SWFBUD Works To Re-Visit The Bypass Canal Trail

SWFBUD is working to get Hillsborough County and Southwest Florida Water Management District to re-visit a 10-year-old proposal to build a paved trail next to the SWFWMD's Bypass Canal from Morris Bridge Road just east of I-75 southward to Tampa.

This afternoon, I joined SWFBUD store owner Randy Myhre of Oliver's Cycle Sports, along with Bill Hand and Tina Russo of Hillsborough County, Colleen Kruk of SWFWMD and planner Kelly Bray of the city of Temple Terrace on a short bike ride on mountain bikes to check out the canal trail route.

We started on Morris Bridge Road and headed south atop the berm and the views were wonderful. There were sections of shells and hard dirt used by the maintenance pickups, but after three miles or so we were stopped by I-75 as we headed slightly west.

The proposed canal trail alignment calls for the route to move off the canal property to a road about a quarter-mile away, then return to the canal land.

We hope to get the ball rolling on this plan.

Colleen of SWFWMD and Bill Hand of Hillsborough County check out the maps that show the proposed Bypass Canal Trail.


Tina starts the ride.


Bill enjoys the ride.


Check out the scenery -- nice stuff.


Kelly and Bill ride the trail.


Tina jumps over the fence where there was no opening.


One of the underpasses -- below Rt 301.


Tina and Randy biking the trail.


One of the smoother sections.


Randy checks out one of the underpasses.


At some sections there are lots of space along the canal.


Randy on top of the levee at one of the highest points.

Tampa District 3 Candidate Jason Wilson Offers Bicycling Views

Bicycling is a major news story in 2010 in light of the nearly dozen bicyclists who have been killed by motorists in the three-county Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco area since July. Yet, with a major March 1 election looming in Tampa -- a mayor and all seven council seats are up for grabs -- hardly any candidates have addressed bicycling.

SWFBUD reached out and interviewed five mayoral candidates on their positions on bicycling: Ed Turanchik, Bob Buckhorn, Dick Greco, Rose Ferlita and Tom Scott. Tampa is run by a strong-mayor form of government, which allows the mayor to have enormous power in initiating projects such as a bicycle program.

SWFBUD has not asked council candidates for their views on bicycling. But out of 29 council candidates, only one council hopeful has contacted me to offer his positions on bicycling. District 3 candidate Jason Wilson, a Tampa General ER doctor from south Tampa, gave me this letter on bicycling in Tampa. Wilson wrote:

"Bicycling is an effective mode of transportation, excellent fitness exercise and an enjoyable family recreational activity. However, to maximize the potential of bicycles in our life, our city must work much harder to build a system that promotes the utilization and implementation of a bicycle culture.

1. Is there a bicycle representative/member on TBARTA? If not, there needs to be one on TBARTA and every other transportation work group that develops in the city or county.

2. We can work now to promote a culture shift by –

a. Educating drivers and law enforcement through publications and advertisement – current driver unawareness creates unsafe conditions for riders

b. Enforcing the laws that do exist that promote bicycle safety and the sharing of roadways

c. Develop more “sharrows” and signage on roadways

d. Encouraging companies and new businesses to integrate commuter bicycling - i.e. showers at work, indoor or sheltered bicycle storage areas - new buildings can be encouraged to implement these facilities by waivers and reductions on permits and other associated applications/fees

3. We must have a vision for a complete and complementary transportation system in Tampa. This vision encompasses:

a. Some form of mass transit that integrates bicycles so that riders can switch easily between rail/bus/car and bike as needed

b. Increased bicycle use and storage on existing or planned transit options (bus and highspeed rail)

c. Integrating new bicycle corridor initiatives into all further mass transit planning (Turanchik has the right ideas regarding this)"

I urge you to support political candidates who support bicycling. For too long, bicyclists in Tampa and the Bay area have stood on the political sidelines and failed to voice our agenda for safer roads, more paved trails and better driver awareness regarding our rights to the road.

As the mayor's race gets closer, I will offer my views on the mayoral comments regarding bicycling.

Let's Work To Eliminate The Need For Ghost Bikes In 2011

Holiday Greetings to all from SWFBUD.

Here's to committing ourselves to making the roads safer and installing no more ghost bikes in 2011.

Spreading The 3 Feet Message On HART Buses Thanks To SWFBUD

I enjoyed seeing this sign on the HART bus today.

I was cycling on Fowler Avenue this afternoon and turning left when I saw the 3 feet sign on the back of the HART bus in front of me.

SWFBUD worked with HART to get this 3 Feet bike-safety sign on the back of the bus.

Wrong Way Bicycling

This morning I observed a guy on a bicycle pedaling against traffic on the sidewalk. When he came to the Hillsborough-Florida Avenue intersection, he nearly found out that maybe that's not the best way to ride a bicycle.

SWFBUD Alerts City Regarding Nebraska Avenue Bike Lane Debris

SWFBUD has alerted John Marsh at the city of Tampa regarding the glass and debris in this southbound bike lane along Nebraska Avenue just south of Palm Avenue. John, who handles bike-ped issues at the city's transportation dept., told me this morning via email that he forwarded this to the appropriate staff.

SWFBUD Interviews Tampa Mayoral Candidate Ed Turanchik

This morning SWFBUD caught up with Tampa mayoral candidate Ed Turanchik to find out his views and positions regarding bicycling. I spoke with Ed for about an hour and a half and here is a summary of his comments:

-- "(Tampa's) reputation is well-earned. We're not bicycle-friendly. We're not pedestrian-friendly. Tampa never gave much thought to it."

-- "Development here was fast and easy. It leaves us with impoverished bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. We have to redesign the facilities to make them safe."

-- "I've always worked through having a vision. The goal is that the Tampa Bay area should be one of the most heavily-traversed regions of the United States for bicycles. Our climate is spectacular eight months of the year. And our terrain is flat."

-- Bicycling is "good for transportation. It's good for families. There are good public policy reasons to promote bicycling. And you know what, gas is going back to $4 a gallon."

-- "Where it can really work is neighborhoods."

-- "The big vision is rails and trails. Not rails to trails. It's rails and trails."

-- Turanchik wants the public to buy CSX railroad lines and develop bicycle corridors along the CSX corridors to "provide long-distance commuting capacity . . . Neighborhoods would be tied in. It would be elegant and low-cost connectivity for neighborhoods to a train system."

-- He saw a good CSX corridor in South Tampa, from downtown to Port Tampa.

-- He said bicycling was an "integral" part of a multi-modal transportation system. "It's all predicated on eventually getting a transit referendum passed."

-- For immediate help for bicyclists, Turanchik would reach out to the bicycle community. "It's important to listen to them."

-- He wants to create "safe bike corridors." He cited Bayshore Blvd. as a good bike corridor because "your intersections are minimized and it's already a protected corridor."

-- He cited Azeele and Cypress as possible east-west roads that could be used by bicyclists.

-- He said the transporation vote that was defeated at the polls in November relied "too much on light rail."

-- He favors a "robust transit system" where the paradigm is shifted to "say we want to move people."

-- His transit system would be based on rails and trails and the expenditures on bicycle infrastructure depends on the "system you design."

-- "You can develop bike facilities along the rail line and connect into the system with sidewalks and bike lanes."

-- "People who ride the streets (on bicycles) know what the issues are. We have to listen to the users. I used to commute to work by bike. I'm sensitive to people who ride their bike to work. I know what those dangers are."

-- He noted transportation projects faces shortfalls of billions of dollars, so "what we do with bicycling will be modest and incremental . . . the big leap forward is new money -- the transit referendum."

-- "Bike and pedestrian facilities are integral to a successful transit system . . . Bicycles and pedestrian facilities are vital components of a good transit system."

-- "Build a good city for the people who live here now."

-- "Where we can create protected envelopes (for bicycle routes), that should be a priority."