Please let me know ASAP if this will work for you! If you cannot attend - a letter on the topic would be lovely - fax 'em to me by Wed evening at 223-0269. Talking points, again, are below. Pick 2-3 points for your letter.

In addition to the items about shoulders, do write 2-3 sentences about who you are, where you live, what you do for work, what kind of bicycling you enjoy, etc. This is also appropriate when testifying in person, to let the Senators know who you are.

Thanks,

Becka

We are testifying at the request of Sen. Phil Scott, who I think hopes to get some money for shoulder maintenance partly to keep the shoulders in good shape for bicycling.

__Talking points:__

For those offering testimony - plan to hit at most 3 of these points: let me know which ones are nearest/dearest to you. We are looking for good distribution of types of bicyclists and interests among the talking points. (Below in parentheses is who is currently including the point: Lou Schmertz & Thatcher Hinman are joining me so far.)

1. Current shoulder paving law and practice is often quite good/effective.

--- possible areas of improvement --

2. Shoulder maintenance: street sweeping, spot fixes, crackseal including shoulders to maintain shoulders for bicycling. (Lou S.)
3. Repaving maintenance sometimes creates a dangerous lip for bicycling, by only repaving the travel lane. This places the join between the pavement just about or just right of the white line. Solution: repave the shoulder, too. (Thatcher)
4. Stronger signage "Shared Roadway" for pinch points. (Lou S.- Rt. 4 running the gauntlet).
5. Appropriate use of shoulders: (Thatcher)
Low Average Daily Traffic, straight road = no shoulders needed
Crests of hills, blind corners, uphills = more shoulder needed.
6. Need for paved shoulders on town roads (current law only covers state highways)
7. Need to create bike lanes in village settings, instead of just shoulders. Bike Lanes= signage, stencils, different intersection treatment.
8. Request AOT to include bicycle needs/shoulder condition in setting the priority list for repaving and reconstruction?

Again, please let me know ASAP if you are able to come testify at the NEW time/Date of Thurs. 3/24 at 10:30 am.

___Who is on the Senate Committee:___
Chair Dick Mazza D - trail supporter, bicyclist on trails (not sure about roads)
Sen. Phil Scott R - bicyclist on roads, does fundraiser rides
Sen. Don Collins D - bicyclist on probably a mix of roads & trails, supporter of Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in his area.
Sen. Hull Maynard R - trail bicyclist, long-time member of Rails to Trails Conservancy
Sen. Peter Welch D - Senate Pro Tem (not always in committee), bicyclist, represented Lou S. after Lou was hit while bicycling by a DUI driver.
Sen. Bobby Starr R - no bicycling connection as far as I know, owns a trucking company in Troy.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Becka Roolf, Director becka@VTBikePed.org
Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition
PO Box 1234 . Montpelier VT . 05601
802 . 225.8904 fax number available by request
----------------------------------------------------
Roads are for people, not just for people in cars.
----------------------------------------------------
Walking, bicycling, & multi-use trails: your best
transportation investment for a healthy Vermont.
----------------------------------------------------

    - Submitted: Tuesday, March 22nd by Chris Bianchi