Bike Walk Alliance for Missoula

Posts Tagged ‘BWAM’

BWAM hosted the Missoula 2013 Ride of Silence at 7:00 pm on Wednesday May 15. Approximately 32 bicyclists participated in the 6.5 mile ride of remembrance of those cyclists who have been injured or killed in crashes with motor vehicles. We began with a presentation by Ethel MacDonald reminding us of the need for all road users to be courteous and mindful of others on the roads. A proclamation from Mayor Engen was read by Councilperson Alex Taft proclaiming May 15 as Ride of Silence Day in Missoula.

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• Presentation on why we ride and safety on the roads.
• Presentation on why we ride and safety on the roads.

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This year’s Missoula ride proceeded from the Missoula County Courthouse to Higgins Ave., SW Higgins Ave., Russell St., South Ave., Stephens Ave., Orange St., and Broadway St. return to the courthouse. KPAX TV provided video news coverage.

In remembrance of the recent pedestrian fatalities in Missoula, we also organized a simultaneous Walk of Silence. A small group of pedestrians walked from the courthouse to Higgins Ave., S. 3rd St., Orange St., Broadway and return to the courthouse.

BWAM will be hosting the 7th Annual Missoula Ride of Silence on May 15, 2013 beginning at the Missoula County Courthouse on Broadway. Please plan to arrive by 6:00pm for the 7:00pm ride that will travel approximately 6.5 miles. See the worldwide Ride of Silence website for more information  about this 10th anniversary ride and background about this important worldwide event.

Helmets will be required and while we invite riders of all levels, only bicycles and adult tricycles will be permitted and all riders must be comfortable riding for at least 1 hour at 12 miles per hour.

In addition to the Ride of Silence, BWAM will be organizing a simultaneous Walk of Silence. If you are not comfortable biking the 6.5 miles on busy streets, please consider joining others for a 1.6 mile walk to remember those pedestrians who have been killed or injured due to a motor vehicle crash.

Link to our Contact Form and select Ride of Silence to ask a question about how you can participate or help with the event.

Once again, BWAM will host the New Belgium Clips Beer and Film Tour in Missoula, and it will be even more fun for all of us if a film (or two!) from Missoula is selected for the tour! New Belgium is looking for under-5-minute films with original creative content that touches on craft beer, advocacy/activism, humor, culture, adventure, art, and fun! Just put all that on your bike and you should be a winner. Why bother? Here’s what New Belgium says:
“If we select your Film: What’s in it for you? Fame and beer-fortune. Yes, getting your film in front of thousands of beer and film-loving fans is no small feat. In 18 different cities, coast-to-coast, your film is up on the big screen and then potentially online and at New Belgium hosted events. But that’s not all… “
Visit the New Belgium website for all the fun details. Good luck! Be sure to let us know if your film is a winner.

BWAM has organized a Ride of Silence in Missoula for that past several years. This year’s Ride of Silence will be held Wed., May 15, 2013 at 7:00 pm. This international event was begun by Chris Phelan in 2002 to honor a friend who was killed in a bike/motor vehicle crash. Chris has now created a petition on the White House petition page.

We encourage you to sign on to this petition and participate in this year’s Ride of Silence wherever you may be. This petition needs a total of 100,000 signatures  by Feb 15, 2013 so that the White House will review and respond. Petition text:

Get on a bicycle and ride one of the Rides Of Silence with the rest of the country and the world, May 15, 2013, 7 pm

We respectfully petition the President and his staff to join The Ride Of Silence on May 15, 2013, 7pm for the boldest bike ride in history. Read the rest of this entry »

Enter the new year, and it’s time for the BWAM annual member meeting and party! We’re excited about welcoming Meredith Printz of the Missoula Community Foundation to share with us plans for the Norman Maclean Trail connecting Missoula’s forested back yard to the Seeley Lake area. Please come and bring your friends — cyclists, hikers, walkers, runners — to learn more about this great recreational trail: Friday, January 25, 6-8 pm, Downtown Dance Collective, 121 W. Main. For information about the trail talk, see the article below by our new volunteer, Saara Snow. Registration is required, please register by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, 1/23/2013.

Other annual meeting business includes an overview of BWAM’s activities and advocacy the past year, including some exciting developments on the Missoula-Lolo Trail and Grant Creek Trail, and an update on our new statewide advocacy group, Bike Walk Montana. Board members Ginny Sullivan and Jean Belangie-Nye are up for re-election, and one vacancy exists due to original member Jim Sayer having completed two three-year terms, the maximum allowed under BWAM By-Laws. He will be missed! Board nominations and applications are encouraged. Send inquiries or suggestions to Robin.

Food and drink will be free to BWAM members, but non-members will be asked to donate $10. We’ll be happy to sign up new members at the door, and if you’re a lapsed BWAM member, this is the time to renew. Sorry, we can accept only checks or cash at the event, so if you want to join or renew by credit card, you can do so in advance here. Pre-registration  for the annual meeting is required, for both members and non-members.  Preregister here.

Introducing the Norman Maclean Trail

Like many a fly fisherman in western Montana where the summer days are almost arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades into a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.

Many a Missoulian can relate to this passage from local author Norman Maclean’s beloved novel, A River Runs Through it. Whether you fly fish or bike or rock climb, if you live in western Montana its wild landscape holds some part of you captive, drawing you into the outdoors again and again to explore a new trail or rock wall or part of a river. For those of us who have lived elsewhere, we know that access to a wild ‘playground’ in our backyard is what makes Missoula unique. And soon outdoor enthusiasts and explorers will have access to a new trail route through the forested backyard that connects the Rattlesnake to the west side of Seeley Lake. The Missoula Community Foundation and the Seeley Lake Community Foundation have teamed up to bring the new trail to life and are naming it in honor of Norman Maclean’s local legacy. Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday evening, October 2, 2012, at Meadow Hill Middle School approximately 30 local enthusiasts attended an open house showing the latest renditions of  possible trail alignments between Missoula and Lolo. View the handout from this meeting in PDF format (1.8MB).
This potential trail would complete the link from Missoula to Hamilton with linkages to additional bike friendly routes across the country. DJ&A, P.C. is the consulting contractor performing the feasibility study.

See the KPAX-TV report.

Jean Belangie-Nye, Board Member of BWAM has been a primary participant for BWAM and the community moving this project forward. Jean continues to work with Missoula County staff, MDT staff, and DJ&A staff to keep this project on track and in progress.

Additional detail files are now available as of Oct. 26, 2012. Read the rest of this entry »