New Initiative Has Legs

11/9/2007

Fledgling Exeter Township group hopes new initiative has legs
A resident is starting a network to study ways to make Berks County more attractive to bicyclists and pedestrians.
By Erin Negley
Reading Eagle

Michele Barrett fondly recalls riding her bicycle as a child around her neighborhood in Clearfield County.Now living in Exeter Township, where a large shopping center is planned along Perkiomen Avenue, Barrett is thinking more often about those pedestrian-friendly streets of her youth.She’s starting Walk Bike Berks, a network that will study ways to make Berks County more inviting to bicyclists and pedestrians.The fledgling group will hold a workshop Saturday at Exeter Community Library with two national organizations devoted to creating safe streets. The public event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Representatives from Complete the Streets and Safe Routes to School will talk about their initiatives and how the public can get involved.The Arizona-based Thunderhead Alliance is leading the Complete the Streets campaign to make roads safe for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
The National Center for Safe Routes to School, based in North Carolina, assists communities to enable and encourage children to safely walk and bicycle to school.Walk Bike Berks will promote building sidewalks and adding bicycle lanes to roads and crosswalks.“This organization really has the potential to start making real differences,” said Barrett, 34.The cause is relevant, she said, especially with childhood obesity becoming a national crisis. Safe streets also are a quality-of-life issue.“I just want to love the town I live in,” Barrett said. “I want to walk out the front door and feel connected to my community. I do think that people feel more tied to their community if they can freely move about.”

Thun Trail Closure at Douglassville Bridge

From the Philadelphia Inquirer

The Schuylkill River Heritage Area has begun a one-month cleanup of debris piled up beneath the former Douglassville railroad bridge.

Along the Pottstown to Birdsboro Thun Trail section of the Schuylkill River Trail, logs, trees and trash have amassed since the river flooded in June 2006. The $100,000 project will necessitate the closing of a section of the trail that runs behind Morlatton Village west for about 0.3 miles, up to and including the Douglassville railroad bridge.

Trail users still will be allowed access to the trail from existing trailheads and continue in either direction up to the closure. The bridge will remain closed until Nov. 26.

The nonprofit Schuylkill River Heritage Area seeks donations to cover the costs. Visit www.schuylkillriver.org or call 484-945-0200 for more information.

Results 2007

Your Berks County Election Results:

http://www.wfmz.com/election/results.asp?county=berks

Southern Berks News

Posted on Tue, Nov 6, 2007
Exeter mom spearheads safe biking, walking effort
By Katherine Ritz Hahn; News Writer

Follow the link to the full story:
http://www.berksmontnews.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Weekly?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_wk_article&r21.pgpath=%2FBMN%2FNews%2FThe+Southern+Berks+News&r21.content=%2FBMN%2FNews%2FThe+Southern+Berks+News%2FTopStoryList_Story_825059

Southern Berks News

Posted on Tue, Nov 6, 2007
Exeter mom spearheads safe biking, walking effort

http://www.berksmontnews.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Weekly?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_wk_article&r21.pgpath=%2FBMN%2FNews%2FThe+Southern+Berks+News&r21.content=%2FBMN%2FNews%2FThe+Southern+Berks+News%2FTopStoryList_Story_825059

WALK/BIKE the VOTE

Walk/Bike the Vote!
Novermber 6 Elections are tomorrow. Now is our chance to ask YOUR candidates if they support implementing pedestrian and bicycling improvements, safe routes to school and complete streets.

The way I look for a candidate's position is:
Use the voter guides listed below.
Search the Reading Eagle articles throughout the previous months.

Link of Google to find the candidate's website- READ issue papers.
If you cannot find your answer there, then look for contact information, it's best to call at this late date.

In PA there are County and Local Elections. Reading has the Mayor and City Council Elections.

Berks County Government Election Precinct Maps: http://co.berks.pa.us/gis/cwp/view.asp?a=2139&q=485565

League of Women Voters: http://www.lwvberks.org/

Remember to make your own statement:

WALK or BIKE to the Polls.

If you need to find out if you are registered and where to vote, call :

County of Berks, 633 Court StreetReading, PA 19601
Phone: 610.478.6100 Hours: 8 AM to 5 PM
Closed on holidays

First Meeting of WalkBikeBerks

WalkBikeBerks
Proudly Presents

Complete The Streets

and
Safe Routes to School

Educational and
Non-Profit Establishing Workshop.

Exeter Community Library
November 10, 2007
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
RSVP ~ November 7
610-779-9702
walkbikeberks@yahoo.com

Reserve your seat early ~ Space is limited to 35 participants.

The streets of our cities and towns ought to be for everyone, whether young or old, motorist or bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus rider or shopkeeper. But too many of our streets are designed only for speeding cars, or worse, creeping traffic jams. They’re unsafe for people on foot or bike — and unpleasant for everybody.

Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners, engineers and designers to build road networks that welcome all citizens.

To learn more or to become an advocate for Safe Routes to School and Complete Streets in your neighborhood, contact: walkbikeberks@yahoo.com

Dominic Liberatore, Interim Executive Director
Thunderhead Alliance

www.thunderheadalliance.org
1700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20006
Complete the Streets expert Dominic J. Liberatore currently serves as the Interim Executive Director of the Thunderhead Alliance. Previous positions for Mr. Liberatore include National Complete Streets Campaign Manager for Thunderhead Alliance and as a consultant to the www.americabikes.org campaign during the reauthorization of the last federal transportation bill. The Thunderhead Alliance is the North American coalition of non-profit bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations.

Chris Davis, Coordinator
Safe Routes to School

http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/
Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) expert Chris Davis had a significant role in the development of the Marin County SRTS program, implemented by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, as the Curriculum Developer and Lead Instructor for the program’s first 4 1/2 years. She designed and taught lessons in traffic safety, health and fitness, environmental and community responsibility, the core concepts of a comprehensive SRTS program. She joined the staff of the Texas Bicycle Coalition, developing and managing the start-up of a comprehensive regional SRTS program. Currently she is SRTS Program coordinator for the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.

Who Should Attend?

Everyone in Berks County
Parents
Teachers
Cyclists
Media
University Students/Leaders
Municipal Leaders
Planning Commissions
School Board Members
Superintendents of Schools
AARP
Bike Shop Owners
Environmental Groups
Disability Advocates
Public Transit Advocates
YOU -- learn to advocate for Safer Streets for all users in Berks County