Join City Staff and Members of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee to learn about the improvements to Bike Parking in Downtown Bath.

When: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 @ 4pm
Location: Bath City Hall Auditorium

What: We will provide an overview of the process for identifying the City’s bike parking needs and the benefits of improved parking downtown. We will take a short walking tour of the bike parking locations and address any concerns or questions raised by residents and business owners.

The updated bike parking is based on a multi-year process of testing and evaluating several different bike rack types and locations, incorporating ADA requirements, and responding to an increased demand from residents and visitors who are increasingly expecting reliable and secure places to lock their bikes when visiting Downtown Bath.

Benefits of Improved Bicycle Parking

Inadequate bike parking facilities is one of the leading reasons that people decide not to ride their bikes to a given location. Improved bicycle parking will encourage residents and visitors to bike Downtown, instead of driving cars, which will help support Bath in the following way:

• Help Bath meet its climate goals and keep our air clean
• Free up vehicle parking for others who need it
• Improve community health
• Strengthen Bath’s image as a bike-friendly community

What’s the Plan?

The improvements being made will add 18 new year road bike parking spaces, and up to 38 seasonal parking spaces for bikes.

9 New Permanent Hitch Racks

The City will be installing 9 permanent hitch racks, in convenient locations throughout Front St and Centre St. These racks can accommodate multiple styles of bikes and sturdy enough to handle eBikes and touring bikes with weight on them (eBike usage is on the increase in Bath). Each rack can hold two bicycles.

The racks are positioned to avoid impeding pedestrian walkways and adhering to ADA compliance. The racks are located in specific locations where bikes have historically been parked up against trees, lamps, and other non-official parking areas.

For approximate location of these new permanent racks, look for this image on the map above.

2 New Seasonal Parking Areas

Building on the success of a well received pilot project done in 2019, the City will be adding additional seasonal bike parking capacity with two bike parking popups: one in the north end of Front Street, and the other on the South End of Front Street.

While replacing a vehicle parking spot during the warmer months, each of these seasonal parking areas will allow for up to 10 people, and are indicated on the map with the following icon:

Letter of Support from Main Street Bath

Bath has always been a diverse traveling community. Whether walking the trails at Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, exploring the Riverwalk, crossing the street with thousands of others on your way into Bath Iron Works or stopping in at Reny’s for almost everything you’d ever need. There are lots of moving pieces to our daily lives in Bath. One increase in traveling we’ve seen is with bicycle use in downtown areas both from residents and tourists. Bike tours are constantly heading across the Sagadahoc bridge through the summer months and our locals have found it much easier to get their errands done on two wheels instead of four. To keep these habits sustainable as well as continue to support things that keep our community green, Main Street Bath is in support of the Bike & Pedestrian Committee’s plans to create more space for bicycle parking within our historic downtown. After several tours of other Main Street Communities across the nation, a healthy downtown is one that has plenty of bike access, and we are grateful for the continued work of the Bike & Pedestrian Committee that is in line with Main Street Bath’s mission to promote and preserve our historic downtown.

Amanda McDanial, Director of Main Street Bath

With spring in the air, the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and the League of American Bicyclists, the national organization of bicyclists, announce that May is National Bike Month and Friday, May 20th is Bike to Work Day. Riding a bike is a fun way to get exercise, save money commuting to work, run errands around town or can simply be a healthy and enjoyable family activity. 

The Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee invites area citizens to participate in several rides organized in celebration of National Bike Month. Pre-registration is required for all rides. 

Mountain Bike Ride, Lily Pond Preserve

When: Saturday, May 7, 2022 @ 10:00 am
Location: Lily Pond trailhead, 150 High Street, Bath, Maine

On Saturday May 7th, Lawrence Kovacs, founding president of the Six Rivers local chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association will lead an hour and a half ride at the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust’s Lily Pond Preserve in Bath. Bath is home to more than twenty miles of fun and challenging single track mountain bike trails. This is a ride for folks with at least intermediate skills.

You must be comfortable riding on single track trails that have some roots and rocks. We will be riding on the less challenging trails in Lilly Pond, but they are still narrow and uneven in spots. This will be a “no-drop” ride, so don’t worry about keeping up! We will not leave anyone behind. You should have a mountain bike in good working condition and a helmet is required. We will be carrying some basic tools and a pump in case there is a mechanical issue.

The ride will depart at 10:00 am from the Lily Pond trailhead, located at 150 High Street in Bath. Rain date is May 14th. 

Round Trip from Bath to Wild Oats in Brunswick

When: Saturday, May 14, 2022 @ 8:30 am
Location: Bath Parks and Recreation Department Office, 4 Sheridan Rd, Bath, Maine

On Saturday, May 14th, Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee members Kevin Shute and Tim Blair will lead a 22 mile round trip ride from Bath to Brunswick, with a stop at Wild Oats Bakery and Cafe for a snack and rest stop. In one direction the ride will follow a portion of the East Coast Greenway north of Route 1, and in another direction the ride will follow a route south of Route 1. Riders must wear a helmet, highly visible clothing, and have a bike in good working condition. Departure is from the Bath Parks and Recreation Department office at 8:30 am.

Bath Bike Tour

When: Friday, May 20, 2022 @ 7:00 am
Location: Bath City Hall, 55 Front St., Bath, Maine

On Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 20th, Kevin and Tim will also lead a ride promoting bicycling in Bath. The 8 mile ride will highlight new and proposed pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects in the city. Following the ride participants are invited to join members of the bike/ped committee for a coffee at Cafe Creme’ and share ideas on how to improve bicycling in Bath. Riders will depart from Bath City Hall at 7am. 

The League of American Bicyclists has renewed the City of Bath’s designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Bronze level. This decision involved careful review of Bath’s application and supplemental materials, as well as consultation with local cyclists and bike advocates. This award is presented only to communities with strong commitments to bicycling.

“Biking has the power to strengthen our nation economically, environmentally and socially and we are proud to continue honoring those who have laid the groundwork over several years to make biking a safe, accessible option for all,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “We are at a pivotal point in the movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone as we head into a year that could be transformational for investments in better biking and we’re grateful to have these 57 places making it possible for more people in their community to safely and easily choose bikes.”

“The City of Bath continues to make progress in making Bath a safer and more enjoyable city to walk and ride bikes,” said Tim Blair, Chair of the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. “With our Complete Streets Policy in place and a city staff committed to ongoing improvements, we are working hard to meet the growing demands of residents who want to use active transportation. Receiving this acknowledgement from The League of American Bicyclists is a good indicator of the city’s efforts and also serves as an inspiration to continue this important work.”

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community awards reflect local leaders’ ongoing work to build better places to bike and evaluate those efforts as part of a national movement. Each of the five levels of the Bicycle Friendly Community award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provide a clear path for communities to continuously improve. Visit bikeleague.org/community to learn more about the BFC program.

The Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee is launching a campaign to help slow down vehicles and make the streets of Bath safe for all users. This campaign was originally inspired by a larger state-wide campaign being run by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. To make sure we design a campaign to fit the needs of Bath, we gathered input from community members using an online questionnaire.

Thank you to everyone who completed our questionnaire about vehicle speed in Bath and how it impacts you. The questionnaire is now offline and we are reviewing the entries and compiling a report. The concerns and suggestions that you provided in our questionnaire will help inform and influence the direction of our “Help Bath Thrive: Drive 25” campaign. Stay tuned for more details.

The Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee has established the “Kevin Shute Bicycle and Pedestrian Education and Advocacy Fund” as a way to accept donations for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee while also recognizing Kevin Shute who is a current and a founding member of the Committee. 

Committee members wanted to find a way to properly recognize the contributions made by Kevin Shute and decided that this fund is a perfect way to honor Kevin for his passion and knowledge of cycling, his patience and ability to work with everyone, and for his generosity of the time he has given to the community over the past 10 years. 

The Purpose of The Funds Raised

The Committee works closely with Bath City Staff to help prioritize projects and other items for inclusion in the budgets of Public Works, Planning & Development, and the Parks and Recreation Department. There are occasions when the Committee identifies important but unexpected expenditures for which no funds have been budgeted. These might include signage for new walking trails, banners to promote biking and walking, educational materials and other unexpected advocacy and promotional expenses. Expenses like these can now be covered using this special fund.

How To Make a Donation

If you would like to make a donation, you may do so by writing a Check to the City of Bath, and in the memo field indicate “Bike Ped”. Checks can be delivered to the Treasurer’s Office at Bath City Hall, 55 Front Street, Bath, Maine.

Funds will be expended based on a committee vote to ensure they will be utilized for the purposes they were intended. These gifts to the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee are not tax deductible.

The Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and Bath Public Works installed three new bike racks downtown on Monday, June 21st. This project is part of larger effort to increase the convenience and comfort of biking into the Downtown area. Having adequate bike parking located in numerous places throughout the Downtown area is an important part of encouraging citizens and visitors to the area to use bikes instead of vehicles. After receiving positive feedback from a Bike Rack Popup Project in 2019, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee has been working towards a goal of increasing bike parking throughout the City or Bath.

Three New Convenient Locations

The new racks have been installed in three convenient locations on Centre Street, Front Street, and Elm Street.

Updated Bike Rack Map

Visit the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee’s Map of Bike Racks in Bath Maine to see a map that includes all the bike rack locations throughout the City of Bath.

A Big Thank You to the Volunteer Bike Rack Assemblers

On Friday, June 18th, volunteers gathered at Bath Public Works to assemble the bike racks. Thanks to everyone for getting this done. Special thanks go to Jake from Public Works who provided the group with a location and the necessary tools to get the work done.

The Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee is asking citizens of Bath to share their thoughts on how vehicle speed affects them. Please consider completing this short questionnaire to provide important information to the committee. The results of this questionnaire will inform the City of Bath’s planning process related to traffic calming and improving the safety and comfort of roads for all users.

On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, Bath Middle School students and teachers, and members of the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee participated in a special Bike to School Day event. The event raised awareness about the benefits of biking to school and encourages students to consider it as an option to other modes of transportation.

Lawrence Kovacs, a teacher from RSU1, and a member of the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, organized this year’s event and had this to say:

“Thanks to everyone who helped celebrate Bike To School Day today! We had twenty three students and six teachers arrive at school by bike (plus one on an electric scooter). A big shout out to teachers Paige Gallagher, Micah Depper, Roman Quinn, Tom Bennoch and Amanda Brewer for joining the group from the YMCA. Thanks to Karen Curley for handing out prizes and stickers back at school. Thanks to community members Kevin Shute and Tim Blair for riding with us, both of whom serve on the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. And thanks to Jim Tasse at The Bicycle Coalition of Maine for sending a big box of great prizes for the kids. They loved them! Today created a positive buzz around commuting by bike, and hopefully events like this will encourage more kids to consider riding instead of driving or taking the bus. “

With temperatures inching higher, the Bath Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and the Bath Parks and Recreation Department are inviting citizens to get on their bikes and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. May is National Bicycle Month, as designated by the League of American Cyclists, and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, with assistance from the Parks and Recreation Department, will offer guided bicycle rides on three consecutive Saturdays beginning May 15th.

Ride for Experienced Riders

Saturday, May 15th
Leader: Kevin Shute

A 10 to 12 mile ride through West Bath and North Bath. Participants should have had a few miles on their bike this spring and be comfortable with a couple of moderate hills. Plan on an hour and a half of riding time. Departure for all rides is at 9:30 am from the Bath Recreation Department office located at 4 Sheridan Road.

Get Back on Your Bike Ride

Saturday, May 22nd
Leader: Mark Wheeler & Robert McChesney

This fun, slow ride is intended for riders who may be a bit leery of riding on the road, or haven’t been on their bike in a while. The hour long ride is a great chance to brush up on your cycling skills, gain confidence in your ability and meet riders who share the same biking goals. Departure for all rides is at 9:30 am from the Bath Recreation Department office located at 4 Sheridan Road.

Family Ride

Saturday, May 29th
Leader: Kevin Shute and other committee members

Riders should have some experience riding on the road and children must be accompanied by an adult. Some basic skills will be covered prior to venturing out on the road for a short ride. Departure for all rides is at 9:30 am from the Bath Recreation Department office located at 4 Sheridan Road.

Registration and Safety Information

All rides are free, and limited to 12 riders. Cyclists must pre-register on-line using the Bath Parks and Recreation registration portal. For more information contact the Bath Parks and Recreation at 443-8360.

All rides will follow Maine CDC guidelines to insure a safe event for all participants. Maine CDC requires that participants wear masks when not on their bikes, have 20 feet of separation when riding and 6 feet of separation when stopped.

In addition, riders must wear a helmet, observe the rules of the road, use hand signals, and wear bright, visible clothing. Each ride will begin with introductions, a pre-ride bike check and rules of the road. If you haven’t had your bike tuned up, it is suggested to make an appointment at one of the excellent local bike shops. Departure for all rides is at 9:30 am from the Bath Recreation Department office located at 4 Sheridan Road.