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New Pedestrian Bridge in Merrimack New Hampshire Will Benefit Cyclists Too

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New Hampshire is a beautiful state with lots of great bike paths that wind through the valleys and mountains, often crossing over rivers. Because many people love to be outside to enjoy the fresh air, Merrimack has now installed a pedestrian bridge over the Souhegan River. This bridge gives residents easier access to the center of town and will ultimately provide the ability to extend the town’s walking and biking trails. Whole areas of town that were separated will now be joined together.

This bridge is 134 feet long and connects the north and south sides of the river, between the Merrimack High School and East Chamberlain Road. This new bridge runs parallel to the Merrill’s Marauders’s Bridge. Now, people can take a quick 10-minute walk over the bridge, instead of the longer route that pedestrians used to have to take. This will be especially helpful for kids that live on the south side of the river and go to the high school on the north side.

Some people may find it interesting to know that this footbridge was purchased from Portsmouth, where a car bridge over Route 33 was replaced with a bigger crossing that now had sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists. Contractors working in both Portsmouth and Merrimack talked about it and the information reached Merrimack officials. Since Portsmouth no longer needed the footbridge, they sold it to Merrimack for $10,000.

But, since we are talking about bicycles here, it is really great to know that the town has already secured multiple trail easements on the south side of the river. Town officials also intend on developing trails on some of the conservation lands on the south side of the Souhegan River. Trails are expected to be developed within the town center as well. This new development will provide cyclists and walkers with some great trails throughout town. Now one side of town is easily accessible to the others.

Filed Under: Cycling, Street Tagged With: Footbridge, Merrimack High School, New Hampshire

St. Charles County, MO May Ban Bikes on Some Roads

: Image by freddy via Flickr

A controversy over bicycles has exploded in St. Charles County, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis. Some residents argue that bikes should be banned on the county’s most dangerous roads. This, of course, has been met with strong opposition from riders who enjoy using the area’s hilly, windy roads.

Supporters of the ban argue that using bicycles on certain roads create a dangerous situation for everyone, including those driving cars. One woman at a recent meeting says that her daughter died in an accident that occurred when the young driver turned a curve only to find a bike rider right in front of her. The woman’s daughter swerved to avoid the rider. She then hit a tree and was thrown from the vehicle.

There are some obvious dangers to riding bikes on winding roads, but this does not necessarily mean that bikes should be banned. Alternatives include banning bikes from specific stretches of the most dangerous roads, requiring bicyclists to take certain protective measures, and lowering the speed limit for motorists.

News reports have not even mentioned the possibility of creating bike lanes that would make it easier for motorists and bicyclists to share the road without endangering each other.

The legal issue goes beyond whether the county should ban bikes. There is also a question of whether the county even has the authority to ban bikes on its roads.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, state law gives them control over roads built using state funds. That would include the major roads in St. Charles County. Melissa Anderson of MoDOT adds that the ban is unenforceable and that MoDOT will refuse to give the county permission to post signs preventing bike travel on state roads.

Supporters of the ban argue that the county’s home-rule charter gives it authority to ban bikes.

Bikers in the region have quite a lot to lose with this ban. The ban would prevent them from traveling freely without motor vehicles while eliminating some of the most challenging roads in the area from their training schedules.

Filed Under: Bikes, Street Tagged With: Automobile, Bicycle, Counties, Cycling, Law, Missouri Department of Transportation, Speed limit, United States

Granite State Wheelmen Bring Fun and Sun to Sleepy Suburbs

Founded in 1971 by three roving bicycling enthusiasts, each an intrepid spirit with multiple long-distance rides under-belt, the Granite State Wheelmen has bloomed into a large, supportive group for all experience levels. Over the years, this small troupe of riders has grown and flourished, and at last has become the most active group of adults who enjoy biking. So popular is the Granite State Wheelmen, in fact, that it rivals the Bicycle Coalition of New Hampshire. New riders will be happy to join the Granite State Wheelmen for one of their rides that’s marked “New Riders” with a smiley face symbol, as these rides have been broken into small enough sections as to not tire newer cyclers. Also, these rides for newbies include instructions, tips, and interesting trivia about the area where rides are taking place.

Organized rides take place all year, on weekdays as well as on weekends; even rides that occur for multiple days are featured for enthusiasts and members of all ages for Granite State Wheelmen. These longer rides feature both on-road and off-road cycling, as well as historical sites and well-planned accommodations. If you want to meet the crew at Granite State Wheelmen without signing-on for a long ride, then there are social events that take place sporadically throughout the year so that members can meet and plan their own jaunts across New England.

Granite State Wheelmen offers its members email updates, and access to an online group for discussions and invitations. This group welcomes all ages, but younger riders should only accept invitations with adult supervision, as the discussions and invitations are not monitored, and the members are not screened. For a low annual membership fee, members are able to join in for rides, access the newsletter, Pedal Talk, and read online classified ads for free from other bikers.

Filed Under: Bicycle, Cycling, Riding Trails, Street Tagged With: Cycling, New Hampshire, Sports

New Styles at the Tour de France

From the exciting, crowd pleasing gold wrappers of the Footon-Servetto’s carbon framed bikes, to the gleaming black, red, and white paint of the Pinarello models, lots of new features hit the Tour this season that had never been seen before.

Pinarello Machines

Caisse d’Epargne bikes are the easiest bikes to pick out of a crowd at the Tour de France each year, because of their delightful and sleek coloring. With matching components and crowd-pleasing colors, the bursts of red, black, and white leave cheering onlookers with a vision that provides a new answer to the obnoxious old riddle, “What’s black, and white, and red all over?” The curvy front and rear ends provide more than just fun for riders, they also are said to provide comfort. While most designers stop at asymmetrical chain stays, the Caisse d’Epargne Dogma model has asymmetry throughout the structure.

Cofidis’ Clashing Titans

Why are the riders of Cofidis still using the older, tube and lug, 595 model? Can anyone answer that question? Most teams have moved on to the traditional modular monocoque style, including the Rein Taaramae team. The 695 also has a new crank, the Zed 2, and an enormous spindle that is 66 percent larger than the older BB30. Cofidis bikes for the team have Shimano Dura Ace groups of mechanics, from their chain rings (FSA) to their crank arms (FSA), handlebars, and wheels.

Footon-Servetto’s Dancing Sugarplums

Even though the Orca flagship by Orbea deserves some mention, it’s more important that you know about the Platonic form of Beauty: the Footon-Servetto’s gleaming gold, metallic bikes. A lovely image in the sun, these sparkling, stiff machines are said to be a wonderful ride, what with their new, tapered head tubes, down tubing that’s internally ribbed, and a seatmast that is deep section integrated. Who has time for the others, Orca included, when Footon-Servetto rolls through town?

Filed Under: Bikes, Street Tagged With: Cycling, sport, Tour de France

Ray LaHood an Hero for the Bicyclists of America

The United States Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, was given a hero’s welcome after his victorious battle to make bicycling and walking safer. Organizations and agencies from around the country, including several from each state, joined together to support his plight in Congress to make cycling and walking both safer and more accessible for Americans. More than 200 different groups and organizations, representing local communities, regional clubs, and state and national organizations and agencies, gathered together in order to honor Secretary LaHood and his triumph.

Secretary LaHood has changed the perspective of bicycling and walking from one of mere exercise and leisure activity, to that of a serious component in daily transportation, and one that ameliorates the harmful effects of vehicular emissions and fuel consumption on the environment. Bicycling, as bicyclists will proudly tell you, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and makes communities more livable. Also, bicycling is beneficial for the health of participants, and the reduced cost of obesity, adult onset diabetes, and heart disease in citizens.

Ray LaHood has said, “Bike and pedestrian paths are part of a cleaner, greener future for American transportation,” and he clearly meant it. He has also cited the statistics that people around the country are biking more often, and that Americans in general are aware of the cost effective-ness of bicycling as a mode of transportation, over driving.

From forty years ago, when more than half of all children walked or biked to school each day, to the current statistic of just fifteen percent walking or cycling, cities have seen their funding decreased for public walkways and paths. Ray LaHood would like to see communities recognize the importance for these pathways to be re-established and used for the health and good of communities and their citizens. More than eighty percent of polled voters clearly state that they would prefer to have more Federal funding used to support local projects for better, greener transportation.

Filed Under: Bicycle, Cycling, Riding Trails, Street Tagged With: Cycling, Mode of transport, Ray LaHood

Safe Routes to School, New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation encourages communities from all over the Granite State to participate in this exciting new program, which enables, educates, and encourages children to use safe routes to school in lieu of being driven. This movement, Safe Routes to School (SRTS), has been supported by famous parents like Michelle Obama, and local celebrities like the Governor of New Hampshire, too. SRTS is an aid for communities that need extra support off-setting the initial costs of bringing the three E’s of SRTS to the transportation system. With proper encouragement, SRTS believes that any community can become greener, and support an infrastructure that is more conducive to a healthy environment.

A sedentary lifestyle, the leading factor in adult onset diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and a disconnection from the environment, is combated by programs like SRTS, which encourages children and adults to find safe routes for bicycling to school, or walking. Biking to school used to be far more popular than being driven, but with increased traffic and the gradual reduction of safe pathways, bicycling has become uncommon amongst school aged children.

Relying on close cooperation amongst many local organizations and schools, SRTS seeks to enable children from kindergarten age up to eighth grade to begin using bicycles for transportation, or walking. Children within two miles of their school are educated on the safe pathways and routes to their school building, and encouraged and rewarded for using these means of transportation. Communities are reimbursed for their effort with a grant that will build the green infrastructure in the local community.

Biking or walking to school is thought to be the healthiest mode of transportation, and it also has been shown to develop a greater sense of independence in children. Although safety needs to be the first concern, wellness and community development are other factors that should weigh on a community’s choice to participate in SRTS.

Filed Under: Bicycle, Cycling, Street Tagged With: New Hampshire, Safe Routes to School