Answers from Candidates are in the February Newsletter.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has adopted a goal of tripling the share of travel by bicycling, walking and transit by 2030. Thanks to collaborations between key Town staff, Town committees and volunteer groups, Lexington has supported this goal with a number of initiatives improving conditions for walking and bicycling in our community.

The question that CLC is posing to this year’s candidates is as follows:

How would you use your role in town government to continue efforts to

make Lexington a more walking and bike-friendly community?

            Listed below are some examples of recent pedestrian/bicycle initiatives undertaken in the Lexington community as well as some examples of possible future actions that would further the development of additional pedestrian/bicycle routes in our community.

Recent Pedestrian/Bicycle Initiatives

Town Actions - Staff

• Town Meeting subsidy of school bus fees to reduce the burden on families and encourage more student ridership and fewer single-occupancy vehicle pick-ups and drop-offs;
• The installation of sidewalks along Winthrop Road in 2013;
• The introduction of share-the-road arrows and bike lanes as part of the on-going town roadway improvement program;
• Community Preservation Act funding of root infiltration remediation, drainage  and restoration work on Lexington’s portion of the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway;
• CPA funding of the Greenways Corridors Committee’s ACROSS Lexington walking/biking routes project. Ten miles completed, approximately thirty miles in planning;
• Inclusion of a separate walking/bicycle path between the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway and Bedford Street as part of transportation planning for major artery improvements along Hartwell Avenue;
• Publication of a comprehensive Trail Guide to Lexington’s Conservation Lands by the town Conservation Division.

Town Actions - Volunteers

• Ongoing efforts by the Conservation Stewards to seek grant funding for trail improvements on Town Conservation properties.

Publicity/Educational Events

• Lexington’s first annual Bike Walk ‘n Bus Week in May 2013, celebrating healthy and sustainable transportation options;
• The League of Women Voters’ 2013 forum on transportation options, “Getting Around Town: Do You Really Need to Drive?” featuring a panel discussion on a vision for commuting, recreation, school trips, and general travel around the area that reduces single-occupancy trips;
• DPW sponsorship of a Complete Streets workshop designed to educate town staff and committee members on the principles of multi-modal accommodation, participation in MassDOT Greendot programs, and leadership of the recently completed assessment of needed improvements to the entire Minuteman Bikeway funded through a DCR recreational trails grant.

Some Possible Future Pedestrian/Bicycle Initiatives

Town Actions - Staff

• Encouraging transportation mode shift through steady adoption of ordinances, zoning regulations, by-law changes, tax incentives, etc., that would result in the incorporation of additional bicycle and pedestrian paths and other accommodations that would make walking and biking safer and easier;
• Adoption of Complete Street policies to encourage multi-modal design of town streets and sidewalks;
• Funding and implementation of a Minuteman Bikeway master plan based on the report and recommendations of the Toole Design Group, “Navigating the Minuteman Bikeway” http://minutemanbikeway.org/ ;
• Expansion of the town’s sidewalk network;
• Creation of a staff position for an Active Transportation (i.e. pedestrian/bicycle/public transit) Coordinator;
• Development and support of a town-wide bicycle safety education initiative;
• Develop protocols for improved plowing of town streets without sidewalks to improve safety for pedestrians following snow storms.

Town Actions - Volunteers

• Collaborations with neighboring towns and advocacy groups to develop regional walking and biking trails;
• Continued reduction of the use of private vehicles to transport school age children to the Town’s schools;

Citizens for Lexington Conservation

PO BOX 292, LEXINGTON, MA 02420-0003

January, 2014

Dear Candidate,

Citizens for Lexington Conservation annually invites candidates for public office in the Town of Lexington to address a topic related to conservation and the environment that is of concern to our members. Candidates' responses will be included in our annual Candidates' Forum newsletter that will be published during February.  This issue of our newsletter will be sent to you and over 300 other Lexington families. It will also be available at the Cary Memorial Library and on the CLC web site, http://www.clclex.org.

CLC Candidate Question, 2014

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has adopted a goal of tripling the number of miles statewide devoted to pedestrian/bicycle routes by 2030. Thanks to collaborations between key Town staff, Town committees and volunteer groups, Lexington has supported this goal with a number of initiatives improving conditions for walking and bicycling in our community.

The question that CLC is posing to this year’s candidates is as follows:

How would you use your role in town government to continue efforts to

make Lexington a more walking and bike-friendly community?

Background information on this topic in the form of a detailed list of actions undertaken in Lexington in recent years as well as possible initiatives to be considered over the next few years may be found on the CLC web site at http://www.clclex.org. Please respond to the question using no more than one half page. E-mail replies are preferred, but typewritten and even legible handwritten ones will be accepted. Please put your name, precinct number, telephone number, email address (if available), and the position you are seeking at the top of your statement.  A copy of the topic you are addressing will be printed in the newsletter, so you do not need to repeat it in your response. To be included in our newsletter, your statement must reach me at one of the addresses given below no later than Monday, February 10, 2014. If you use email, I will send a return acknowledgment, so you will know that your response was received.

Sincerely,

Kate Fricker, Editor CLC Newsletter

1010 Waltham St, Apt. 220, Lexington, MA  02421-8062

Telephone:  781-862-8868, or 781-640-1276

E-mail: kfricker@alum.swarthmore.edu