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Healthy Adams Bicycle/Pedestrian Inc. Current Activites |
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GETTYSBURG BOROUGH INNER LOOP In June 2007, the Gettysburg Borough Council voted unanimously to attempt to identify an Inner Loop Bicycle Trail. Technical assistance is being provided by the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program as well as the Adams County Office of Planning and Development. HABPI is the work horse of this effort, having offered its assistance to the Borough. The kick off community meetings with business leaders, elected officials, and Borough citizens were held in November 2007. Working in harmony, the Borough and HABPI have identified a potential route and will develop a concept plan that would be used for a construction funding proposal. In April 2008, Gettysburg citizens attended a public meeting and provided critical information regarding 1. destinations that should be served by a trail and 2. possible off-road/on-road alignments that could be used. The Alignment Committee then analyzed the citizen alignment suggestions and formulated them into a workable alignment. Citizens attending the public meeting were able to complete a survey about their thoughts on bicycle trails within the borough. On January 8, 2009, an updated GIL Alignment was presented to approximately 20 community leaders and again, suggestions/changes were fielded. After considering all public input, the Alignment Committee accepted the August 18th, 2009 Alignment, which was then presented to Gettysburg Borough for acceptance. Please click map of the proposed route to view. It will be a part of the final report, due by the end of 2009. As of December 5, 2008, 21 letters of support have been received from: Adams County Commissioners, Gettysburg College, Healthy Adams County, HACC, Gettysburg National Military Park, Rep. Todd Platts, Senator Terry Punt, Gettysburg Tourist and Convention Bureau, Adams Gettysburg Adams Chamber of Commerce, Gettysburg Area School District, Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saint Francis Xavier Church, Main Street Gettysburg, Adams County Office of Planning and Development, Gettysburg Hospital, Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg, Gettysburg Fire Department, the YWCA, Adams County Office for Aging, Inc., and Healthy Adams Bicycle/Pedestrian, Inc. The health, environmental, community and convenience benefits of the GIL will be incredible. Our projections are below. A. Here is a realistic scenario for local Gettysburg area residents A 190 pound person rides his bicycle for work, school, church and errands etc. for 30 weeks per year (May through Nov.) for 5 days per week at 10 miles per day for these various trips. That takes into account bad weather days. Then that person uses their bicycle for 1,500 miles per year for daily living, not including pleasure trips. Weight loss: 345 calories/hour X 150 hours = 51,750 calories or 14.79 pounds/ year. (actual weight loss depends on personal eating habits) Gasoline savings if car gets 25mpp = 60 gallons or 2.14 barrels of crude oil per year Money savings: @ $3 gallon of gas = $180 Carbon Dioxide reduction: 60 gal. X 19.564 pounds/gal = 1,174 pounds CO2/year Plus, immeasurable convenient, hassle free transportation Suppose about 10% of the Gettysburg area (or 1,000 people) did that… then: Gasoline saved if car gets 25mpg = 60,000 gallons of gasoline/year Crude oil saved per year = 2,143 barrels of crude oil Carbon Dioxide reduction = 1,173,840 pounds of CO2/year B. Here is a scenario for tourists impacting Gettysburg roads and the environment: Suppose Gettysburg has 2,100,000 tourists per year and 80% (1,680,000) come between May and November…. They average 3 people per car load. Then, that’s 560,000 car loads of tourists from May to Nov. If 5% see Gettysburg on bicycle, averaging 20 miles per day for only one day on their Gettysburg stay….. here is the annual savings: Reduced cars on Gettysburg Streets May through November = 28,000 less cars Gasoline savings @ 25mpg = 22,400 gallons of gas annually Reduced carbon dioxide emissions = 438,234 pounds C. Combined gasoline, crude oil and CO2 emissions saving if 10% of locals and 5% of tourists used bicycles May through November, using the above A and B scenarios: Gasoline savings: 22,400 + 60,000 = 82,400 gallons of gasoline (EQUALS: 10 large tanker trucks of gasoline) Crude oil savings = 2,943 barrels (EQUALS: 15 large tanker trucks of crude oil) Carbon Dioxide emissions reductions = 1,612,074 pounds or 731 metric tons The Gettysburg Inner Loop will link vital borough areas including:
BIGLERVILLE/OAKSIDE CONNECTOR In the fall of 2008, Biglerville Borough completed their bicycle/pedestrian connector trail from the Borough to Oakside Park in Butler Township, which is also the location of the Upper Adams Senior Center. This network also connects to Jane’s Market, Adams County National Bank, other businesses and the High School via safe streets, alleys and sidewalks. Bicycles are allowed on sidewalks. The effort to build this trail saw a remarkable partnership of common sense groups, including: Biglerville Borough, Butler Township, The Ira Lady American Legion, The Upper Adams Jaycees, Knouse Foods, Adams County Office of Planning and Development, Upper Adams School District, and HABPI. The project received financial support from PennDOT and S&A Homes, as well as no cost easement rights from the local Ira Lady American Legion. The Upper Adams Jaycees volunteered much of the labor. The trail was completed in a very short time for projects like this, thanks to all those participating and their donations of right of way, time or money. Tablerock Road, with it fast moving traffic on a narrow road, was the greatest safety obstacle. However, from the start, Ira Lady American Legion saw the merits of providing an off road easement, which was the key to success. Oakside Park is a beautiful park with a couple more miles of lovely paths, soccer fields, ball fields, picnic areas, fishing, concert shell and the Upper Adams Senior Center. It was built and owned by the Upper Adams Jaycees. Next time you are in Biglerville, take some time to explore this trail and see what a great asset it is to the community. On Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 9 am there will be a "Fitness Walk/Run/Ride" on the trail. People of all ages are encouraged to meet at Biglerville High School parking lot on Main Street in Biglerville for a three-mile walk/run/ride on the new BIGLERVILLE/OAKSIDE CONNECTOR TRAIL. This event is sponsored by HABPI (Healthy Adams Bicycle Pedestrain Inc). For more info, contact Debra McCauslin at 717-528-8553 or dmccauslin@gettysburghistories.com HANOVER/GETTYSBURG CONNECTOR The York County Rail Trail Authority and HABPI have partnered to do a bicycle/pedestrian off-road trail feasibility study from Hanover to Gettysburg. Both organizations received funding from the PA Department of Economic Development and PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to do the feasibility study which was completed in December 2007. This trail segment will be a part of the larger Grand History Loop Trail. Further, this connector will offer welcomed relief to local commuters who wish to ride their bicycles to Hanover or Gettysburg for work, school or leisure. The trail should accomodate bicycling, walking, jogging, cross country skiing, and possibly horseback riding. Campbell, Thomas and Associates of Philadelphia conducted the feasibility study and three public meetings brought approximately 180 local residents out to discuss the plan. Download a copy of a two-sided, tri-fold brochure explaining the study. The complete, 117-page study is also available. To see what the trail might look like and learn about similar trails, look at this presentation. BIKE RIDE TO RAISE OPERATING FUNDS We need to raise money for the following purposes. To help raise funds, we conducted a bicycle ride of 22 miles in the Gettysburg area on May 25. Several of our Board of Directors participated along with some of our friends. Many people and some organizations donated money in support of our efforts. We collected over $2,500. See our list of donors. You can still contact any board member to make a contribution or go to our Helping Hand page to contribute. THE GRAND HISTORY LOOP TRAIL Imagine riding your bicycle on a 200 mile loop trip, exploring some of our nation’s most important history… and never once using your automobile. HABPI and the York County Rail Trail Authority spawned this idea back in 2004. Interestingly, over 100 miles of the Grand History Loop Trail (GHLT) have already been completed, thanks to the diligent work of the key entities. Portions already completed and offering wonderful bicycling/walking opportunities include: York Heritage Trail, Northern Central Trail, Baltimore Annapolis Trail, BWI Trail and the C&O Canal. When completed, the GHLT will take travelers to Gettysburg, Frederick, Washington, Annapolis, Baltimore, York, Hanover and an honor roll of countless towns and historical places that have enriched America. The Gettysburg National Military Park will be a critical cornerstone in the Grand History Loop Trail. Partners from Maryland, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia and the National Park Service are on board in this effort. Participating organizations include: 
On Road Safety Coordinator, Ken Corbran, has been focusing his efforts on the proposed Route 15/30 intersection. This is the crossroads of Adams County. PennDot is currently designing the intersection. HABPI knows that bicyclists and walkers use Route 30, so the intersection must contain safe provisions to cross Route 15 on Route 30, both directions. |