WINDHAM COUNTY- With summer in full swing, a new map will help residents and visitors with planning their bike rides around eastern Windham County. The Windham Regional Commission has recently produced updates to their series of Bicycle Suitability Maps.

The two maps show data on many things of interest to cyclists, including shoulder condition, traffic volumes, steep hills, riding hazards, bike shops, and more. While the maps do not identify specific biking routes, some roads popular with cyclists are highlighted.

The maps are a result of several years of after-hours research, mostly on a bike, by Jeff Nugent, the commission’s mapping and GIS specialist. Input from both avid and casual cyclists was also incorporated, and the WRC welcomes additional comments from those who use the maps. Plans are in the works to release maps of western Windham County within the next year.

Copies of the map can be downloaded from WRC’s website at www.windhamregional.org/bikemap, and are available at the WRC offices, 139 Main Street in Brattleboro, for a small fee.

The Windham Regional Commission is one of 11 regional planning commissions in Vermont, and since 1965 has been assisting the 27 towns in southeastern Vermont to provide effective local government and work cooperatively with them to address regional issues.

For more information contact the Windham Regional Commission at (802) 257-4547, wrc@sover.net or www.windhamregional.org.