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AROUND 25 BICYCLISTS from Arrowsic and neighboring communities turned up on Saturday for a ride to celebrate the paving of the road shoulder along a 1.5-mile stretch of Route 127 in Arrowsic. “They were not going to pave it until we got involved,” Phine Ewing, an initiator of the Arrowsic Bike Committee, said as she handed out bright yellow T-shirts with “Share the Road Pave the Shoulder” printed on them. The shirts were donated by Briggs Advertising of Bath. Led by Ewing, the ride began around 9:15 a.m. Cyclists who ranged in age from 10 to older than 65 traveled north along Route 127, crossed both the Arrowsic Bridge and the Sagadahoc Bridge spanning the Kennebec River before arriving at the Bath Freight Shed on Commercial Street in Bath. Of the ride, Jim Stump, a cyclist and head of the Arrowsic Road Commission, said, “When the (Maine Department of Transportation) does an overlay of asphalt, it’s the policy to not pave the shoulder. Here in Arrowsic, a biker can’t bike on the shoulder, so we formed this committee to change the state’s mind.” While the MDOT has yet to change its policy, project managers agreed to pave the shoulder provided the town of Arrowsic paid for it. Money from the roads budget was designated to fund the project at the June town meeting. “If people get together and shout loud enough, things happen,” Ewing said.
AROUND 25 BICYCLISTS from Arrowsic and neighboring communities turned up on Saturday for a ride to celebrate the paving of the road shoulder along a 1.5-mile stretch of Route 127 in Arrowsic. “They were not going to pave it until we got involved,” Phine Ewing, an initiator of the Arrowsic Bike Committee, said as she handed out bright yellow T-shirts with “Share the Road Pave the Shoulder” printed on them. The shirts were donated by Briggs Advertising of Bath. Led by Ewing, the ride began around 9:15 a.m. Cyclists who ranged in age from 10 to older than 65 traveled north along Route 127, crossed both the Arrowsic Bridge and the Sagadahoc Bridge spanning the Kennebec River before arriving at the Bath Freight Shed on Commercial Street in Bath. Of the ride, Jim Stump, a cyclist and head of the Arrowsic Road Commission, said, “When the (Maine Department of Transportation) does an overlay of asphalt, it’s the policy to not pave the shoulder. Here in Arrowsic, a biker can’t bike on the shoulder, so we formed this committee to change the state’s mind.” While the MDOT has yet to change its policy, project managers agreed to pave the shoulder provided the town of Arrowsic paid for it. Money from the roads budget was designated to fund the project at the June town meeting. “If people get together and shout loud enough, things happen,” Ewing said.

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