Who we are

We are a group of Mansfield bicycle advocates who gathered informally beginning in 2014 and in 2016 formed Bike Mansfield to further promote bicycling in the Town and to assist the Town in securing the Bicycle Friendly Community designation from the League of American Bicyclists. As of early 2015, Connecticut had only two such communities with this designation (Simsbury and South Windsor). Mansfield had applied for this designation in 2012, but although lauded for the work it had done in constructing bicycle infrastructure at that time, it did not receive the designation. More work was needed in the area of bicycle facility planning, bicycle education, enforcement and in setting up a “complete streets” policy in the Town.  This was accomplished by the Town (with the assistance and coordination of Bike Mansfield) between 2016 and 2017 and the application was resubmitted in 2017.  In the fall of 2017 the League did designate Mansfield as a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community.

Prior to the pandemic, Bike Mansfield teamed with the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department to offer regular workshops, which were listed in the recreation department’s course brochures. These workshops were generally held in the Mansfield Community Center and featured programs on bike maintenance, riding techniques and safety, touring, racing, films and many other topics.

nashzimmer_mansfieldct
Downtown Storrs Transportation Center

Up until the Covid-19 “lock-down” Bike Mansfield met monthly at the Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center. We plan to start up our regular meetings in the Spring of 2021 both to continue to help promote cycling in Mansfield and to help to prepare the Town’s Bicycle Friendly Community renewal application which is required every four years. All bicycle enthusiasts are welcome to attend our meetings or have their email address added to receive news of the meetings.

As you know, the pandemic has increased the use of bicycles all over the world.  As the pandemic wanes, we will renew our efforts to assist in making Mansfield a great place for biking and other forms of active transportation.  Please join us!

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome at info@bikemansfield.com.

2 Comments on “Who we are

  1. Mansfield Bicycle/Pedestrian master planning kick-off meeting
    7 PM, February 4, 2016, Council Chambers, Mansfield Town Hall

    Mansfield’s recently adopted Plan of Conservation and Development recommends that the Town create a bicycle and pedestrian master plan to coordinate the planning for facilities and networks encouraging safe biking and walking. Coincidentally, a group of bicycle advocates in Mansfield came together in 2015 (now known as Bike Mansfield) to assist the process of getting Mansfield officially designated as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” by the League of American Bicyclists. To date there are only a handful of Connecticut Municipalities that now have that designation.

    Bike Mansfield has offered to spearhead the effort to create such a bike and pedestrian master plan in conjunction with the Town’s Director of Planning and other appropriate Town staff. Accordingly, a kick-off meeting of persons from biking, walking, planning, conservation and sustainability groups, agencies and other stakeholders has been scheduled for early February. At this meeting, interested parties are asked to comment on what they would like the plan to say and what they would be willing to do to help create it. An outline of what such a plan might include is attached.

    Please join us at this first meeting or email us with your ideas for the master plan.

    Lon Hultgren & David Palmer
    Bike Mansfield
    info@bikemansfield.com

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