Miles of new trails to open

Rutland Herald
By Josh O'Gorman
October 18, 2008
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081018/NEWS02/810180345

Mountain bikers and horseback riders rejoice — soon you will have more trails to ride, but you're going to have to pitch in and help.

The Green Mountain National Forest is opening up more than 35 miles of trails for equestrian use, while mountain bikers will be able to enjoy about 7 miles of new trails.

The decision to open the trails came after Green Mountain National Forest asked for public comment in March, which drew more than 600 comments and suggestions on which trails should be opened and what they should be used for.

"We had a lot of interest in designating these trails," said Rob Hoelscher, acting district ranger for the Middlebury and Rochester Ranger District. "We felt we needed to designate these trails and include mountain bike and equestrian riders and the first step was designating those trails that best support those uses."

Hoelscher said the trails were originally designed for uses that have heavier impact than either bikes or horses and many are used by snowmobile riders in the winter.

Hoelscher designated a network of trails and forest service roads east of Goshen Road and north of Goshen Dam in Goshen and Ripton that together will compose an approximate 7-mile loop for horseback riders.

Mountain bike riders will be able to enjoy the Oak Ridge Trail, a 1.5-mile ride whose trailhead is on Route 125 in Ripton just west of the Ripton Country Store.

In the southern part of the state, about 26 miles of trails have been designated for equestrian use in Glastenbury, Stratton, Winhall and Woodford, a network of trails that will create an 18-mile loop, said Doug Reeves, recreational planner for the Green Mountain National Forest.

Reeves said two trails — one measuring about 4.5 miles and the other about 1 mile — have been opened up for mountain bike use in the Stratton area.

While forest service officials have designated the trails for these new uses, they are not open yet.

"When the trails open up really depends on when we can form partnerships with equestrian groups and mountain bike groups," Hoelscher said. "They need to make improvements to the trails first before they're opened up."

Hoelscher said the Green Mountain National Forest is teaming with horse and mountain bike groups to assist in trail maintenance. His district has entered into an agreement with the Vermont Mountain Bike Association to improve and maintain the Oak Ridge trail and is in negotiations with an equestrian group to improve the horse trails.

"We're not building new trails. We're opening them up for multiple use," Reeves said. "The more partners we have the more uses we'll have for the trails."

Reeves said he is in negotiations with mountain bike and horse groups and planned to meet with them in November.

"The Vermont Mountain Bike Association is very pleased with our partnership with the forest service," executive director Patrick D. Kell.

The association has 21 chapters from Jay Peak to Putney and also works with the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to open up state land to mountain bike riders.

Kell said his association recently received $35,000 in grants — $26,000 from the National Forest Foundation and $9,000 from the Bikes Belong Coalition — to improve the Oak Ridge Trail and other trails in the area. The National Forest Foundation grant will be paid to the Vermont Youth Conservation Corp, which will work on the trails next summer, Kell said.

In the immediate future, the Vermont Mountain Bike Association will work on the Oak Ridge Trail, beginning 9 a.m. Sunday. For more information, visit them on the Web at www.vmba.org.

Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.

Bicyclist Injured In Crash With Car

Burlington Free Press
October 13, 2008
News Brief
www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081013/NEWS/81013002

COLCHESTER -- A woman was treated at Fletcher Allen Health Care after being hit by a car at the intersection of East and West Lakeshore drives in Colchester.

Bonnie Anderson, 23, of Burlington rode against traffic into the intersection and was struck by a 1996 Chevrolet driven by Patrick Duxbury, 38, of Colchester on Saturday morning, Colchester police said. Police are investigating the accident.

Kid Gyms One More Step in De-Evolution of Society

Burlington Free Press
Forum
By Cormac Walsh
October 5, 2008
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810050307

Congratulations to Action Kids Fitness Center for discovering the newest way of ripping off rich, neglectful parents while disrupting childhood development ("Kid gyms offer needed exercise," Sept. 16). The article provides shocking evidence of how the evolution of technology has contributed to the de-evolution of American society.

These glorified day care centers, claiming they are offering children a fun new outlet for exercising, are really taking away from children's opportunities for healthy interaction. Stationary bikes and treadmills hooked up to video games are repulsive. The article states that these devices force the child to keep moving or the game will shut down.

Didn't farmers tie carrots to the end of sticks and dangle them in front of mules to get them to plow their fields? I hope they're at least hooked up to a turbine. There is an idea for alternative energy. Take a hundred kids, lock them in a basement, hook 'em up to these devices and let them generate power for our schools, hospitals and health clubs.

I bet these kiddie gyms won't be so trendy after some kid leans against a hydraulic button and crushes his little sister to death. Maybe the scariest part of the article was the mentioning of "yoga for tots."

Kids are being distracted from human interaction by today's technology. Instead of socializing in a game of tag, kids are hooked up to video machines.

If children have weight problems, regulate their diet and engage in outdoor activities with them, take away their electronics and sign them up for sports .

CORMAC WALSH
Burlington

Human Powered Vehicle Burlington Bikefest

Bridget M. Burns
Seven Days
October 8, 2008
Photo Slideshow: http://www.7dvt.com/2008human-powered-vehicle-burlington-bikefest

1st Annual Human Powered Vehicle Bike Fest

Burlington Free Press
Photos by Alison Redlich
October 5, 2008
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=BT&Date=20081004&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=810040801&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1

Scores of bike enthusiasts gather at City Hall Park in Burlington for the 1st Annual Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Bike Festival on Saturday, October 4, 2008.

Rachel Siegel and her daughter Gertrude 4 1/2, of Burlington
Tom Jannke of Ledyard, CT in his Velomobile
Mike Beganyi of Burlington who pedaled with his daughter Ava, 8 months, of Burlington, in their Bakfiets bicycle which was made in Amsterdam
Event organizer Phil Hammerslough of Burlington
Leonard Krash of Conneaut, OH, who displays his Belokit and answers questions at City Hall Park
Tom Jannke of Ledyard, CT in his Velomobile
Ty Larson, 3 1/2, of Burlington

License and Regulate Bicycle Riders

Burlington Free Press
Forum
By Leonard Brown
October 4, 2008
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810040306

As a motorist I have comments that are related to aggressive cyclists.

All bicycles must be inspected and issued license plates affixed to the bicycle by the inspector. This will give the motorist a method for reporting the aggressive cyclist.

All cyclists young and old must take a written exam and be given a license. A fee will be charged to offset all costs for the above.

There should be insurance to protect the motorist.

Proof of license and insurance must be presented when buying or renting a bicycle.

The bicyclist/driver problem cannot be fully resolved by local rule; it must be addressed at the state level.

LEONARD F. BROWN
South Burlington

Festival Promotes Human Power

Burlington Free Press
By Lauren Ober
October 3, 2008
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810030315

Phil Hammerslough wants you to stop thinking of bikes as sporting goods and start thinking of them as the most efficient way of getting from here to there.

Hammerslough, 65, began biking year-round about 40 years ago and hasn't looked back. He pedals himself through rain, wind, sleet and snow and looks at his bicycle as a vehicle, one that is human-powered.

Helping people see bikes as a viable transportation option has been Hammerslough's goal for years. This weekend's Human Powered Vehicle Burlington Bikefest is largely a result of Hammerslough's enthusiasm and advocacy.

The festival, which runs today through Sunday at locations around Burlington, seeks to introduce people to human powered vehicles including recumbent bikes, trikes and velomobiles -- a single-passenger bicycle with a full fairing, seen mostly in Europe. There will be demonstrations of human powered vehicles, as well as lectures, bike tours and a trailer pull.

Hammerslough points to the downturn in the economy as a reason for people to start biking rather than driving. Becoming fuel-independent can make a huge difference in people's lives, Hammerslough said.

"From an economic standpoint, biking is a fabulous concept," Hammerslough said.

One of the festival's other organizers, Stu Lindsay, said the event is a way to celebrate human ingenuity while showing people how accessible biking for transportation is. The velomobiles might look space-age with their aerodynamic shells, but they are no more complicated than a regular bicycle and are better for riding year-round.

Lindsay, who builds specialty bikes for people with physical disabilities, thinks it's possible for people to bike year-round, if only cities were more accommodating. Burlington isn't a bad place to commute by bike, Lindsay says, but "we are one of those cities that could do an awful lot more."

Lisa Aultman-Hall, director of the Transportation Research Center at the University of Vermont, agrees that Vermont is doing a pretty good job accommodating people who cycle as a primary means of transportation. Aultman-Hall will speak tonight at City Hall's Contois Auditorium on the 10 biggest transportation myths and the reality behind them.

"Given our constraints like winter and the hills, we're doing pretty well," Aultman-Hall said. "I think it's exciting that our advocates and leaders want more."

From a transportation and congestion standpoint, Aultman-Hall said human powered vehicles should be a big part of the discussion. Not everybody needs to ride a bike, she says, but if some people ride instead of drive, the roads are better for everyone.

That is Hammerslough's overarching goal, to show people the benefits of human powered transportation.

"If I can get people to ride one more week a year, I've accomplished something," Hammerslough said.

Contact Lauren Ober at 660-1868 or lober@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.