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Meeting report · Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
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Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee — May 21, 2026

The meeting was largely administrative, but internal disagreements regarding the committee's core mission and safety concerns involving motorized vehicles added a layer of tension.

Date Thursday, May 21, 2026 Duration 1.1h Speakers 1 Decisions 2 Mildly contentious

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Patterns

Potential hazards at specific intersections and changes in traffic patterns due to the new school. Affected: Local residents, students at Montascori School, and commuters near South Pleasant Street.
safety change
02

High-Speed Electric Vehicle Regulation

Possible new regulations or increased police presence regarding sidewalk and street usage. Affected: Young riders, pedestrians, and local law enforcement.
safety change

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approval of April 16th meeting minutes
A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes.
Approved
00:40
Strawberry Fest attendance
The committee tentatively decided to attend the Strawberry Fest on June 20th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM to promote the pocket park design.
Approved
13:25

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
00:35 Approval of Minutes

The committee reviewed and approved the meeting minutes from April 16th.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
01:27 Electric Vehicle and Motorbike Safety

Discussion regarding an increase in young people operating high-speed electric vehicles (described as dirt bikes or motorbikes) on sidewalks and streets, and the need for potential regulation or police involvement.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Woody
07:30 Strawberry Fest Participation

The committee discussed participating in the upcoming Strawberry Fest on June 20th, deciding to host an informational table regarding the pocket park design rather than a bike tune-up.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Putnham
22:23 Pocket Park Project Update

A detailed report on the pocket park, including the Board of Selectmen presentation, fundraising strategies, design elements like permeable pavers, and the project timeline (construction targeted for late summer/fall 2028).

Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Don
28:37 Walkable New London Initiative & Trail Connectivity

Updates on trail development, specifically the Skunk Hollow Trail connection and the potential for future connections near Barrett Road and the old dump property.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Don, Russ
61:34 Public Works and Pedestrian Safety

Discussion on sidewalk repairs, pedestrian hazards at the South Pleasant Street intersection, and the impact of the new school's traffic patterns on local safety.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Sam, Adam

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

Prioritization of Pocket Park vs. Transit Networks

There is internal friction regarding the committee's mission creep; focusing on park beautification may be detracting from the primary goal of developing broader bicycle and pedestrian transit networks.
Board position: The board is currently heavily focused on the Pocket Park project, including fundraising and design.
Internal dissent
Don expressed explicit concern that the pocket park has taken priority over the broader transit facets that originally formed the committee's purpose.
low concern
02

Electric Vehicle and Motorbike Safety

The rise of high-speed electric vehicles (dirt bikes/motorbikes) being operated by young people on sidewalks and streets creates a conflict between youth recreation, pedestrian safety, and the need for potential police regulation.
Board position: The board is seeking to involve Public Safety and police departments to investigate regulation/enforcement.
medium concern

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Contact Public Safety Department regarding electric vehicle/motorbike concerns.
Assigned: a speaker
Forward the Strawberry Fest flyer to the committee group.
Assigned: a speaker
Contact Liz Newhouse at Montascori School regarding intersection safety and traffic patterns.
Assigned: a speaker
Communicate with the police department regarding electric vehicle/motorbike regulations.
Assigned: a speaker
Walk the area near Woodcrest Drive with Mark Vernon to investigate a potential trail connector.
Assigned: a speaker

Notable ⁠statements

The [pocket park] has taken priority over some of the other facets that brought us all together in the first place. — Don · Expressing concern that the committee's focus has shifted too heavily toward park beautification rather than broader transit networks. 47:21
The [big spruce] is bifurcated... it's just a question of sooner than later that one of those trunks is going to come down because it's structurally unsound. — Unidentified speaker · Addressing concerns regarding the removal of a large tree in the park design. 108:27

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
0
Total speakers
0
Addressed
0
Partial
0
Not addressed
Unidentified speaker
66:23
Not addressed
a speaker appears to be a board member or chairperson rather than a member of the public, as they are calling the meeting to a close and announcing the next meeting date. There is no substantive public comment provided in this transcript snippet. Key concern
None (Closing of the meeting)
The speaker is acting in a leadership capacity to adjourn the meeting; there is no public concern presented to be addressed.
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Report composed by grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.