A core contingent of Clinton residents is working to make the town a better place to bike and walk.

Formed in June 2010, the seven-member Bike and Pedestrian Alliance of Clinton (BPAC) has investigated ways to make existing roadways safer for cyclists and pedestrians and to ensure that new roads and upgrades are constructed with bike and foot traffic in mind.

“Since we’re a very small group, we’ve decided to focus on inexpensive means to improve our town’s infrastructure to make it more accommodating to cyclists and walkers,” said BPAC Chair Debbie Lundgren.

As part of its Safe Streets initiative, BPAC has identified specific bike routes in town and is advocating for share-the-road signage to mark them. Designated bike routes would allow cyclists safe access to the town center and the schools, including the new Morgan School.

“We made headway with the previous administration and are hoping to continue that progress with the new administration, incorporating our plans into town road upgrades,” said Lundgren.

BPAC recommends share-the-road signs for arterials and collectors (roads that connect residential streets with busier arteries), as well as major local roads such as Olde Orchard, Pleasant Valley, and Pratt. “Arrows and markers help cyclists feel more comfortable,” Lundgren says.

Bike routes are typically lightly traveled roads, says BPAC member Hal Tzeutschler.

“I can envision a north-south bike route east of Route 81, connecting Iron Works, Kelseytown, Brickyard, Fairy Dell, and Liberty,” Tzeutschler said.

Other suggested routes include Cow Hill–Nod–North High, River–Nod–North High, Airline–Cow Hill–Egypt–Indian River Complex, and Cream Pot, Hurd Bridge, and a small part of Glenwood Road to get to the Ethel Peters Complex and Joel School.

“Signs on the south end of Iron Works and at the Kelseytown/Brickyard intersection should indicate a fork in the bike route, either to the Ethel Peters Recreational Complex/Joel School or downtown/Route 1,” Tzeutschler continued.

Also high on the group’s list is installing sidewalks on Route 81 at the new Morgan School.

“The high school will be on a major thoroughfare with no sidewalk provisioned with the new construction,” BPAC member Bradley Enerson said. “Kids would have to walk along Route 81 to get to places such as Clinton Crossing Outlets or the Henry Carter Hull Library. We are trying to get the town to do a feasibility study and secure funding for sidewalks there.”

“The sidewalk stops half a mile short of the new school campus,” Lundgren added. “We’re trying to push forward this idea that there are funds available for construction of this sidewalk that the town could apply for.”

When the sidewalk was first proposed, an engineering group put the original estimate at $1 million, an expenditure that the town’s former Board of Finance voted down, Lundgren said.

“But there is $900,000 in potential state funding for this project,” she noted, “if the town prepares a preliminary project design.”

That development, she hopes, will produce “a different outcome” when the new Board of Finance reviews the request. Potential funding for the sidewalk extension is available through the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP).

BPAC is also working on plans to construct a simple wooden pedestrian bridge from Cream Pot Road to the Indian River Sports Complex.

“You wouldn’t want your kids riding their bikes on busy Route 81,” said Lundgren. “They need a back route from Cream Pot Road to the complex.”

Right now, a makeshift footbridge of logs and planks allows passage across the river; BPAC is looking to replace it with something sturdier and more permanent.

“We’re talking to the Conservation Commission and Inlands Wetlands Commission and are hoping to have this done in the spring or summer,” Lundgren said. “It’s looking good.”

BPAC’s Alan Felgate has also proposed placing signs in strategic locations throughout town to remind motorists to slow down. Former first selectman Willie Fritz had agreed that the town would cover half the cost of the signs; the other half would be paid for by residents who wish to place the signs in their yards or driveways. BPAC plans to work through the PTA to identify families interested in purchasing and displaying signs and will approach First Selectman Bruce Farmer about subsidizing the project.

A fifth and more long-term BPAC project involves the creation of a trail system in Clinton—extending the Shoreline Greenway, which terminates in Madison, so that it continues on through Clinton and Westbrook.

BPAC meets on the second Tuesday of every month and is seeking new members. Those interested in joining or learning more should email lundgren10@comcast.net.