Bridging Communities 21st Century Trail Connectivity, Riverfront Activation, and River Access

The 2026 Bridging Communities rally on Monday, June 22 will provide regional trail interests and stakeholders an opportunity to share projects, strategies, and successes. 

Held at Retreat Farm and co-hosted with Friends of Island Park (FOIP) and Friends of the West River Trail (FWRT), the 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM gathering will include representation from Southeast Vermont and the West River Valley, the Monadnock Region Rail Trail Collaborative, the Mass Central Rail Trail, the Burlington Bike Path, Sierra Club Vermont, Friends of the Connecticut River Valley Trail, and more! 

The information and registration page is here:

https://retreatfarm.ticketspice.com/bridging-communities

Cyclist hit by car in North Haverhill, NH on May 27

Bicyclist Joseph Miller, Cardiac Catheterization Technician at Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Hospital for 35 years, was hit by an SUV while out riding and passed away from injuries on May 28.

Valley News did a good report on the crash, here is a link:

https://vnews.com/2026/06/08/haverhill-biker-fatality-raises-safety-concerns/

WCAX3 TV also did a report, with comments from Pascale Graham of the Upper Valley Cycling Club and Jennie Chamberlain of the neighboring Hanover Walk Bike Committee:

https://www.wcax.com/2026/06/04/cyclists-speak-out-after-fatal-nh-crash/

Mr Miller's obituary is here:

https://www.rickerfh.com/obituaries/joseph-miller

Making Connections community workshops

Making Connections is for people interested in helping solve transportation and mobility challenges facing older adults.  Take a journey through time to understand why many of us are car-dependent and what can be done to improve options for those who no longer drive or who drive less.

You will learn key concepts of healthy and age-friendly community design, share your own experiences, get tips on mobility options in the Upper Valley, and dig into ideas for advocacy and action.

All workshops are free and...    Read more...

Free ebike training course for teenagers (and adults too)

People for Bikes is offering a course for ebike riders that is free for the month of May.  If you are new to ebikes or brushing up on your skills, this will help round out your knowledge.  It takes about 90 minutes, and can be paused and then resumed.  Here is a link to the sign up page:

https://ebikecourse.com/MBM/

May bicycle events in the valley, part 4 - RIDE THE CONES Friday, May 15th ALL DAY ALL NIGHT

Ride the cones in the morning! Meet for Coffee & Snacks on the Green 7:30 AM - 9 AM!! Should Bikes be separated from Cars? Coming into town on Lebanon Street?! Scan the QR code and let us know! *** Experience separated lanes **** Tell us what you think!!! @ https://bit.ly/ridethecones Cones will be up Fri May 15 ALL DAY ALL NIGHT

A map of the route and comments received so far...

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Vermont Bill S.261- Limiting Liability for Rail with Trail

Rail with Trail in Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley
south of Cleveland, with a wooden fence.
Credit: Anthony Cherolis / CT News Junkie

The US Route 5 Bicycle Corridor survey of 2023 has grown into the idea of a Connecticut River Valley Trail (CRVT) that would connect the northern end of the Farmington Canal Trail and Connecticut River Greenway state park in Northampton, Massachusetts, along the river through Vermont, up to La Route Verte trail network in Quebec.  The CRVT would also connect the 10 Vermont and New Hampshire Rail Trails that run east-west from the valley, as well as greatly improve bicycle and pedestrian safety for everyday riders and walkers in the 30 towns along the route.

The watershed has some breath taking views of the river and hills, and many sports and outdoor activities that are supported by the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the Connecticut River Conservancy and state agencies.  Non vehicular access should be better.     Read more...

May bicycle events in the valley, part 3 - Norwich, Thetford, Lyme, Hanover

2nd Annual SCVT Bike ride along the CT River and Future US Route 5 Bike Corridor

Sun, May 31, 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Norwich Green 22 Church St, Norwich, VT 05055

Because it was so much fun last year, we are doing this again! Come Ride with Us!

Join the Vermont and New Hampshire Sierra Clubs, Upper Valley E-Bike Initiative (UVEBI is an affiliate of the Bike/Walk/Alliance of NH BWANH), and Local Motion on a casual bike ride from Norwich, VT, to Thetford along U.S. Route 5, and then return through NH. 

We will start in Norwich and bike to the Cedar Circle Farms and Education Center in Thetford. There is a cafe at the farm, so we'll allow a rest time beverage and snack. After our break...

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Two bicycle movies with local connections to our valley

There are two bicycle movies with local connections that you might enjoy watching: Motherload and From Rails to Trails, and both are free to watch.

The first movie is Motherload, which was filmed by Liz Canning, a California mom with two kids who was discovering in 2013 that cars were stifling her and her kids physical activities.  I came across Liz talking about her film project on Facebook back when it was named "Less Car More Go".  I sent her...

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May bicycle events in the valley, part 2 - St. Johnsbury

 St Johnsbury and Montpelier are celebrating Bike to Work (or Anywhere!) Day on Friday, May 15.

Make it an adventure and bike all the way. Or coordinate with friends and colleagues to meet at a designated “Park & Pedal” location and bike part of the way to work. FREE breakfast will be served at the St Johnsbury Welcome Center (5:30am-9am) and at Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier (6am-9am) for anyone who arrives on a bicycle or foot.

Do you live in St J or along the US 2 corridor? Try Bike to Bus! Bike or walk to the St J Welcome Center, grab breakfast, and jump on the US 2 Commuter bus to Montpelier. Or bike to one of the Park & Rides or bus stops, load your bike, and enjoy breakfast at St J Welcome Center or Hunger Mountain Co-op. Come early to grab breakfast before the US 2 Commuter departs from the Welcome Center for Montpelier at 6:05am.

Bellows Falls Community Bike Project movie and fundraiser ride

 Greetings, everyone!

Our BFCBP Spring & Summer fundraisers are coming!

We’re having a Movie event May 14th, followed by our 

Pedals to the People Fundraiser Challenge, from May 15 ~ July 15!

MOVIE Fundraiser:

“The Flying Scotsman”  (Based on a true story)

Read more...

Ticket To Ride - Promoting Bicycle Commuting in Caledonia, Washington & Lamoille Counties

 

A new non-profit is encouraging NEK residents to get on bikes. This year, the organization is launching a program called Ticket to Ride, which is a comprehensive service to assist people in using bicycles for transportation.

Ticket to Ride is currently seeking community members to enroll in a free, six-month program. Participants will be provided the mentorship, education, and equipment to try out bicycle commuting. The goal is to help people engage safely and confidently in bicycling and multi-modal transportation (bike to bus).   Read more...

On walking, bicycling, and the duties we entrust to public officials

A Light Remark on a Serious Subject: On walking, bicycling, and the duties we entrust to public officials

"Courage should come from our Councilors,
not our children."  Tom Flood, Rovelo Creative

There are moments when a room grows still, not from wisdom but from the absence of it. One such moment came on April 23, during the New Hampshire House debate on SB 559, when Representative Walsh, who chairs the Transportation Committee, rose to speak. “It is against the law to run over pedestrians,” he said, “and against the law to run bicycles off the road, even though it’s sometimes very tempting.” The chamber laughed.

It is a curious thing to hear laughter where there ought to be care. SB 559 concerns the setting of speed limits on local roads—a modest, practical effort to make those roads safer for everyone, and particularly for the people who use them on foot and on bicycles. To treat that subject lightly is not merely a lapse in taste; it suggests a misunderstanding of the matter at hand.

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May bicycle events in the valley, part 1 - Hartford, Lebanon, and Hanover

May is National Bike Month and since 1956 the League of American Bicyclists has called for Ride a Bike Day, Bike to Work Day, and Bike to Work Week. There are several biking events scheduled for May here in the Upper Valley.

In Lebanon there are two events:

-May 6th at Colburn Park from 7-9 AM with free bike checks (courtesy of Omer & Bob’s), free breakfast, and we will welcome Hanover Street Elementary and Lebanon Middle School students walking through the Lebanon Green.

-May 21st at Colburn Park we will host a Farmers Market edition: come to find out more about local bike projects and use our bike valet while you explore the Farmers Market

In Cornish there will be a bike rodeo at at the elementary school on May 6.

In Hartford, we will gather on May 6th at Hartford Town Hall from 7-9 AM for a free breakfast and to cheer on White River School Elementary students as they walk by.

In Hanover, we will gather on May 15th on the Dartmouth Green for free breakfast and a pop-up protected bike lane through town.

More information on these events, plus other Upper Valley bike, pedestrian, and bus news, can be found on the Vital Communities Ways to Go! webpage.

Four Foot for Passing

 

Image courtesy of Local Motion.  For more information please see:  https://www.localmotion.org/safe_passing_is_now_vermont_law

The West Lebanon and Hanover Greenway (WaHG) trail

 

Why WaHG?

There’s a simple truth that many people in the Upper Valley already know: there is no safe, comfortable way to walk or bike between West Lebanon and Hanover. For two communities that are deeply connected—by jobs, schools, shopping, healthcare, and daily life—that’s a real problem.

Right now, Route 10 is essentially the only option....

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Vermont Road Design Guide draft is available for reading

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has been updating the state's design standards used for our roads, and last Friday they released a draft version of the new Vermont Multimodal Roadway Guide (VMRG) to the Vermont House Transportation Committee.  Because much of the Connecticut river valley terrain makes it difficult to build a separated bike path alongside Route 5, the hope is that these new standards....

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Vermont House Transportation Committee bicycle testimonies

Yesterday (Wednesday, January 14) in the Vermont legislature the House Transportation committee heard testimony about the legality of the different ebike classes, motor assisted and motor powered bicycles, and mopeds.  If you would like to watch a recording of the session or view the committee's schedule here is a link:

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Upper Valley Ebike Lending Library Survey

Did you borrow an e-bike last summer through the Upper Valley E-Bike Lending Library, either from Kilton Library in West Lebanon or via the Traveling Library? Tell us about it! We'll use your responses to make the program even better this coming summer. There are two separate surveys, to get a link to the correct one please contact Jacopo Montobbio at Vital Communities:

jacopo@vitalcommunities.org

Lebanon Ebike charging station moves forward

credit Dartmouth CEDC proposal report

The Granite State Northern rail trail from Concord ends at the town hall on the Green in Lebanon, NH.  There is another local rail trail, the Mascoma River Greenway, that extends from there almost down to the Connecticut river.  Members of the town's energy committee have been working to install an Ebike charging station at this location, and after reviewing several sites and designs they've just reached another milestone.  AARP New Hampshire has donated $3,000 to the E-Bike Project which aims to install the Upper Valley's first electric bike charging station.

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The Route 5 Bicycle Corridor

Map credit: VTrans

The Connecticut river forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire, with dozens of historic colonial towns along it's length that include mill towns, Dartmouth college, and quintessential New England villages such as Woodstock, VT.  There are 6 large bicycling communities in the valley, at Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Mount Ascutney, Killington/Rochester, Lebanon/Hanover, and the Burke Mountain/Kingdom Trails.  The scenery along the valley is easily on par with New York's Empire State or Erie Canal trails, and might be better than the Western New England Greenway, having both mountain ranges and our major New England river.

There are also 10 Rail Trails running east-west that connect with the valley....

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Hanover information

Click here to go to Hanover information

Lebanon information

Click here to go to the Lebanon information page