Save The Friendship TrailBridge -- 6PM Meeting Thursday

Friends, an accelerated campaign has begun to save the Friendship Trail Bridge. For those that don't know, the Friendship Trail Bridge was an old span of the Gandy Bridge that was converted to pedestrian use. Before it was shut down in 2008, the bridge was being used by over 600,000 residents of Hillsborough and Pinellas County per year to run, bike walk, skate and fish.

1. Please come out to the organization meeting this Thursday, 6pm at the
Tampa AIA office at 200 N. Tampa Ave: http://friendshiptrailbridge.com/schedule.
2. Attend the County Commission meeting where the Commission will vote on the fate of the bridge - May 2nd at 9 am.
3. Forward this email to at least one friend that might be able to help.

SWFBUDS Likes New Bike Lane On Swann Avenue In Tampa

SWFBUD was happy to see a new bike lane added when there was road re-surfacing on Swann Avenue from South Boulevard to Hyde Park Village in Tampa. How about adding sharrows on Swann west of Hyde Park Village to MacDill and Henderson and Dale Mabry?

SWFBUD Supports Saving The Friendship TrailBridge

Which bridge would you like to bike on? The Gandy Bridge shoulder where cars fly at 60 mph to your left or the Friendship TrailBridge (The old Gandy Bridge) where you bike with runners and roller-bladers?

I thought so -- you want the Friendship TrailBridge to re-open since its closure in November 2008.

The Hillsborough County commissioners were set to vote to hire a company Wednesday to demolish the Friendship TrailBridge, but gave a 30-day reprieve to a small band of residents led by Neil Consentino to see if the group can come up with a business plan and engeineering evidence that the bridge isn't going to collapse.

Contact Neil at 813-251-4669 to get involved. And attend a volunteer meeting — Thursday, April 12 at 6 pm with Shanna Gillette and Neil Cosentino at AIA Tampa Bay.

SWFBUD Supports Commissioner Sharpe Leading The Way To Fund $3,000 For Lights And Safety Vests

SWFBUD is happy to report that the Hillsborough County Commissioners -- led by Commissioner Mark Sharpe, the bicyclist ally on the commission -- approved spending $3,000 for bike lights and vests for the Guys on Bikes seen biking at night without lights and vests. SWFBUD worked with Commissioner Sharpe to initiate the Bicycle Safety Action Plan in October 2010, though there was never any funding.

The lights will be given to Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies and Tampa police to give to the bicyclists who are pedaling around without reflective safety vests and lights.

Thank you Mitch Perry of Creative Loafing who wrote about the county commission action and is a great reporter when it comes to covering the bicycle issue in Tampa bay.

For more bicyclist news, check out this wrap-up.

SWFBUD Supports Hillsborough County Comissioners Granting 30-Day Reprieve To Save Friendship TrailBridge

Hillsborough County commissioners granted a 30-day reprieve for the beloved Friendship TrailBridge, which was scheduled for demolition. The amazing bridge links Tampa and St. Petersburg, but engineers found some erosion in the structure. It's been closed since November 2008.

SWFBUD Mourns The Death of Bill Sharpe, Community Newspaper Publisher Who Supported Bicycling In Tampa

Today is a heatbreaking day for Tampa.

My heart sank when I read that Bill Sharpe, publisher of the South Tampa Community News, has committed suicide.

Bill also published the Tampa Epoch newspaper, which was sold at city street corners. Bill was a community leader and supporter of bicycling in Tampa. He was 59.

I wrote stories on bicycling for Bill for his South Tampa Community News and I was happy to say that Bill participated in the Bicycle Bash festival.

Bill was a doer. Bill also put on a blues and barbecue festival and a recent seafood festival in downtown Tampa and offered me the use of his newspaper office space for any bicycle events.

Bill was a wonderful friend who attended LatkeFest.

The Tampa Bay area has lost a very decent man and a community leader and I mourn Bill's loss. RIP Bill Sharpe. It is a sad day.

This photo was taken from Bill's blues and bbq event last October.

SWFBUD Runs Bike Valet Parking Service At Home On House Tour

Making the Tampa Bay area more bicycle-friendly comes in many ways. I was happy to offer the bicycle valet service Sunday at the French country cottage of Miss Bridget. whose lovely home was among nine on the 14th Old Seminole Heights Home Tour yesterday.

All-universe bike volunteer Jim Shirk mapped out a bicycle route for cyclists to pedal nearly eight miles to reach the nine Seminole Heights homes on display.

I welcomed about 40 bicyclists throughout the day at Bridget's cottage. Here's Jim in front of the bike parking sign we posted in front of the house.


Bridget wanted to have her home welcoming and friendly to bicyclists and what better way than to have bike valet and a protected bike parking area?


Rick and Nanette were just one of many coupleswho pedaled the home tour.