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May/June Legislative Update & State Level News

Bike-Walk Alliance of NH works with many State Committees to keep abreast of legislation that could affect bicyclists and pedestrians in our state.

There are no new legislation-related updates since our last e-newsletter in the March/April issue, but here is a recap of where things stand at the moment:

– SB-131, that omnibus bill that included a request to implement essentially the “Idaho stop,” was amended with all related text removed. The subject seemed too controversial to pursue at this time and shows no evidence of passing.

– HB-268, requiring bicyclists to ride against the flow of traffic, was ITL’d (“Inexpedient to Legislate”) which means the bill is killed. However, there is one proponent that has indicated plans to try submitting this again in the next legislative session (fall 2021). There is essentially no chance of this becoming law.

– HB-1182 includes non-traditional motor vehicles (OHRVs) being allowed on public roads but has not been debated by the committee.

– HB-311 passed the Senate with one small amendment to define the chair of the planned committee. This rail trail best management committee will fall under the House RR&D Committee.

– SB-185 formed the State Rail Trail Plan Advisory Stakeholders Committee which was to hold their second meeting on April 21. A comprehensive report from the Rockefeller Research Center at Dartmouth on rail trail funding mechanisms used in surrounding states was to be the keynote presentation. The report was ready for review, but due to technical video conferencing problems, the entire meeting was postponed by NHDOT until sometime in May.

Other state-level news related to bike-ped and rail trails includes the following:

– The new position of Director of Outdoor Recreation Development has been filled by Scott Crowder. He reports to DBED Commissioner Taylor Caswell.

– The Bureau of Trails Chief position formerly held by Chris Gamache has been filled by Craig Rennie. He will start on May 21 and report via Parks and Rec Director Phil Bryce to DNCR Commissioner Sarah Stewart. Please see the separate article abut this elsewhere in this newsletter.

– Joining forces with the New Hampshire Rail Trails Coalition (NHRTC) and several other entities and individuals, BWANH recently submitted a letter of support to Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah Stewart and others voicing support to the Town of Gorham’s request to close the Presidential Rail Trail Route 2 parking trailhead to summertime motorized (OHRV) loading and unloading and use. This has been a long-standing ongoing issue for several years. The hope is that this trailhead and this section of the Presidential Rail Trail will be returned to its original status for non-motorized trail use only.

As always, if you would like more info on any of these issues, or if you would like to become more involved in any of these efforts, please reach out to us at info@bwanh.org.