In 2023, voters around the country directly approved $2.2 billion dollars in new funding for bike projects.

If you want our roads to be safer for people on bikes, please tell our Selectboard, Planning Board, and most importantly, FRCOG’s (Franklin Regional Council of Governments) transportation planners that you want part of the monies allocated for making our roads safer for cyclists to be used for this purpose in South Deerfield. The opportunity to make South Deerfield safer for people riding bikes will be decided by FRCOG based on the comments they receive from an online survey they are currently conducting.

The recent striping of bike lanes on Sugarloaf Street and on Rts. 5 & 10 are certainly an improvement, but they are bridges to nowhere until they are connected to the town and schools. Imagine how much more useful it would be if they were part of a loop connecting them to each other, the town campus, and, most importantly, the schools.

An average of 883 people on bikes are killed every year and that number has been going up as more people are using bikes. Please take a few minutes to help make our roads safer for kids, those of us who ride to get exercise, and for people commuting on bikes to help protect the environment.

Please go online to the FRCOG’s bicycle planning page, frcog.org/project/franklin-county-bikeway, and fill out the survey to let the people who will be deciding on the next phase of improvements to cycling infrastructure know what you want.

Greg Franceschi

South Deerfield