The Shelburne Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee has unveiled a long-awaited plan to shape future infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and others.
The reason for the new strategic plan, the group says, is to create a cohesive and thoughtful approach on how to incorporate new sidewalks, bike lanes and paths into the city’s future. Past projects have resulted in routes that lack connectivity and fail to separate pedestrians and cyclists from vehicular traffic.
In January 2023, the committee identified the need for a strategic plan to unite different visions for a network of paths in the city. Using a host of past studies, the plan defines goals and objectives to guide the town’s priorities and to inform recommendations to the board of selectmen as they put together annual budgets.
Last month, the planning commission recommended approval of the city’s draft capital improvement plan for the next five years, which includes many of the bicycle and pedestrian projects outlined in the new plan.
The bike and pedestrian group narrowed their wish list to three main areas: village and school access and connectivity, looping the Ti-Haul Trail, and neighborhood connectors. Into these categories come projects like expanding the sidewalks in downtown Shelburne, connecting Webster Road to village businesses and the Shelburne Community School, along with connecting the Hullcrest Park Neighborhood in some way.
Although the group plans to apply for up to five grants a year to carry out its ambitious goals, it has not been discovered how to exploit a source of local funding.
The city currently funds bicycle and pedestrian projects in two ways. First is the highway department’s $50,000 allocation for traffic and pedestrian safety, which the group proposes to raise to $75,000.
“This provided money for things like speed feedback signs and the Harrington Avenue crosswalk that needs to be installed every day,” said committee chairwoman Nicole Carpenter. “So there is a small budget that has been used to make some pedestrian traffic safety improvements.”
The second funding mechanism is for larger projects to be submitted to the selector on a case-by-case basis.
Although a significant part of the funds of the American Rescue Plan Act have been allocated to certain projects, the selector is interested in exploring a similar funding model as in South Burlington that designates a penny on the tax rate to the creation of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city.
“As much as I love driving around our town, I know even when I get to South Burlington, it’s much easier to walk and bike,” said Selectman Andrew Everett. “They’ve built funding mechanisms to do that, so I think that’s the other piece that we need to look at as some sort of permanent funding mechanism.”
Although city officials have expressed a commitment to bicycle and pedestrian projects in the past, to committee members’ knowledge, this is the first time the city has adopted a plan that outlines steps tangible forward.
“It’s a living, dynamic document that we hope will help guide all of these efforts, especially our efforts going forward,” Carpenter said. “The goal is that the strategic plan is not obsolete, it will last much longer than five years.”
