia’s state and local transportation agencies and private sector companies by offering more workshops across a broad range of topics at very affordable prices. [continue reading…]