Bicycle & Pedestrian Scoping Study

The Town of Proctor was awarded a VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian Grant to study alternatives to improve safety and accessibility and create connectivity between key destinations including the Town Green, Pine Hill Carriage Trail and Beaver Pond. 

Dufresne Group was hired by the Town of Proctor to assist the Steering Committee in evaluating existing conditions and developing alternatives.  Dufresne Group prepared twelve alternatives for review by the Committee and the public.  The alternatives included various combinations of sidewalks, shared use paths, bicycle lanes, wide shoulders and shared lanes along various alignments between the key destinations.  A critical element in the consideration of alternatives was that the committee felt encroaching onto lawns in residential areas would negatively impact local support.

The preferred alternative included sidewalk replacements along several streets including areas of marble inlaid concrete sidewalks, wide shoulders and shared lanes along Route 3, bicycle lanes in the Town Center, shared lanes around Beaver Pond and a shared use path to Beaver Pond.  This concept connected the key destinations and improved bicycle and pedestrian safety along Route 3 and other town roads.  The facilities around Beaver Pond will include a shared use path along an old rail bed in a wooded area and a bicycle or running loop around Beaver Pond.  Additionally, local efforts will be made to create a hiking trail from the shared use path to a hill top adjacent to Beaver Pond.