City of Burlington Kicks Off City-wide Planning Effort to Increase Active Mobility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2015
Contact: Nicole Losch, Department of Public Works
                802.865.5833

City of Burlington Kicks Off City-wide Planning Effort to Increase Active Mobility
planBTV Walk Bike Events and Workshops Offered This Week

Burlington, VT – The City of Burlington is hosting a series of public events to kick off planBTV Walk Bike, a City-wide effort to increase active mobility. The events provide an opportunity for members of the public to help shape the pathway towards a more walkable, bikeable Burlington – the vision of Burlington’s “Go for Gold” Blueprint, unveiled by Mayor Miro Weinberger in 2013.

“It is exciting to participate in this collaborative effort today, and our City team looks forward to receiving the community’s feedback throughout this important process,” said Mayor Weinberger. “One of our Administration’s goals is to make Burlington a world-class City for walking and biking, not just as a means of recreation, but also as a viable mode of transportation and as a necessary component of an economically healthy and vibrant City. PlanBTV Walk Bike will help get us there.”

Welcoming as many people as possible in a variety of ways, the City is including a series of “Handlebar” and “Walkabout” surveys in the event program. These surveys allow members of the public to physically bike and walk key corridors with the project team, documenting and discussing challenges and opportunities along the way.

Members of our community are encouraged to participate in the surveys and kick-off events below:

For more information and to RSVP, please visit: www.planbtvwalkbike.org.

PlanBTV Walk Bike will culminate with the creation of the City’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, as well as a scoping study of priority bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects.

“Burlington has a well-established community vision for walking and bicycling, articulated in every transportation-related plan adopted by our community over the past decade,” said Department of Public Works (DPW) Transportation Planner Nicole Losch. “PlanBTV Walk Bike will capture the community’s vision and goals for walking and biking in Burlington, outline our strategies for achieving our vision, and present specific projects for rapid implementation.”

Work on the planBTV Walk Bike initiative will be led by DPW and a consultant team consisting of the planning and engineering firm DuBois & King, The Street Plans Collaborative, and Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. The project team will receive guidance from Technical and Advisory Committees, representing residents, local businesses, and key stakeholder organizations at the local, regional, and state levels.

Through planBTV Walk Bike, the City hopes to turn Burlington’s well-established community visions for a walkable and bikeable City into actionable projects that are prioritized by the community. This process will involve:

• Developing a City-wide walking and biking network plan that will allow every resident to access safe and comfortable facilities;
• Identifying priority corridors that connect Burlington’s residential hubs with key destinations, such as downtown and schools;
• Identifying projects and policies that will make walking and biking safe, comfortable, and convenient for people of all ages and abilities; and
• Identifying strategies and performance measures to guide the planning, funding, and implementation of recommended projects.

For additional information, please visit: www.planbtvwalkbike.org.

# # #