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Georgetown Public Library 123 West Pine Street Georgetown
Tuesday
01/21/2025
4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Click here for more info...
At yesterdays’s annual General meeting the gavel was passed from John Kurp to Allen Segal, the new president of Sussex Cyclists.
The 2025 Executive Board is:
President- Allen Segal Vice President- Denny Shook Secretary- Betsy Collins Treasure- Diane Daly Safety Director- Jim Prettyman Advocacy- Bill Weller Social Director- Heidi Lerch Ride Director- Neil Forster Past President- John Kurp
President- Allen Segal
Vice President- Denny Shook
Secretary- Betsy Collins
Treasure- Diane Daly
Safety Director- Jim Prettyman
Advocacy- Bill Weller
Social Director- Heidi Lerch
Ride Director- Neil Forster
Past President- John Kurp
A new position of Communications Director is vacant. If anyone is interested please contact a member of the Executive Board.
Join Governor-elect Matt Meyer for a bike ride at Cape Henlopen State Park (15099 Cape Henlopen Dr, Lewes, DE 19958)!
Distance: This out-and-back ride along the scenic Gordons Pond Trail is approximately 3.2 miles one way (roughly 6.4 mil The ride will take place on Saturday, January 18th, at 10:00 AM with the starting point at the Biden Center in the park.es in total) with the turn-around at the Gordons Pond parking lot in North Shores-Rehoboth. There will be options to extend the ride by a few miles for those that wish.
Conditions: The route is flat and consists of asphalt or crusher-run, making the ride suitable for all ages and abilities.
Parking: Free parking is available at Cape Henlopen State Park, and no entrance fee is required as it’s the off-season.
Come enjoy a beautiful day outdoors and meet your incoming governor!
Great time had by all at the Sussex Cyclist Holiday Party. Good times with good people!
Sussex Cyclists Fundraiser
Iron Hill Brewery Wed, Feb.125pm and 9 pm
Click here for info >
Spread the word -- everyone is invited!
Posted 12/31/24 on Facebook by the Coalition for Safer North Bethany Beach
Alleluia! So nice to see DelDOT has started construction on Fresh Pond State Park RRFB which will be 1 of 6 safe crossing spots for bikers and pedestrians. Traffic calming in North Bethany has finally begun and speed limit reductions happening soon. Monitor the DelDOT / Coalition for a Safer North Bethany website for updates. There will be another workshop this summer to discuss the plan for seperate low stress bike/pedestrian paths as well. https://publicinput.com/nbethanycorridor
Photo from the Cape Gazette by Ellen McIntyre December 23, 2024
Standing in front of Delmarva Central train 1555 at DelDOT’s groundbreaking ceremony are members of the Sussex Cyclists, alongside (l-r) FHWA Regional Director Doug Atkin; DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski; Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner, R-Georgetown; Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes; Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown; and Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, R-Long Neck.
Read the full article >
Walt Bryan hopes to get plans for a bicycle and walking trail connecting The Glade community outside Rehoboth Beach to the Junction & Breakwater Trail rolling after decades of discussion that has not found a solution.
Bryan, the Sussex County representative on the Delaware Bicycle Council, remotely joined the panel’s meeting Dec. 4, at the Delaware Department of Transportation offices in Dover.
He said he would approach Sussex County Council members, including the three newly elected ones who begin their terms in January, to discuss options.
“I think the county could carry this whole ball,” Bryan said.
There has been a growing interest in a trail among residents in housing developments in The Glade area in Rehoboth Beach, where Holland Glade Road, the only access road, is narrow with no shoulders, making it hazardous for cyclists and pedestrians, council members said.
“It’s a miracle that nobody’s been hit or killed,” Bryan said. “There’s a lot of bike activity in and out of The Glade."
Resident Maureen Cassidy said there have been serious crashes on a half-mile stretch of narrow roadways in the area of The Glade, one involving a cyclist.
Routes for a trail have been discussed as far back as a couple of decades but no plan has been pursued, council members said. Possible routes would pass through farmland or forest land, some of it owned by the state.
Mike Krumrine, a representative from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control who serves on the council, said he would look into rights of way that would be needed to create a trail.
Also at the Dec. 4 meeting, Bill Weller, advocacy director of Sussex Cyclists, noted a deficiency in the design of some sensors at intersections controlled by traffic signals. They do not detect bicycles in bicycle lanes, he said.
Weller suggested the council ask DelDOT to create a policy requiring adequate sensors in bicycle lanes for all new road construction or road upgrades at intersections that have traffic signals. The council is gathering information before deciding how to proceed with the request, said John Fiori, bicycle coordinator for DelDOT. If a recommendation is made, it would be reviewed by the agency’s traffic section, Fiori said.
The council also discussed roundabout design options to consider for future state design guidelines suggested by James Wilson, a New Castle County representative to the council.
The state recently approved revisions for roundabout design guidelines, based on federal highway and other standards, Fiori said.
Wilson said roundabouts that have a sharp, roughly 90-degree turn for vehicles to enter and exit are more safe for pedestrians and bicyclists because the driver must slow to nearly a stop.
Roundabouts designed with entrances that allow vehicles to smoothly and quickly enter and exit at less of an angle are more dangerous because drivers commonly do not yield the right of way to pedestrians or cyclists trying to cross, Wilson said.
Peter Haag, a chief traffic engineer for the state, said other traffic-calming design elements that slow traffic before it reaches the roundabout help to make even those designs safer.
The state is working on revising its traffic-calming manual, said Haag, who noted the design of each roundabout is considered independently, based on conditions at the site.
“There’s no safe way to design a roundabout,” Bryan added. “People go in there like a raceway.”
Bryan also suggested the county add a sealed tube tunnel under Route 9 for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross on the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail.
Wilson said a sealed tube tunnel would be confining and unpopular among users. He suggested a tunnel that included an opening to the sky at points where possible would make it more pleasant to use.
Marty Lessner of the Council on Transportation said he worried that if costs for designing a crossing are exorbitant, they will never be pursued.
Fiori said the state has installed a signal at Route 9 and Fisher Road to make it easier for cyclists to cross Route 9, and there are no plans for additional action by the state.
From the Cape Gazette:
The Lewes Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee recommended the city ban parking on a part of Savannah Road that includes the Lewes Brewing Company.
READ MORE...
From Coast TV website (also featured on their TV news coverage)
GEORGETOWN, Del. - Bikers and hikers will soon be able to enjoy a fully completed Georgetown-Lewes trail.
On Wednesday, DelDOT held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate their ninth and final phase of their 17-mile long-project. This stretch of road--from Airport Road to Fisher Road-- will begin Spring 2025.
Cyclists hopped on their bikes to head down the trail as the ceremony came to an end. Outdoor enthusiasts shared they are excited to celebrate the beginning of the final phase.
Danton Sherwood is a member of the Sussex Cyclists and he knows first hand how important this project is.
"Well, you're asking the right person. My wife, Terry Martin, was hit by a truck on Gravel Hill Road almost exactly a month ago, and she's still in intensive care in Christiana," Sherwood shared.
Through a planning study, DelDOT started looking at creating this path back in 2012. By 2016, phase one of nine was open to the public. Now, there's just one last stretch of path to pave.
Nicole Majeski, Cabinet Secretary for DelDOT, was emotional. She fought through tears as she thanked everyone involved, calling it a win for the whole state.
"The fact that we have a separated, dedicated, protected bike lane now for our cyclists, for those that are walking is huge to separate the modes of transportation to provide that safety element for people. This trail will save lives," said Majeski.
Sherwood feels the same way.
"This makes a huge personal and group impact, huge. I can't tell you how much, the difference between life an death almost."
Those responsible for bringing this path to fruition say it's about safely connecting communities. The project is slightly delayed compared to DelDOT's original estimate of a Fall 2025 completion. The Assistant Director or DelDOT's Planning Division says we can expect this to be completed by mid summer of 2026.
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