Community Members Seek to Form Bicycle Commission

A group of Stonington residents are trying to make the town a little more bike and pedestrian friendly by forming a bicycle and pedestrian commission.

If approved by the town the commission would take on an advisory role, developing and implementing a bike plan for the Town of Stonington and providing recommendations on alternative transportation options.

Jennifer Lacker is one of seven community members working to create the commission.

“I brought the idea Ed Haberek last summer and have been waiting ever since,” Lacker said in an email. “There are a million issues to address.”

The commission, according to Lacker, would work with a variety of town agencies, such as the Police Department, Highway Department and Planning and Zoning Commission.

Lacker is on the board of Mystic Community Bikes, which serves both Stonington and Groton. The bike share program provides free bikes at locations around Mystic.

But just what role the commission would take on is still a little unclear to town officials.

“Where does it fit best?” Selectman Glee McAnanly said. “I’m trying to understand what the nature of the task force is and how it fits in.”

Bike plans seem to be growing in popularity. Groton already has one, and local Kent Frost is helping Middletown write their plan.

The Board of Selectmen is asking the Planning Department to take a look at the formation of a commission and see if it would fit in as a subcommittee to the Planning and Zoning Commission or with the Plan of Conservation and Development.