New at the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association meeting was the “NY Minute.” Everyone attending went around the room and shared (for a minute or less) what’s up in their work with transportation. Some of the highlights included news from Enfield, Lyme, Hartford, Advance Transit & the Ray School PTO.Enfield’s park and ride is 75% complete – just some paving and landscaping and then it’s done. Town meeting appropriated funds to join the UVTMA!!
Lyme’s energy committee is exploring opportunities through the town’s list serve for a more formal ride share program. Currently, ride sharing happens – someone will post that he/she needs a lift to Boston or Manchester and often, within 5 minutes there’s an arrangement made to carpool south. Ride sharing is usually something done through employers or by the Upper Valley Ride Share program through Advance Transit. However, the town’s energy committee thinks the Lyme community might be uniquely poised to develop their own ride share program. Other ride share programs that may be of interest were suggested: www.GoLoCo.com & www.GishiGo.com.
Hartford has completed their master plan and is wrapping up their bike/ped plan. They’re now beginning the process of updating their land use regulations and would like to consider TDM and new parking requirements. The town looks forward to gleaning information from the TMS’s TDM initiative in Hanover and working with the TDM committee.
A new publication A Better Way To Go was released recently by US PIRG. The report shows why transit must play a more prominent role in the US transportation system. “Dartmouth University”, DHMC and area towns are cited for their support of Advance Transit and for creating transit opportunities in rural communities (see page 53.)