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| BWL award presentation to City and CCBP on 12/2/13 |
BikeWalkLee, a local community coalition advocating for complete streets in Lee County, has selected the City of Cape Coral and Cape Coral Bike-Ped (CCBP) as a 2013 Complete Streets Champion of the Year for “its innovative partnership to create a system of biking routes in Cape Coral."BikeWalkLee representatives will present the award at the Dec. 2 City Council meeting.
“Today we are here to honor the Cape Coral City Council and
staff, and the CCBP group for its innovative public/private partnership to create
a safe and connected system of more than 90 miles of cycling routes within Cape
Coral,” said BikeWalkLee’s Darla Letourneau.
“Carolyn Conant's
leadership and vision beginning in 2011 gave birth to CCBP,” said Letourneau,
“bringing together a great team of Cape Coral leaders, experts and interested
citizens who wanted to improve the city.
“A year ago, CCBP came to the Cape Coral City Council to
request a resolution establishing a fund-raising tool and a dedicated account
for pedestrian and bicycle paths within the city, which was unanimously
approved. To see the progress that has been achieved in just one year is
amazing, and a real harbinger of the good things yet to come for making Cape
Coral more bikeable and walkable,” said Letourneau.
“CCBP's innovative and successful efforts, the city's
hands-on partnership, involvement, and support for this project, and the strong
support from Cape Coral businesses and organizations, is a model for other Lee
County communities to follow.”
BikeWalkLee cited the following accomplishments in making
the award:
- CCBP identified more than 90 miles of interconnected bike-ped routes within Cape Coral, and came up with an innovative approach to seeking funds for bicycle routes by seeking sponsors for the bicycle route and the individual signs along each route. CCBP got the community behind this effort with over 70 distinct businesses, clubs, civic organization and individuals helping to sponsor or support this effort.
- In less than six months, CCBP raised the funds for seven named sponsored routes; all route signage will be complete by the end of 2014:
o
Team Aubuchon Route (Signs were recently installed for this
route.)
o
Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce Route
o
Physicians’ Primary Care Route
o
Cape Coral Community Foundation Route
o
CCCIA (Cape Coral Construction Industry
Association) Route
o
Yacht Club Route
o
Veteran’s Route (with in-kind assistance by Lee
County)
- CCBP and the city's Parks and Recreation and Public Work departments are collaborating on an amenities program to improve the routes with kiosks, route maps, water fountains, bike repair stations, etc. in adjacent parks and along the routes.
- CCBP and the city are collaborating on seeking grants to improve specific areas along these routes.
“BikeWalkLee has been working to promote more bike
tourism in Lee County (one of the goals of the recently awarded TIGER grant),”
said Letourneau, “and the Cape's bike route is very much a part of this
strategy. We look forward to close collaboration with CCBP, the city and others
to publicize these bicycle routes, bringing more tourists to the city, as well
as greater awareness of these routes to locals and the cycling community within
the country and around the world.”
The City of Sanibel and the Sanibel Bicycle Club was also
honored with the same award this year, part of BIkeWalkLee’s efforts to honor
the significant advances being achieved by Lee County’s cities to make our
communities more bikeable and walkable.
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