On March 13th, a group of interested people met to talk about cars, transit, pedestrians, bikers in Hanover and the region. The Upper Valley Transportation Management Association (UVTMA) hosted “Traffic and Parking Problem Solving” session at the Howe. More than 25 people came together to listen to Director, Gabe Zoerheide, speak about what’s happening in the Upper Valley. Gabe presented information about the UVTMA’s goal of reducing the number of single-occupant vehicles on our regional roads through promotion of transit, rideshare, biking, and walking. He explained that the UVTMA is a membership organization that includes:
- 5 core UV towns (Enfield, Hanover, Hartford, Lebanon & Norwich)
- 4 transit providers
- 2 school districts
- major employees (DHMC, Dartmouth College, Hypertherm)
- area transportation consultants (RSG, SVE…)
Working toward the goal of less cars on the road, the UVTMA has pursued a number of initiatives: legislative advocacy for transit; “Transit-Friendly” Development Checklist; transportation demand management land use regulations; Park & Ride facility planning assistance; educational outreach programs; and other efforts. the UVTMA meets the 3rd Thursday of each month from 3:30 to 5 pm at Lebanon City Hall.
Following Gabe’s presentation, participants asked questions and shared ideas for better transportation and parking solutions in the Upper Valley. Some of the suggestions included: expanding AT to Lyme, AT from Harvest Hill and other retirement communities, park & ride lots in Lewiston or someplace in Norwich, improved parking options in downtown Hanover for doctors’ offices (where can patients park), charging for parking at 12A stores (reduce the price, the longer a car parks to reduce traveling from one mall to the next – provide shuttle & redesign strip to include sidewalks), toll Ledyard bridge, tax cars, congestion pricing (like European communities – NYC is exploring), create bike paths like Burlington, VT or Boulder, CO for real commuting.
UVTMA plans to host additional meetings about transportation in the future.