Paul Krell had a question.
He'd dialed in from his iPad — "Paul's iPad," as the Zoom roster identified him — to attend the Farmington Bicycle Advisory Committee's March 11 meeting. His question concerned Meadow Road: specifically, whether the committee's scheduled review of a sidewalk project there meant cyclists would be routed onto it through his neighborhood.
"I've been told multiple things," Krell said, after successfully locating the unmute button. "I was of the impression that bikes were not going to be on the Meadow Road sidewalk."
What followed was a patient clarification from committee member Bruce Seir: the Meadow Road project is a sidewalk, not a bike trail. It will be narrower. It will not be plowed or maintained in winter. And in Farmington — unlike Simsbury, unlike downtown West Hartford — there is no local ordinance prohibiting cyclists from sidewalks. Bikes are, by default, permitted everywhere in town.
Krell processed this. "I guess I need to fear this," he said, thanked the committee for their time, and logged off.
The rest of the meeting covered considerably more actionable ground. 🏛️
Wayfinding Signs: Finally Moving
After extended discussion in prior meetings, Russ Arnold, Farmington's Director of Parks, has given the committee the green light to proceed with wayfinding signs through the Highlands — the trail network that runs toward the high school and town hall.
The plan, championed by committee member Neil Kelsey, calls for directional signs posted at key points throughout the Highlands with arrows guiding trail users toward the high school and town hall complex. A committee member has volunteered to find a sign maker and come up with something simple. Parks has removed the last obstacle. Installation awaits the ground's cooperation — in Farmington in March, that cooperation is not guaranteed, but it is at least possible.
The $5,000 That Was (Possibly) Free
The committee discussed a Connecticut Department of Transportation micro-grant through the agency's alternative transportation division: maximum award $5,000, application described as roughly one page, deadline approximately March 20.
As of this article's publication date, that deadline has passed. Whether the committee submitted in time is not yet confirmed. A follow-up is forthcoming.
The proposed request took shape in real time: bicycle helmets, small bike lights known in the committee as "blinkies" — available at roughly $1.25 each — printed safety materials, and potentially bike racks at the Board of Education building and a secondary entrance to the high school, both identified as underserved for cyclist access. A fall bike rodeo was also discussed as a possible line item.
Because BikeWalk Farmington is a nonprofit rather than a municipal body, the grant must be submitted through CRAG, a regional planning organization; committee member Ron, who handles most of BikeWalk Farmington's community outreach, was tapped as the likely lead. The committee's working position: apply for the full $5,000 and sort the details after.
Separately, the committee is trying to get a firm answer from the Farmington Valley Trails Council on whether they'll help share the cost of a new trail parking lot identification sign, estimated at roughly $5,500. Leadership at the trails council was to receive the pricing by email.
The bike rack ordered for the new Farmington Town Hall is still waiting on a contractor to remobilize in spring. It has been ordered. It exists. It is simply not yet installed.
Trail Speed Limits: Moving at Something Less Than 15 mph
The committee has been working toward a 15 mph speed limit on the Farmington Valley Trail. The number is not in dispute. The process is.
Connecticut's 169 municipalities each govern their own trails and roads, which means a uniform speed limit across a multi-town corridor requires independent action by every town involved. Avon is ready — signs will go up the moment a decision is formalized. The situation in Canton, Simsbury, and Burlington is less settled.
The Farmington Valley Trails Council, which serves the regional trail network, has been reluctant to take the lead on coordination; committee members acknowledged that consensus within that organization on whether a speed limit is warranted hasn't been fully reached. Rather than wait on a regional body to resolve its internal disagreements, the committee is exploring whether the police chiefs of the affected towns can simply agree informally on a uniform number. Committee member Bruce Seir noted that Farmington's chief had previously expressed openness to that route.
It would be a workaround. It might be the only thing that works.
Safe Routes to School: The Window Is June and July
Jim Radcliffe, who leads the safe routes to school effort, was traveling for work and not at the March 11 meeting. His update: the Board of Education is in budget season and is not engaging with external initiatives.
Committee members received this without surprise. Budget season has created a recurring window each year — four to five months — where this particular initiative effectively stalls. The new school superintendent is reportedly a cyclist himself and has expressed genuine interest in safe routes. He is also still getting acclimated to the job.
The math, as one member laid it out: the BOE budget process runs through roughly May or June. School preparation for the next year begins in August. That leaves June and July — perhaps eight weeks — to make real progress before the calendar resets. The committee is prepared to move immediately when the opportunity opens.
"We need to be ready to go as soon as the budget cycle ends," one member said, "so that we get their attention right away."
That's the plan. Eight weeks, once they arrive.
BikeWalk Farmington: Two Events This Month
The committee's community outreach arm, BikeWalk Farmington, has two events coming up before March ends:
Saturday, March 28 — Farmington Polo Grounds, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Approximately 400 children are expected. BikeWalk will have a table with helmets, stickers, and information. If you aren't busy and want to help, contact Ron.
Sunday, March 29 — Paulie's Pier site, near Railroad Avenue. The kickoff fundraising event for the new pier project. BikeWalk will be present.
Looking further out: the Union School bike-to-school ride is April 24. The West District ride — larger, with volunteers needed from 7:30 a.m. — is May 15. Both begin and end at the respective schools. A late-spring library event has been moved to fall after the room became unavailable.
The Trail Is Clear. Watch Your Line.
For anyone planning to ride the Farmington Valley Trail: as of early March, the snow is gone but the trail is carrying post-winter debris — stones and scree pushed onto the path from road plowing. Spring maintenance is on the schedule but has not happened yet.
It was warm last week. It is not spring. Ride with appropriate caution. 🚲
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— Jack Beckett reviewed this meeting via auto-generated YouTube transcript, eleven days after it happened. The coffee was hot when he started. It was not hot by the time he got to the speed limit discussion. Some things move slowly in Connecticut. ☕
The Farmington Mercury covers the town nobody else is covering: the advisory committee quietly working on a 15 mph trail sign for two-plus years, the public commenter who dials in on Zoom to learn something he didn't want to know, the grant deadline that may or may not have been met — we will find out and tell you. We publish slowly, deliberately, and without apology. Our motto is "Always last to breaking news" and we stand behind every syllable of it. Find us at thefarmingtonmercury.com and tell your neighbors. #WeAreFarmington 📰