By: Georgia Lobb
In 2004, a study called the Bike Trail Master Plan began in Ridgefield, CT. It proposed the construction of bike paths to connect parts of the town, which is covered with thin, windy roads that are nothing less than treacherous for pedestrians and cyclists.
But as soon as the plan came to life, it soon faded into obscurity.
Now, nearly a decade later, a group called Leading Initiatives for New Connections (LINC), seeks to bring these plans to fruition.
Steve Coulter of The Ridgefield Press reports that the goals of LINC are to renew the study, and to bring about a network of multi-purpose trails for walking, hiking, and biking throughout the town of Ridgefield.
Like many Fairfield residents, Ridgefielders are fed up with the skinny roads and the lack of accessibility for non-automobile users.
“There’s been a lot of requests from bikers to put a plan into action — they feel unsafe on the roads most of the time and they want us to explore options for them. There’s a lot of elements going on and right now we are just trying to bring them together, but our focus, our shared purpose, is always going to be the same and that’s accomplishing this collective vision of a connected Ridgefield.” reported Jacqui Dowd, who owns a local bicycle shop and is also a chairman of LINC.
The only issue is one that is all too common for the world of transportation advocates: ““We are getting closer and closer to achieving this goal, but there’s still a long way to go — it’s an expensive and time-consuming undertaking,” said First Selectman Rudy Marconi.