Federal Funds To Pay For Tampa Riverwalk and Selmon Greenway

As you know, SWFBUD has been pushing its BAM Network proposal, which stands for Bicycle Area Mobility. It includes building three major paved trails to create a bicycle highway system in the Tampa-Hillsborough area. It was great to hear that the US Dept of Transportation will award a TIGER grant for the Riverwalk and Selmon Greenway projects in Tampa. The Selmon Greenway is one of the three major trails along wioth the Tampa Bypass Canal Trail and the South Coast Greenway:

TIGER funds will be used to support bicycle and pedestrian transportation connections downtown. This project will complete the remaining sections of the 2.6 mile Tampa Riverwalk and construct the 1.7-mile Selmon Greenway. This project completes 12 years of planning by providing a 2.4 mile multimodal transportation loop in downtown Tampa. This project is supported by both public and private entities, including a non-profit created specifically for capital fundraising.

SWFBUD Visits St. Pete Bike Club To Discuss Friendship TrailBridge

SWFBUD joined Ken Cowart (left) this morning to tell the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club about the Florida TrailBridge plan to rehab the closed bike/ped bridge that connects Tampa and St. Petersburg. Julia Gorzka Freeman also joined us.

It was great to see John Sinibaldi of St. Pete and also Boston Bill at the gathering, which included several dozen St. Pete cyclists.

We need everyone to attend a Hillsborough County Commission meeting on June 27 to tell the commissioners to NOT demolish the FTB and instead accept the plan's first goal to conduct a feasibility study during an eight-month period.  After meeting the St. Pete Bike Club, SWFBUD biked back to Tampa on the shoulder of the current Gandy Bridge and saw these other three road cyclists. The shoulder might be OK for road cyclists but the vast majority of people who ride bicycles are casual bike users who would never bike this shoulder. That's why we need a rehabbed FTB to replace the current bike/ped bridge.

Speakers Attend Hillsborough County Commission Meeting To Support the Friendship TrailBridge Plan This Morning

I represented SWFBUD and our 10 retail bike shops that have thousands of bicyclist customers before the Hillsborough County Commission this morning to support an effort to overhaul the closed Friendship TrailBridge and make it into a world-class linear pedestrian-bicycle park above the Bay linking Tampa and St. Petersburg. I was happy to speak in front of the Hillsborough commissioners to show SWFBUD's support for this project. We wanted to show support for this plan in front of the county commissioners, who will vote on the FTB rehab proposal on June 27.

I was joined by more than a half-dozen speakers such as Ben Ritter of the Florida Gulf Coast Paralyzed Veterans of America (above), Ken Cowart below who spoke and then listened to County Commissioner Victor Crist praise the FTB report (immediate below), Seminole Heights resident Susan Long who explained that her kids left Tampa because the region needs amenities such as the Friendship TrailBridge and Seminole Heights bicyclist Margaret Shepherd, wlo listened below to Ken Cowart address the commission.

W e also had other speakers including plan co-author Kevin Thurmon and bridge advocate Neil Constentino, while Hillsborough-Tampa Bicycle Pedestrian Chairman Jim Shirk and Jordan Miller of Velo Champ bicycle shop in Seminole Heights also attended. I submitted a BPAC letter signed by chairman Shirk backing the FTB project.    

Thief Breaks Into SWFBUD Store Velo Champ, Steals Road Bike

Jordan Miller of SWFBUD bike shop Velo Champ reports that someone broke into the store and stole a road bike. Here is Jordan's message:

 

To our friends, customers, neighbors and the bay area cycling community. Our shop was broken into last night (Sunday 06/03/2012) at approximately 11:00pm. The front door was kicked in, and a Cinelli Experience road bike was stolen.

Our great neighbors identified the thief heading South on Central leaving the shop. We have detailed camera footage and some positive forensic evidence to help in catching this person.

If there is anyone with information regarding the incident, we look forward to hearing from you. In addition, if you see the bike, please notify law enforcement and/or call us ( 813-374-2424 ). We are thankful that we have such careful neighbors, and hope with fingerprints and some video detail we catch this person.

Support Your Local.

Update On Friendship TrailBridge Draft Plan and County Commission Meeting

From Ken Cowart, one of the authors of the draft plan to rehab the closed Friendship TrailBridge:

"I know it appears that we've been silent for the last few days, but rest assured there has been plenty of great "behind the scenes" action taking place. First and most important, Hillsborough County BOCC has once again moved t...he vote. It is now on the June 27th agenda. BUT WAIT! We still plan on having a showing of support on June 6th. It is very likely that our plan will be discussed on the 6th, so we still need everyone to attend in support. There will be a short volunteer meeting on June 5th in the evening to give everyone an update on our plan. Look for a FB event posted shortly with the information.

Thanks for your support and please tell your friends to sign up at our website www.friendshiptrailbridge.com "

Bike Lanes Are Good -- Protected Bike Lanes Are Nicer

Nice video on protected bicycle lanes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFzhYB0GEL4&feature=youtu.be

Driver Who Killed Bicyclist On Sanibel Causeway Faces No Criminal Charges

One year ago a bicyclist by the name of Tracey Kleinpell was killed on the Sanibel Causeway while biking on the shoulder. On May 17, the new broke that the State Attorney's Office would not bring criminal charges against the driver. In response, bicycle community leader Dan Moser wrote this commentary for the local newspaper:


First, there’s shock, which turns to sadness. Now, there’s outrage and the need to act.

The facts are simple: On May7, 2011, while driving across the Sanibel Causeway, Theresa Shirley veered across oncoming traffic and struck Tracey Kleinpell, who was riding her bicycle along the shoulder. Kleinpell died at the scene. Shirley walked away – and apparently will now walk away again without taking any responsibility for her actions.

So we ask: What happened to the investigation into this homicide? Why wasn't all the evidence gathered and appropriately analyzed?

·

Why did it take the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) more than a year to bring this investigation to a close?

· IIs FHP capable of properly investigating any fatality involving a bicyclist or a pedestrian? The local pattern indicates cyclists and pedestrians are second-class citizens when it comes to roadway safety.

·

How was so little evidence collected by FHP that the State Attorney’s Office (SAO) felt it was left with few legal options to seek punishment for Shirley?

·

Was “failure to drive within a single lane” the best legal option left? Really? Even if the FHP botched the investigation, prosecutorial discretion allows the SAO to aggressively pursue criminal acts if the situation warrants – and we think it does.

·

Look at the cocktail of prescription drugs (muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety meds and narcotic pain pills) found in Shirley’s bloodstream, any one of which carries a clear warning to “use caution when operating a car." Didn’t authorities deem that to be “reckless” behavior or “driving under the influence”?

·

Finally, where’s the justice? How can one person take the life of another, in a case where the fault is crystal clear, and the killer walks away with minimal consequences?

We don’t have answers, but we do have suggestions on what needs to happen next:

First, we call on Gov. Scott to launch an investigation into the FHP’s handling of this case and a broader look into FHP’s investigative practices into bicycle/pedestrian fatalities. The troubling pattern of disregard for the rights of the most vulnerable road users warrants a closer look.

Second, we call on the FHP to recuse itself from any investigation into bicycle and pedestrian traffic homicides until this inquiry is complete and any recommended changes can be implemented, allowing local law enforcement agencies to handle these cases in the interim.

Third, we recommend Gov. Scott and the Legislature undertake a comprehensive study into the safety of the state’s transportation system for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists).

Fourth, the SAO needs to charge Shirley commensurate with the seriousness of the crime, not let her off for killing another person.

Fifth, if there’s a legal gap here that allowed Shirley to fall through the cracks, we need to hear about it from the SAO and FHP. While we think there are laws in place that could have been applied here, if a new law is needed to ensure justice, tell us.

Finally, we encourage bicyclists and pedestrians to keep the faith. Cycling and walking are still safe pursuits and a vast majority of motorists do drive responsibly and are willing to share the road.

What can you do? Tell Gov. Scott to investigate FHP’s handling of this case and support a safety study of Florida's roads. Tell FHP (fhp@flhsmv.gov) to recuse itself from bicycle and pedestrian traffic homicide investigations. Tell the SAO to bring criminal charges in this case (stateattorney@sao.cjis20.org ).

We can’t stress enough the importance of fair and thorough enforcement of traffic laws to keep our roadways safe. When laws are enforced, they are obeyed; conversely, when enforcement is lax or inconsistent, more road users cut corners, engage in dangerous behavior and put themselves and fellow users at risk.

Dan Moser is on the steering committee for BikeWalkLee, a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County. A more detailedBikeWalkLee statement on this issue is available online at www.bikewalklee.com.