The Full Story:
Boulder, CO-May 2, 2007 Bikes Belong will award grants to six outstanding bicycling projects this spring. Our funding support for these paths, trails, parks, and advocacy initiatives will help create great places to ride in communities across the United States.
Missouri State Parks Foundation-"Taking Katy to the Capital"
The Missouri State Parks Foundation was awarded $10,000 to help construct a bike/ped bridge across the Missouri River, connecting the popular Katy Trail to Jefferson City. Bikes Belong funding will serve as a partial match for a Department of Transportation grant, leveraging $6 million of state funding committed for the project.
The Katy Trail is the longest rail trail in the country, stretching more than 225 miles and hosting up to 500,000 bicyclists annually. This project will enhance the trail's appeal to new riders and long-distance cyclists by enabling them to safely access the restaurants, lodging, and bike shops in Jefferson City.
More about the Missouri State Parks Foundation. . .
Windham Rail Trail Alliance, New Hampshire-Salem to Concord Recreational Trail
The Windham Rail Trail Alliance will use our $10,000 grant to help pave a 4.1-mile section of the Salem to Concord Recreational Trail. The scenic trail follows a historic rail bed that parallels the I-93 corridor, and paving it will provide a safe route for bike commuters as well as recreational riders and families.
This stretch of path will also further the alliance's effort to create a 26-mile non-motorized route between the cities of Salem and Concord, New Hampshire. Bikes Belong's grant will leverage Transportation Enhancements funding as well as significant private and in-kind donations from the Windham community.
More about the Windham Rail Trail Alliance. . .
City of Charleston, South Carolina-East Bay Bike/Ped Pathway
The City of Charleston will receive $10,000 to help match SAFETEA-LU funds allocated for a bike/ped pathway on East Bay Street. The path will serve as a critical link for cyclists between the new bikeway on the Cooper River bridge and Charleston's downtown, making it particularly useful for bike commuters.
The project's focus on connecting bike facilities exemplifies Charleston's commitment to becoming more bicycle friendly. The city's efforts to promote bicycling and walking have also been supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's program, Active Living by Design.
Transportation Alternatives, New York-Campaign for Car-Free Parks
New York City's Transportation Alternatives was awarded $10,000 to campaign for car-free pilot programs in Central and Prospect Parks. This important initiative will expand opportunities for safe cycling in the city-particularly for new riders, families, and children. It will also further TA's ambitious goal of doubling the number of cyclists in New York City by 2012.
Bikes Belong Coalition will provide $5,000 towards the campaign, and the other $5,000 will come from the Bikes Belong Foundation, which was recently launched to promote bicycle safety and increase youth ridership.
More about Transportation Alternatives. . .
City of Vernonia, Oregon-Vernonia Bike Skills Park
The City of Vernonia, Oregon, will receive $5,000 to help build a Bicycle Skills Park. Our funding is earmarked for construction of the skills development trail, the first element of the park. When complete, the skills park will include also a BMX track, pump track, cyclocross course, and singletrack trails.
This project is truly a grassroots effort, and design and construction will be funded largely through volunteer time and in-kind donations. Riders will help design and build their track and trails, and a 20-hour trailbuilding class held by the Community Learning Center, adjacent to the park, will also harness local elbow grease.
More about the Vernonia Bike Skills Park. . .
Black Hills Mountain Bike Association, South Dakota-Cowboy Hill Trail System
The Black Hills Mountain Bike Association will receive $5,000 expand the singletrack on Cowboy Hill. Our funding will help match a federal Recreational Trails Program grant for the project. BHMBA has hired IMBA Trail Solutions to assist with sustainable trail design and initial construction, and the rest of the job will be handled by dedicated volunteers.
BHMBA-together with the U.S. Forest Service and Rapid City's Parks & Recreation department, Convention and Visitors Bureau, and local bike shops-is working to make the Black Hills a mountain biking destination. The new trails will be used locally by a Trips for Kids chapter and the YMCA, and will also host thousands of riders at the annual Black Hills Fat Tire Festival.
More about the Black Hills Mountain Bike Association. . .
About Bikes Belong
Bikes Belong is the national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers working to put more people on bicycles more often. Through national leadership, grassroots grants, and promotion, we strive to make bicycling in the U.S. safe, convenient, and fun.
Since Bikes Belong's Grants Program began in 1999, we have funded 143 grant proposals in 41 states and the District of Columbia, awarding more than $1.2 million in cash and leveraging more than $450 million in federal, state, and private funding. Our facilities grants alone have helped finance nearly 1,400 miles of bike paths and trails that link close to 6,000 miles of trail facilities.
For more information, visit bikesbelong.org.
Contact:
Elizabeth Train
Grants and Research Director
e-mail:
elizabeth@bikesbelong.org
phone: 303/449-4893
Bikes Belong Coalition · P.O. Box 2359 · Boulder, CO · 80306 · bikesbelong.org
