Wednesday, April 30, 2008

SWFBUD Is Mentioned In Reuters Story

Reuters News Service includes SWFBUD in a story about the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC last month.

SWFBUD In The News

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

SWFBUD Mentioned in National Bike Summit Coverage

SWFBUD gets a nice mention in a story in the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, a trade publication that covers the bicycle industry.

SWFBUD and the National Bike Summit

Monday, April 14, 2008

SWFBUD's Bicycle Bash by the Bay to Team Up with the Share the Road Ride


SWFBUD is proud to announce that we are hooking up with John Sinibaldi and the St. Pete Bicycle Club to have the prominent Share The Road Ride the morning of the Bicycle Bash by the Bay on October 19.

The Bicycle Bash by the Bay is a bicycle festival held by SWFBUD to promote and celebrate all types of bicycling in the Tampa Bay area.

The Share the Road Ride is a tremendous bike ride usually held in July. When John Sinibaldi approached SWFBUD and inquired about holding the Share the Road Ride the morning of the Bicycle Bash by the Bay, the SWFBUD store owners thought it was a tremendous idea.

We will be talking with the city of St. Petersburg for the city to become a co-sponsor of this event.

Stay tuned for more details. In the meanwhile, enjoy these photos from last year.









SWFBUD Makes The Tampa Tribune

SWFBUD drew media coverage from the Tampa Tribune when Fran Kane, a SWFBUD member who owns Flying Fish Bikes, spoke out against unsafe conditions in south Tampa.

Check out SWFBUD in the Tampa Tribune

SWFBUD Takes Action For Bicyclists


SWFBUD plays several roles, including pressuring developers or public agencies to correct situations that are dangerous for bicyclists.

Case example last June: Tampa bike commuter Picot Floyd was cycling to work on Fletcher Avenue near Telecom Drive when he realized that the developer built a concrete traffic control island that extended into the Fletcher Avenue bike lane, forcing bicyclists into the lane of traffic going 60 mph.

Picot contacted me. And I contacted Hillsborough County public works regarding this concrete island blocking the bike lane.

And I also spoke with the developer, who ultimately removed the concrete island from the bike lane inresponse to SWFBUD's quick action.

SWFBUD's activism caught the attention of Bay News 9, which did an excellent news report on SWFBUD and our group's role in getting the concrete island removed from the bike lane.

The Bay News 9 Report

Chuck Johnson of Bay News 9 did a terrific job explaining SWFBUD and pointing out our group's role in pressuring the developer to remove a concrete traffic island from a bike lane on Fletcher Avenue near Telecom Drive.


David Luppino, a store owner, was interviewed by Bay News 9 about SWFBUD.

SWFBUD's Busy Week

SWFBUD is having a busy week.

On Saturday, I attended the Going Green Expo at the USF Sundome on behalf of South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers and enjoyed meeting dozens of bicyclists.

I filled in people about the Bicycle Bash by the Bay, which is tentatively set for October 19 at Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg.

This morning, I visited the Hillsborough County Commission office to hand deliver letters to each county commissioner advising them on SWFBUD's support for earmarking $12 million to connect the Upper Tampa Bay Trail with the Suncoast Trail.

This is a vital trail connector link that has been planned for years. The $12 million would come from the community investment tax fund and I understand that the state DOT will reimburse $7 million of the $12 million.

Here is a copy of that letter:

Dear Hillsborough County Commissioner,

My name is Alan Snel and I am director of an alliance of seven Tampa Bay area retail bicycle stores committed to growing bicycling as a healthy lifestyle and effective mode of transportation in Hillsborough County. Our group is called SWFBUD for South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers and I am writing now to urge you to support earmarking $12 million of the $40 million in community investment tax money toward a trail connector that would link the Upper Tampa Bay Trail with the Suncoast Trail. The planning for this connector trail has been in the works for a long time and it is vital now to complete this connector to link the Upper Tampa Bay Trail and the Suncoast Trail. SWFBUD's seven stores represent thousands of bicyclists and customers, many of whom find refuge on local trails to bike. This connector trail would make this continuous trail the longest in the state of Florida and provide an important amenity for not only bicyclists, but all other outdoors enthusiasts such as runners, walkers, roller-bladers and people who enjoy being outside. It's important to note that of the $12 million, $7 million will be reimbursed to the county by the state DOT.

SWFBUD Has Its Own Blog!

Welcome to the SWFBUD blog!

My name is Alan Snel and I'll keep you updated about SWFBUD -- a play on words on that local Tampa area water agency called SWIFTMUD.

What is SWFBUD, you ask? It's an alliance of seven bike shops in the Tampa Bay area that cares deeply about bicycle advocacy, bicyclists' rights and promoting bicycling in our market as a healthy lifestyle and an effective mode of transportation.

I serve as director SWFBUD and I get around. I represent SWFBUD at events, write letters to local govcernment agencies advising them to make their communities bicycle-friendly and organize one of the biggest bicycle events every year called the Bicycle Bash by the Bay.

Last year, participants estimated that there were 2,500 to 3,000 people who attended last year's Bicycle Bash by the Bay at the waterfront Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg.

This year's Bicycle Bash by the Bay will be very special.

SWFBUD is teaming up with John Sinibaldi and the St. Pete Bike Club to also hold the Share the Road Ride the morning of the Bicycle Bash by the Bay.

It's tentatively scheduled for October 19 this year and I will be working with the city of St. Petersburg to finalize event plans.

In addition, the Florida Bicycle Association will be holding its annual Pro Bike, Pro Walk Conference in St. Petersburg from Oct. 20-23, so we expect statewide visitors at this year's Bicycle Bash by the Bay.

If you are interested in being a vendor at this year's Bicycle Bash by the Bay, email me at alansnel@yahoo.com.