Lee County & BikeWalkLee efforts highlighted in NATIONAL ped safety report!

5/24/11
Just discovered that the NATIONAL Dangerous by Design (ped safety) report highlights the positive actions that Lee County took to adopt a complete streets policy after the 2009 report and credits BikeWalkLee with leading the charge! Darla

Poor safety rankings in 2009 report yield substantive policy shift in Lee County, Florida
Within a day of the release of Transportation for America’s previous Dangerous by Design report in November 2009 that showed the four most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians were in Florida, a key region in the Sunshine State had already adopted one of the report’s key recommendations. In an editorial following the report release, the Ft. Myers News-Press encouraged officials in Lee County, located in Southwest Florida, to adopt a “Complete Streets” resolution, committing the region to making roads safe for all users. The editorial cited the Dangerous by Design report in its recommendation.

BikeWalkLee, a countywide coalition and T4 America partner advocating for safer, complete streets, led the charge for passage.
“During the public comment period, Commissioners heard from senior citizens who want to maintain mobility after they no longer drive; parents who want a place for their children to safely walk and bike; high school and college students who want a more livable community as they make their careers here; public health officials concerned about the obesity epidemic and emergency room doctors who see the tragic results every day of Lee’s dangerous roads,” said Darla Letourneau, a leader of BikeWalkLee.
By a unanimous vote, the Lee County Commission adopted a resolution endorsing complete streets principles. Commissioner Frank Mann called the measure “forward thinking” and “something that we should have been doing for a number of years.”

Check here to read the national report, and see the "box" on page 15 about Lee County.

Today's Rail-to-Trails Conservancy blog highlighted Lee County: "But there was some good news coming out of Florida. After a poor ranking in the 2009 Dangerous by Design report, Lee County in southwest Florida made immediate steps to adopt a complete streets program, committing to making regional roads safe for all users!"