SWFBUD -- South West Florida Bicyclists United With Dealers: October 2012

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Perfect Weather for Sunday's Bicycle Bash

Sunday's weather for the Bicycle Bash in downtown Tampa looks exquisite -- High of 80 degrees, sunshine and zero chance of rain! Special thanks goes to Jim James E Shirk whose work on the Bash is making this annual bicycle advocacy event possible. To my bicyclist friends in Pinellas, please come and enjoy the bike stores of SWFBUD, a short, easy bike ride with Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Columbia Cafe foo

d, free bike helmets courtesy of the Hillsborough County sheriff's office, bicycle legal advice from Steele Olmstead, Cigar City beer, chats with national bike advocacy leaders like Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists, a swap meet and free raffle for free bike goodies. And don't forget the first-ever Tampa Bay Bicycle Summit the next day on Monday Nov 5 from 1-4PM at the History Center. More info here --www.bicyclebash.info

You want to turn around Tampa and make it into a bicycle town where bicycling is both safe and enjoyable? Then get involved. See you at the Bash and stop by the SWFBUD table to say hi.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Rahm Says Build Bicycle Infrastructure To Recruit High-tech Start-ups

Enjoyed chatting tonight with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who told SWFBUD that he recruits high-tech start-ups by building bicycle infrastructure in Chicago. Good advice for Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Bike Bash/Post-Bash/Bike Summit Sked -- Nov 4-5

Bicycle Bash Schedule

Sunday NOV 4 10 am to 4 pm Cotanchobee Park, Old Water Street in Downtown Tampa

10 am -- Start of Bicycle Bash
10:30am -- Group stretch
11am -- Mayor Bob Buckhorn bicycle ride
12 noon -- SWFBUDDY Awards
2 pm -- Kids bikes along Riverwalk
3 pm -- Free gear raffle
4 pm -- Bike Bash ends

Activities -- swap meet, demos, Columbia Cafe food, Cigar City beer, music

Sunday NOV 4 7 pm to 9 pm Independent Bar, 5016 Florida Ave. in Seminole Heights

Meet and greet Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists; and Tim Bustos, executive director of the Florida Bicycle association

Monday NOV 5 1 pm to 4 pm Tampa Bay History Center Downtown Tampa

"The Big Turnaround: Bridging the Divide to Becoming a Great Bicycle Town"

Speakers/facilitators

Andy Clarke, League of American Bicyclists president -- What makes a great bike town?
Rick Baker, former mayor of St. Petersburg -- Why should an elected official invest in bicycling?
Cheryl Stacks, St. Petersburg bike-ped coordinator -- How do you keep bicycle projects rolling?
Jean Duncan, Tampa transportation director -- How does Tampa turn things around?
Tim Bustos, Florida Bicycle Association executive director -- How do we bridge the hopes of advocates with the goals of public officials?

Friday, October 12, 2012

Congrats To This Year's SWFBUDDY Award Winners

One of the best things I enjoy most about the annual Bicycle Bash is giving the coveted SWFBUDDY Award to local citizens and elected officials who step up and make Tampa Bay a more bicycle-friendly place. SWFBUD is proud to announce the 2012 Class of SWFBUDDY Award winners, who will receive their SWFBUDDYs at the Bicycle Bash event on Nov 4 in downtown Tampa. Our SWFBUDDY Award winners are:

-- Cindy Roberts, wife of fallen Tampa Police Officer Cpl. Mike Roberts. Cindy rode her bike 250 miles as part of the Police Unity Tour last year and she showed how truly inspirational bicycle riding can be when she rode in the memory of her husband during the PUT.

http://m.cfnews13.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ot/both/2011/04/29/Wife_of_fallen_officer_rides_bike_250_miles_in_his_honor.html

-- Tampa City Councilwoman Lisa Montelione, who has consistently supported bicycling on the city council and as a member of MPO panels. Lisa knows bicycling makes Tampa a better place to live and has used her position to support steps to improve bicycling.

-- Architect Ken Cowart and political consultant Kevin Thurman, who this year submitted a business plan to the Hillsborough County Commission that prompted the commissioners to not demolish the Friendship TrailBridge. Not only did their report stop the demolition of the beloved Friendship TrailBridge, which was used by 600,000 annual users before it was closed, but their work has resulted in Hillsborough County government now working on a request for proposal to draw bids to rebuild the Friendship TrailBridge.

http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2012/jun/27/1/friendship-trail-bridge-gets-another-reprieve-ar-421090/

-- Antiques specialist Myron Griffin and Tampa Heights community leader Lena Younghave spearheaded a central Tampa bicycle and pedestrian trail movement called the Green Artery to build a network of paths and trails connecting the green spaces of central Tampa. Their unrelenting efforts have resulted in monthly neighborhood meetings in 20 different central Tampa communities over the past two years and have prompted Mayor Bob Buckhorn to support the concept.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/19800166/2012/10/11/group-envisions-green-artery-of-bike-trails-around-tampa

SWFBUD congratulates the 2012 class of SWFBUDDY winners and looks forward to the Bicycle Bash on Nov 4 when they will be publicly recognized for their work.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Bicycle Bash Banners Going Up Around Tampa Bay

http://bicyclebash.blogspot.com/2012/10/bicycle-bash-banners-are-going-up.html

Friday, October 5, 2012

Creative Loafing Continues Great Bicycle Coverage

I urge you to support businesses and political candidates that support bicycling. Creative Loafing has used its editorial space to spotlight bicycling and kudos to Mitch Perry and Julie Garisto for their coverage, including Julie's latest. Thanks CL, Mitch and Julie

http://cltampa.com/tampa/6th-annual-bicycle-bash/Event?oid=3446577

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn Leads Bike Ride During Bicycle Bash Festival NOV 4

Ride with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn at the 2012 SWFBUD Bicycle Bash Festival on NOV 4. The Bash is from 10 am to 4 pm and the Mayor Bob Ride will be a short ride in downtown at 11 am.

Here's Mayor Bob inviting you to the Bash:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr0sn5S3AxY&feature=share

Monday, October 1, 2012

Bicyclist Economic Spending Power

Economic power of bicycling in the U.S. thank you Darren Flusche of League of American Bicyclists

WHAT IS SWFBUD and HOW DID IT START?

SWFBUD (South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers) is a Tampa Bay bicycle advocacy alliance of 12 bicycle store dealers and four law firms committed to raising the profile of bicycling in the Tampa Bay market, getting more people on bicycles and drawing more public resources for bicycling.

The 12 bike shops are: ABC Bicycles, Bicycle Outfitters, Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium, Chainwheel Drive, Just Ride Bicycles, Oliver's Cycle Sports, Street Fit 360, Trek Bicycle Store of Tampa and Clearwater, Trek Bicycle Store of St. Petersburg, The Ironman Store, University Bicycle Center and Velo Champ. The four law firms are Tom Singletary, J. Steele Olmstead and the Mark Roman Law Group.

The SWFBUD members enlist Alan Snel, a bicycle advocate and former metro newspaper reporter, to lobby local governments to provide more bicycle resources and to put on the Bicycle Bash festival.

SWFBUD is a play on words of Swiftmud, the Tampa Bay water district agency.

SWFBUD traces its roots to the summer of 2006, when then-Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium owner David Luppino (who now owns Just Ride Bicycles) hired Snel for promotions, marketing and to help put on the Bicycle Bash festival. At the start of 2007, Luppino believed it was appropriate that other Tampa Bay bike stores get involved in promoting bicycling, so Snel recruited other store dealers to get involved.

The Bicycle Bash was first held in October 2006 on the St. Pete Times Forum plaza before a Tampa Bay Lightning afternoon hockey game before SWFBUD moved the Bicycle Bash to St. Petersburg's Vinoy Park in 2007 and 2008 and to North Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg in 2009. In 2010, the Bicycle Bash was moved into Hillsborough County's Flatwoods Park on Nov. 7 so that bicyclists can enjoy the Bash's exhibitor village and also have fun doing live biking in the park. In 2011, the Bicycle Bash will be held again at Flatwoods Park on NOV 6.

SWFBUD won national retail bicycle advocacy awards in 2009 from the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN) and the Trek Bicycle Corporation. The Bicycle Bash won the Florida Event of the Year in 2007 from the Florida Bicycle Association.

SWFBUD's Snel attends many public meetings in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, plus the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. to lobby political leaders and governing agencies to commit more resources to bicycling. SWFBUD believes communities that embrace and invest in bicycling become more successful and sustainable.

Flatwoods Park Ranger Thanks SWFBUD For Saving Park and Jobs

SWFBUD Wins National Bicycle Advocacy Award

The national magazine that covers the bicycle industry in this country honored SWFBUD with the 2009 Bicycle Retail Advocacy Award at the Bicycle Leadership Conference in Monterey, Calif. SWFBUD is deeply honored by this national recognition and I received the award from Megan Tompkins, editor of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, and Tim Blumenthal, executive editor of Bikes Belong Coalition. Click photo for more info and check SP Times story, too: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article996595.ece