EASTHAMPTON BIKE INITIATIVE 2018 - Easthampton, MA

EASTHAMPTON
BIKE INITIATIVE 2018

CONNECTIVITY
A $10,000 PROJECT WITH THE CONWAY
SCHOOL TO DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL
MULTI-USE TRAIL NETWORK TO THE NEW
K-8 SCHOOL. IT WILL BECOME THE BASIS
FOR FUTURE SITE SPECIFIC DESIGNS

EXPLORATION
A $225,000 STATE GRANT TO PAY FOR THE
EQUIPMENT NECESSARY TO BECOME PART
OF THE VALLEYBIKE SHARE PROGRAM
WITH APPROXIMATELY 4 STATIONS AND 35
ELECTRIC ASSIST BIKES

AVAILABILITY
A RE-VAMPED BIKE AUCTION PROGRAM
W I L L B E E X PA N D E D TO R E C E I V E
DONATED BIKES FOR RESIDENTS OF ALL
AGES TO GET ACCESS TO A BIKE AND
NECESSARY EDUCATION AND EQUIPMENT

CITY OF EASTHAMPTON
                         Mayor Nicole LaChapelle
                           50 Payson Avenue, Suite 115,
                          Easthampton, MA 01027- 2263
                              413-529-1470 Fax 413-529-1488
                              e-mail: mayor@easthamptonma.gov

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information, Contact:

City Planner Jeffrey Bagg
City of Easthampton
50 Payson Avenue
Easthampton, MA 01027
(413) 529-1406
jbagg@easthamptonma.gov

EASTHAMPTON ANNOUNCES NEW BIKE INITIATIVE

Future multi-purpose trail to new school envisioned, ValleyBike Share, and new
bike donation program planned

Easthampton, Massachusetts, October 16, 2018 - The City of
Easthampton Planning Department in coordination with the
Mayor’s office was awarded a grant from the Housing Choice
Program for its work and achievements on providing new
housing over the past five years.

      “I’d like to congratulate Easthampton on receiving this
      significant grant and thank the Baker Administration and
      my colleagues in the Legislature for making this funding
      available for the betterment of our communities,” said Don
      Humason.

The grant will be used, in part, to launch a new initiative aimed
at providing new bicycle access in Easthampton to residents and
visitors. The new initiative is spurred on and supported by three
key projects:

1. A $10,000 project with the Conway School of Landscape
     Design to develop a conceptual multi-use trail network to
     the new K-8 school which will become the basis for future
     site-specific designs.
  2. A $225,000 state grant to pay for the equipment necessary
     for Easthampton to become part of the Valley Bike share
     program and install 4-5 bike rental stations and
     approximately 35 electric assist bikes.
  3. A new re-vamped bike auction program will be expanded
     to receive donated bikes to create opportunities for
     residents of all ages to get access to a bike and necessary
     education and equipment.

Over the course of the next 8-12 months, the City of
Easthampton is poised to begin this initiative which will help
provide access to bikes for all users including residents and
visitors. The key elements of the projects will be:

  Connectivity – The City was recently selected by the Conway
  School of Landscape Design to participate in their winter land
  use planning term. The project will provide us with an initial
  opportunity to explore potential options for connecting the
  existing bike path to the new K-8 school. Immediately
  following the vote to fund the new K-8 school at the White
  Brook Middle School property, the Planning Department
  (supported by others) began to urge that the time to begin
  exploring this option was now. The goal to connect the bike
  path to neighborhoods, and especially schools, was identified
  clearly in the 2008 Master Plan. This project will allow for
  the exploration of potential routes, options, and barriers to
  making the connection from certain areas to the new K-8
  school. It will create a foundation for potential future design
  work and more substantial funding requests that could align in
  time to be a part of the new school opening in 2021. The
  project will begin in the winter of 2018/2019.

  Exploration – The Department of Housing and Urban
  Development (DHCD) grant will cover the costs of locating
  and installing numerous bike share kiosks and approximately
  35 electric assist bikes to be located in Easthampton. This
  project will allow Easthampton to become the sixth
  community in a consortium of nearby municipalities that

make up Valley Bike Share. The other towns are Amherst,
  South Hadley, Northampton, Holyoke, and Springfield. The
  Bike Share system will build upon our existing characteristics
  and help us grow and support residents and visitors. The bike
  path brings in residents and visitors who support local
  businesses and will help to create new economic development
  opportunities derived from the bike path. To view the
  ValleyBike        Share       program,       click      here:
  https://www.valleybike.org/. The bike share systems should
  be in place by June 2019.

  Availability – The project will include providing more access
  to bicycles for residents of Easthampton. The City has for
  years conducted successful auctions of bikes obtain by the
  Police Department. The revamped program will seek donated
  bikes to help ensure that anyone in Easthampton who wants a
  bike can get access to one. This program can grow to include
  bike safety training opportunities, bike repair options, and
  engagement of our youth. The goal is to provide additional
  access to bicycles by summer 2019.

Easthampton has a truly rich history of supporting bicycles. The
creation, expansion, and continued popularity of the Manhan
Rail Trail supports our creative economy.            It provides
alternatives to using cars and allows a truly unique recreational
experience. Avid cyclists or leisure bikers, families to walkers,
the Manhan Rail Trail continues to help define Easthampton.
 Combined, these projects will begin to explore and connect our
neighborhoods and schools, broaden ridership, and enhance
access to equipment and education about the benefits of
bicycling.

Other ongoing bike-related activities include:

  ▪ The City Council recently approved a revision to the city’s
    bicycle ordinance due to safety concerns for cyclists and
    which now allows for full lane use by cyclists.
  ▪ The City will receive $2.5 million dollars from MassDOT
    for the full reconstruction of Union Street in 2021 which
    include upgraded bike access (lanes and “sharrows”) and
    enhancement of the Manhan Rail Trail crossing.
  ▪ The City has become a partner with the MassBike coalition
    to support “bike to work” and “bike to school” days.

▪ The Millpond Live concert series successfully incorporated
    and encouraged arrival by bikes through a popular “bike
    valet” program.
  ▪ Other private events have been organized around the bike
    path, including a monthly “slow ride” rolling gathering.
  ▪ In 2014, the City received grant funding to install pole
    mounted lights along a portion of the bike path between
    Union Street and the Mill District.

Attached is a short visual presentation.

****

About the Manhan Rail Trail: Nestled in the heart of the
scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, Easthampton’s
Manhan Rail Trail offers unique recreational opportunities to
people of all ages and interests. Bike, jog, roller blade, cross
country ski or simply enjoy a leisurely stroll on what was once a
viable rail corridor. The first section of the 5 mile (off-road)
paved trail was completed in 2003 after 10 years of planning and
fundraising. A second section opened in the spring of 2011 and a
third section was completed in 2016. It is proposed that
eventually, the trail will connect all the way from New Haven,
Connecticut to Northampton, Massachusetts and beyond.

About the Conway School of Landscape Design: The Conway
School’s graduate program in landscape design and planning
equips students with a Master of Science in Ecological Design in
ten months. Students work on real projects for real clients,
learning an effective, practical design process rooted in
ecological thinking. Through Conway’s intimate, intensive, and
collaborative environment, students gain the skills they need to
address complex environmental and social challenges, such as
water quality, climate resiliency, food access and security,
habitat connectivity, and environmental justice. The Conway
School is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, and looks
forward to connecting with prospective students, clients, and
other partners.

About ValleyBike Share: The communities of Amherst,
Holyoke, Northampton, South Hadley, and Springfield, along
with the University of Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley
Planning Commission have contracted a collaboration and

partnership with Bewegen Technologies and Corps Logistics to
bring bike share to our region. To meet the Pioneer Valley’s
unique challenges, ValleyBike Share is designed to promote
short bike trips within core communities, where clusters of large
employers, colleges, shopping, tourist destinations and residents
can readily be connected.

About the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition: The
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike) promotes a
bicycle-friendly environment and encourages bicycling for fun,
fitness and transportation. MassBike’s vision for the future is
that bicycling in Massachusetts is a safe, respected, convenient,
and enjoyable way to get around. Roads throughout the state are
safe and welcoming for cyclists, and all users interact in a
courteous and legal manner. Car-free pathways connect our
communities, bicycles are fully integrated into our public
transportation system, and secure bike parking is located where
people need it. People of all kinds and means choose to bicycle
for life, work, and play.