BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—Bikes Belong is delighted to award funding to five great projects for their Winter 2011 grant cycle. These grants support a wide range of bicycle projects with the common goal of putting more people on bicycles more often.
Projects include:
Adams Road Path (Granger, IN)
This multi-use path is the first phase of a larger project by the Friends of Granger Paths to connect the county's population centers in a network of bike lanes, multi-use paths and greenways. The Adams Road Path will link two elementary schools to an existing bike path and join to six subdivisions, a local shopping center, and a library. With Bikes Belong funding, as well as a Safe Routes to School grant, this project will allow more than 950 children to walk or bike to school safely for the first time.
Duluth Traverse Trail System (Duluth, MN)
A strong relationship between the City of Duluth and the Cyclists of Gichee Gumee Shores is transforming multiple small mountain bike trails into a single trail system of more than 100 miles. Bikes Belong's $10,000 grant will help complete the project to link seven biking centers, connect neighborhoods directly to trails, and turn Duluth into an epic destination for mountain biking enthusiasts from all across the Midwest.
Jocko Valley Trails System (Arlee, MT)
The Arlee Community Development Corporation is partnering with the local school district, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and other state and local organizations to build the first trail system in this rural community on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Motivated by a high rate of childhood obesity and the absence of safe routes to school, the community is promoting active transportation and physical fitness with help from Bikes Belong. This $10,000 grant will fund the first phase of this project, creating a set of "hub" trails connecting residents within a one mile radius with the school complex and town center.
Open Streets - Ciclovía Minneapolis (Minneapolis, MN)
The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition will use their $5,000 grant to encourage bicycling, educate city leaders on local cycling needs, demonstrate the benefits of better on-street bicycle infrastructure - and have a whole lot of fun - during this June 2011 event. The route runs 20 city blocks and efforts are already underway to engage local businesses in the planning process and reach out to the culturally diverse neighborhoods along its course. Organizers hope this ciclovía will attract 10,000 participants and become a Minneapolis tradition.
Philadelphia Pumptrack (Philadelphia, PA)
Pumptracks—dirt sculpted into mini tracks of bumps and corners—are attracting cyclists of all ages as a place to practice skills and increase fitness. Building on this trend, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department, Neighborhood Bike Works, and the local bicycle industry will use their Bikes Belong grant to bring the first pumptrack to their city. Planners hope to attract 200-300 riders every year and will locate the facility near an existing recreation facility and with access to trails and bike lanes.
