LETTER: Is Waterbury interested in a community bike share?

August 3, 2024

Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission map. Courtesy image

To the Community: 

Imagine seeing your neighbors choosing to ride a bike to the shops, or to work, dropping their child at school on the way. 

Imagine having access to shared wheels, with electric assist, with cargo carrying capacity, without the burden of ownership. 

Imagine advice and help for new or inexperienced riders coming from bike share ambassadors in your own community.

Interested?

Then please voice your support at the Waterbury Select Board meeting Monday, Aug. 5. The board needs to hear from the community before deciding on a commitment of $3,000 required as local match for a grant-funded scoping study. 

Scoping translates as learning how to successfully start up a bike share program on a different model than the corporate turnkey model operating in the Burlington area and big cities around the world. The study will focus on the capital city corridor from Barre through Montpelier to Waterbury. The study consultants will propose fixed locations for bike stations in the municipal hubs, and in selected catchment communities spokes, for those who travel to our towns and cities for services. 

The goal is an affordable and inclusive membership program offering a bike fleet that meets the travel demands of this diverse community, and day passes for our visitors. There could be electric assist and cargo bikes. The bike share program design must take into account the interests of local businesses and Waterbury’s particular advantage of proximity to recreational amenities and of course, economic revitalization. We hope it will also promote safer routes for biking to school, work, services, and recreational areas.

The local match is needed to make this happen! 

While it cannot be waived, we have a window of time to raise funds and sponsorship for the municipality’s required contribution. The disbursement of funds will not be required until 6-9 months following a letter of commitment. Respectful of the demands on the municipal budget in these difficult times, there are no expectations for budget allocations after meeting the local match.

You can learn more about the community bike share concept online here. 

Please attend, or tune in for a short presentation and Q&A at the Select Board meeting on Monday at 7 p.m. 

With thanks,

Reuben MacMartin, Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission senior transport planner

Hanif Nazerali, volunteer community liaison for this initiative