BikeWalkLee: Ditch the car, enjoy the ride

 Last month we asked our BikeWalkLee network and column readers to tell us about their ride...and in today's column, we're sharing with you one of the stories we received.  Thank you, Logan for taking us along for your ride to work from  South Fort Myers to Sanibel! [Note: Photos in blog by Logan Tennant (not room in NP article for inclusion.]  Do you have a favorite route you like to bike, or a unique walk you'd like to share with others?  Tell us about it at info@bikewalklee.org, and we can feature it in an upcoming column.

 News-Press "Go Coastal" Section, BikeWalkLee Column, May 29, 2014
 

Logan Tennant

As we come to the end of National Bicycle Month, we face another opportunity to extol the virtues of making biking a regular part of your life. But rather than the litany of all the good things being on a bicycle can do for you, we offer a first-person account from Logan Tennant, who got out of her car and into a daily adventure:

It's a beautiful day, late December. How lucky am I to be living in Fort Myers and working on the beautiful island of Sanibel? After a great day at work I'm ready to get home, go for a walk, hop on my paddleboard or go for a long nice bike ride. I get in my car, head out to Periwinkle Way and into stopped traffic. It takes me an hour and 10 minutes to drive the eight miles to get home. As I'm sitting in traffic I say to myself, "Nope, this is not gonna work for me."

View from the bridge

 So I decide to bike it from now on.

Biking by the Causeway islands

At first, I looked at this biking thing as a way to get to work and to get my workout in. But it became so much more. As I head out every morning, I'm excited about what I will encounter on the way to work and on the way home.

People often say to me, "Oh, you have to cross that bridge" — like it's a bad thing. My answer is always, "No, I get to cross that wonderful bridge." It is so beautiful! I have seen so many dolphins, swimming and playing I have lost count. There was a dolphin that was under the second bridge every night for four days, same spot doing somersaults. He would go round and round — it was so fun to watch him play.

Then there was the osprey I watched dive to the water and catch a huge fish. I watched as he would put such power in his wings to lift that fish; he worked so hard, I was sure he would let it go. But as I watched him, he skimmed along the water's surface, and slowly he rose higher and higher until he was on his way across the water above me. What a beautiful sight — and I saw it all from my bike.

Dolphins playing as Logan cycles by

I have seen manatees come to the water's surface and just float — and again I think to myself, "I am so lucky." As I bike many nights after work, I am on one of the bridges and I have a partner flying next to me, at eye level, gliding along with me — no fear, just peace between us. It's a beautiful pelican; I have seen all the colors in his feathers as they glisten in the sun.

I have seen sharks, stingrays, dolphins, manatees, ospreys, pelicans, and fishermen hauling in some big fish, all out in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. All atop this wonderful bridge called the causeway, all on my bike.

I have watched the water change from a dark blue to a beautiful aqua blue, have seen the winds lift the water up making whitecaps and waves. I have seen color in the sky, the kites from kite boarders soaring, flipping, skimming across the water. And the view atop the tall bridge — breathtaking.

As the sun is setting its rays hit a building and the reflection from the windows hits the water, I can't begin to describe how this really looks. All I can say is it is incredible. I can see for what seems like forever from atop that bridge. I see how the water changes as it gets deep or shallow, I see dolphins swimming everywhere -- all on my bike. And again I think to myself, "I am so lucky."

View of the Pine Island Sound from the bridge

I am sitting at the light at my turn, I'm almost home. I see a co-worker sitting in her car, waiting for the red light to turn green. I look over at her with no stress and a big smile on my face; I raise my hand and make a peace sign with my fingers as I pedal my way across Summerlin Road giggling to myself. Because I know she left 15 minutes before me and has been sitting in traffic, while I had a great adventure — as I do every time I cross the causeway.

BikeWalkLee is a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County—streets that are designed, built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at BikeWalkLee.org.

Upcoming events
Running/walking:
• Saturday, June 7: Fort Myers Track Club Membership Run, Hammond Stadium, 14100 Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Fort Myers. Age 19-plus, $20; under 19, $12; families, $40. Registration 6:30 a.m., run 7:30 a.m. (ftmyerstrackclub.com)

Cycling & other events:
• Sunday, July 6: Wheels and Wings V Bicycle Ride. 62/32/15 mile rides and a 10-mile gentlemen's mass start race within the 62-mile route. Speed Trap Alley — break the speed limit and receive a written warning from Punta Gorda Police, suitable for framing. Mystery Ride for the 15-milers. Beef O'Bradys 1105 Taylor Road, Punta Gorda. $30 includes ride, SAG stops, T-shirt, 10 Wings and two drinks (peaceriverridersbicycleclub.com)

Triathlons:
• Sunday, June 1: 28th annual Fitness Challenge Reverse Triathlon. Run/bike/swim, sprint distance. The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, 851 Gulf Shore Blvd., Naples. $95 individuals, $180 teams. (thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)
• Saturday, July 19: Englewood YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Englewood Beach, 2100 N. Beach Road, Englewood. 7 a.m. start. $70 individuals, $140 teams to June 9. (http://www.southcountyfamilyymca.org)
• Sept. 13-14: Registration is now open for the fourth annual Galloway Captiva Tri weekend. Saturday is the kids' day with three age groups (6-8, 9-10 and 11-13) enjoying the fun of multisports. Sunday, the adults take to the water and roadways in a sprint triathlon (swim/bike/run) covering all of Captiva Island. Spaces are limited for all events, so register now – no waiting lists this year. Information at www.captivatri.org.
• Sunday, Oct. 5: Marco Island Triathlon 2014, Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, 400 South Collier, Marco Island. 8 a.m. start $85 individuals, $160 teams (http://www.thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)

Bike Month winding down, but the need for bike safety remains

Today's blog post from the US DOT Secretary's Office has lots of good reminders as we close out Bike Month, worth sharing with the BikeWalkLee network.

May 28, 2014:  Posted by Todd Solomon

As many Fast Lane readers know, May is --among other things-- Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. Earlier here in the Fast Lane, we blogged about efforts to teach teen drivers how to share the road safely with commercial trucks and buses. But May is also National Bike Month, and we want to make sure that those riding bicycles stay safe.

The fact is, there are more and more bicyclists on America's roads these days. We think that's a good thing for the health and pocketbooks of riders and for local air quality and businesses. But at the same time, we've seen an increase in the number of bicyclists killed in crashes, so we've got a lot of bike safety work ahead.

Fortunately, we get a lot of help from safety organizations around the country. They have worked to educate people about appropriate safety measures. For example, the Marin County Bike Coalition (MCBC) and WalkBike Marin have put together a Share The Road guide that asks drivers as well as bicyclists to "Be safe and courteous."

That's sound advice because safety is a mutual responsibility. It might start with the law, but it requires more than that from all of us. Bicyclists can work harder to stay out of drivers' blind spots and be more predictable when changing lanes or going through intersections. And drivers can work harder to be more observant in areas where bicycles may be present –and nowadays, that's everywhere.

That’s why the Marin County flyer offer codes of conduct for drivers and bicyclists that are based on common sense and respect.

That's also why the “Roll Model” campaign from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) encourages everyone to model safe behaviors that enhance the safety of all road users. Whether you're a motorist or bicyclist, a parent, grandparent, adult, or youth, you can be a "Roll Model" to decrease the risks of traffic crashes and preventable injuries and deaths. NHTSA invites you to adopt this campaign as your own to engage adults, teens, and young people to do the right--safe!--thing when riding or driving.

DOT organizations like NHTSA and the Federal Highway Administration also have a wealth of safety information available for young bicyclists and their parents. And there's no time like the beginning of summer--when kids will soon be out in force on two wheels--for parents to let kids know how to make themselves safer.

From always wearing a helmet to staying focused to obeying the rules of the road, NHTSA's "Roll Model" campaign has bike safety covered. And the League of American Bicyclists' education website has valuable resources for adult bicyclists wanting to Ride Smart.

For parents and educators looking for bike safety teaching tools, the FHWA's Bicycle Safer Journey site offers lessons that are geared to three different age groups from 5 to 18. And Shape America (from the Society of Health and Physical Educators) has a very thorough Bikeology curriculum.
Finally, NHTSA offers a great Safety Pledge for parents to sign in front of their kids—there’s one for kids, too—so they understand that you take safety seriously.

No matter how you get where you’re going this month, and every month, we want readers to know that safety is no accident.

Cyclists Take to Streets in Silence

 This year's annual Ride of Silence on May 21st saw strong turnouts at both local events--about 200 cyclists in downtown Fort Myers and over 40 on Sanibel.  Thanks to the organizers of the events--Mike Resnick of the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club and Patti Sousa of the Sanibel Bicycle Club--and to everyone who participated.

Sanibel: photo by Letourneau

News-Press story on 5/22/14 by Janine Zeitlin, accompanied by a photo gallery, with photos by Andrew West.:   "Cyclists Take to Streets in Silence"

Nearly 200 cyclists rode through downtown Fort Myers in a silent procession Wednesday night to memorize and honor cyclists who have been injured or killed by riding.

There have been five cyclist fatalities in Lee County so far in 2014.  The annual event began in Dallas in 2003 after a rider was struck and killed by the mirror of a passing vehicle.  There are now more than 300 rides across the world.  Rides also took place in Sanibel and Naples.

Mike Resnick, of the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club, organized the Fort Myers ride with help from group members.  Resnick hoped awareness that cyclists have legal right to the use of the roadways would spread.  He looked out at the group that started and ended near Centennial Park in Fort Myers.

"By just taking the power of this group here, it can multiply," he said.

Below are a few of the photos from both the Fort Myers and Sanibel rides. 

Fort Myers: Photo by Mike Swanson (CRBC)

Sanibel: biking over causeway

Sanibel: returning back on island (Letourneau photo)

 See BWL's May 20th blog post about the Ride of Silence. 

Another Successful BikeWalkLee Bike Audit

BWL conducted another successful "bike audit" last weekend.  Thanks to Dan and Ann's work, these rides are evolving into a more formal audit process to assess conditions on our biking and walking facilities and this article provides an excellent example of what officials, staff, committee members, and advocates can learn from experiencing the facilities first hand. Stay tuned for information about upcoming BWL bike audits and plan to participate.  Again, a big "thank you" to Dan and Ann for organizing these excellent informational bike rides and bike audits!

 

On Saturday May 24, Dan Moser of BikeWalkLee led another in our series of informative bike audits. Participating again was Carmen Monroy, FDOT’s Southwest Area Office Director. Over the past year well over 130 other people have also participated in these rides. Started primarily as a fun, educational mean of imparting important bike/ped information to those who serve in public government and on advisory boards, they are evolving into a more formal audit process to assess riding conditions throughout Lee County. 

Early Saturday morning about 10 people left the Calusa Nature Center and rode west along the generally well maintained N. Colonial Linear Trail in Fort Myers.  This is one of the nicer riding facilities in Fort Myers, quiet and shaded, wending along the southern portion of Eastwood Golf Course and the banks of the N. Colonial Canal.  The Trail begins at the Nature Center, leads to the very family friendly Trailhead Park and onward to Metro, where it currently ends. Sadly, the abrupt end at Metro makes it quite short, but gives a taste of what the City of Fort Myers could build upon to create greater appeal for residents and many thousands of cycling-enthused tourists. 

A first point of concern was this too-short, unmarked bollard and the charming wooden bridge, in need of replacement,which has seen better days.

N. Colonial Trail bollard

 Farther along, a serious problem in the making that can be corrected with fast action, is the newly installed landscaping at the intersection with Alderman’s Walk Blvd. A well-meaning designer perhaps sought to highlight the trail crossing with these grouping of small trees.  However, as is so often the case, the design was developed without any real thought to the actual needs of pedestrians or cyclists. The low, full evergreen canopies of these trees will quickly grow to block views of oncoming vehicular, pedestrian or bicycle traffic in both directions.

No doubt, this landscape architect would benefit from participation in these types bike audits to become better informed of the details that can protect lives.

 

New plantings at intersection of N. Colonial Trail and Alderman's Walk Blvd.

The next intersection at Veronica Shoemaker Blvd is one that we hope will receive attention and soon be brought to safer standards. The trail pavement crossings are very well marked, but outdated signs indicating “Yield” instead of “Stop” for someone is in the crosswalk and the very high vehicle speeds on this straight-away pose a serious risk to those crossing at this unsignaled intersection. With the entrance to the neighborhood Trailhead Park only 20’ away, it is reasonable to expect families and children to be crossing here and one should err on the side of safety with intersection upgrades.

High speed intersection of N. Colonial Trail and Veronica Shoemaker

Confusing end of trail at Metro

 Trail’s end at Metro left us wondering just what to do next. There is no clear direction of where to go to safely ride. The group made its way through the construction, south on Metro until we could pick up a well-marked bike lane just south of Winkler, taking us across Colonial, from where we headed west on a short stretch of Colonial - at times both accommodating and treacherous - and with sigh of relief,  to John Yarborough Linear Trail.

Without a doubt the safest and most well thought out intersection design could be found where the trail crosses Providence Park Blvd.  This developer-made intersection design features “Stop” signs instead of “Yield” even though traffic speeds are quite slow. 

The surrounding landscape is open and low and where trees have been used they are away from the trail head itself with canopies that have been limbed up for clear visibility beneath. Raised, textured material clearly marks the crossing, while a series of signs warn motorists of the trail crossing ahead. And the trail itself is indicated with a large, attractive sign. The painted stop bars, forward of the actual crossing could stand a brightening of paint.  But overall this intersection gets an A+, and should serve as a model for future developments in both Fort Myers and Lee County.

 

The very safe intersection of N. Colonial Trail and Providence Park Blvd.

Report by Ann Pierce, photos by Guy Hackett

Dan Moser Column:Will the public finally get the message?

Dan's column this week highlights the findings of the national Dangerous by Design report and the progress that is been made in Lee County over the past several years to improve bike/ped safety.

 

Florida Weekly, Outdoors Section, May 28, 2014

Dan Moser

Last week it felt a lot like “Groundhog Day,” the Bill Murray movie where every day is repeated with the outcome already known when the latest Dangerous by Design report (formally known as Mean Streets) was released. As it has been in past reports, our state ranks as the most dangerous for pedestrians and our local area is among the worse metro areas in the U.S.

As was the case last time, the four most pedestrian-unfriendly metro areas with populations more than one million, Florida’s Big 4: Orlando-Kissimmee, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Jacksonville, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale Pompano are the country’s most dangerous, according to the report.

The good news is that the Fort Myers- Cape Coral metro area actually improved slightly from the 2011 report. The bad news is that the time period being considered is 2008-2012 so it doesn’t include 2013, a year in which 24 pedestrians were killed on Lee County roads, one of the highest number and largest percentages of all traffic deaths ever recorded here. But even considering this disturbing statistic — and that fact that many more people sustain life-changing injuries — significant progress has been made in efforts to reverse this persistent public health problem. At least from a design standpoint, which is the primary focus of Dangerous by Design.

Here are a few examples of the progress made over the past few years, many which I have covered in this column:

•  Lee MPO, Lee County and the city of Fort Myers have approved Complete Streets policies and are beginning to implement them so we’ll soon see projects that have more bike/ped features and don’t focus on maximizing motor vehicle speeds in the design.

•  A countywide Bike/Ped Master Plan and a Bike/Ped Safety Action Plan have been developed, approved, and are also in the implementation stages. Law enforcement, a vital aspect of the plan, is actively engaged in the process.

•  We were awarded a $10.4 million federal TIGER grant, money that will be used exclusively for bike/ped improvements; work should be completed within the next two years.

•  And last but not least, FDOT has taken the lead on moving Florida out of the dubious number one position as the state with the most pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities for many years running. Thanks to the efforts of FDOT Secretary Ananth Prasad and especially District One Secretary Billy Hattaway, who was given this daunting task along with his district duties, we’ve witnessed real changes in the way our state transportation agency looks at its role and the infrastructure it manages.

Since only a few of the projects that reflect this new approach are actually on the ground, any corresponding improvements to our bike/ped crash, injury and fatality rates have yet to be realized. But there’s reason to be optimistic, assuming we, as drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, take advantage of the positive changes. Human behavior, after all, is the one unknown that’s crucial to making things work. Hopefully, as roadway design moves away from focusing on moving as many motor vehicles as quickly as possible and toward a Complete Street model, which gives all users a fair shake, driver behavior will also change for the better.

One more factor that is out of the control of transportation infrastructure planners and engineers but is within the realm of auto manufacturers is their eagerness to build-in driver distraction (for profit, of course). Again, the use of distracting devices is as much about human behavior as anything else, but as is the case with roadways built to induce high-speed driving, auto manufacturers need to take responsibility for reducing or eliminating in-vehicle distractions. And as was the case for many decades with roadway engineers, the argument that they’re only building what people are asking for only goes so far, especially when so many lives are affected by their deliberate decision to create an environment that significantly adds to the problem. Unfortunately, it may take many more lost lives and class action lawsuits to get to that point.

To leave this on a positive note, as Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” portrays, there’s a chance for a better outcome from something that appears stuck in the same old pattern. You can read more about Dangerous by Design at BikeWalkLee’s blog.

— Dan Moser is CyclingSavvy instructor/ trainer and program director for the Florida Bicycle Association. He can be contacted at dan@floridabicycle.org or 334- 6417.

Upcoming events
Running/walking:

•  Pink Heels 5K, Saturday, May 31, Fort Myers River District (www.3dracinginc.com)

•  FMTC Membership Run, Saturday, June 7,Hammond Stadium (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)

•  Fast Cat Cross Country 5K, Saturday, Aug.16, Estero HS (www.3dracinginc.com)

•   For more Lee County running events visit, Fort Myers Track Club (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com), Endurance Sports Timing (www.endurancesportstiming.com) and 3-D Racing (www.3dracinginc.com).

• For Naples/Collier running info, it’s the Gulf Coast Runners (www.gcrunner.org). Charlotte County running information is at www.zoomersrun.com. Walkers can visit www.meetup.com/Walking-SWFL.

Cycling and other events:

•  Wheels & Wings, Sunday, July 6, Punta Gorda (www.peaceriverridersbicycleclub.com). 
•  
• Visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (www.caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (www.mudcutters.org); Naples Pathways Coalition www.naplespathways.org; Naples Velo (www.naplesvelo.com); Peace River Riders (www.peaceriverridersbicycleclub.com); and Coastal Cruisers Bicycle Club (www.coastalcruisers.net) for more information on local bicycling activities, including weekly rides. The Florida Bicycle Association (www.floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings.

May 26th: Upcoming running/walking/biking events

It's Monday morning so here's what's ahead:

 

Upcoming events

Running/walking:

·         Saturday, June7: Fort Myers Track Club Membership Run, Hammond Stadium, 14100 Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Fort Myers. Age 19+, $20; under age 19; $12; families, $40. Registration 6:30 a.m., run 7:30 a.m. (http://www.ftmyerstrackclub.com/)

Cycling & other events:

·         Sunday, July 6: Wheels and Wings V Bicycle Ride. 62/32/15 mile rides and a 10-mile gentlemen's mass start race within the 62-mile route. Speed Trap Alley -- break the speed limit and receive a written warning from Punta Gorda Police, suitable for framing. Mystery Ride for the 15 milers. Beef O'Bradys 1105 Taylor Road, Punta Gorda. $30 includes ride, SAG stops, T-shirt, 10 Wings and two drinks (http://peaceriverridersbicycleclub.com/)

Triathlons:

·         Sunday, June 1: 28^th annual Fitness Challenge Reverse Triathlon. Run/bike/swim, sprint distance. The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, 851 Gulf Shore Blvd., Naples. $95 individuals, $180 teams. (http://www.thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)

·         Saturday, July 19: Englewood YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Englewood Beach, 2100 N. Beach Rd., Englewood. 7 a.m. start. $70 individuals, $140 teams to June 9. (http://www.southcountyfamilyymca.org)

·         Sept.13-14: Registration is now open for the fourth annual Galloway Captiva Tri weekend. Saturday is the kids’ day with three age groups (6-8, 9-10 and 11-13) enjoying the fun of multisports. Sunday, the adults take to the water and roadways in a sprint triathlon (swim/bike/run) covering all of Captiva Island. Spaces are limited for all events, so register now – no waiting lists this year. Information at www.captivatri.org.

·         Sunday, Oct. 5: Marco Island Triathlon 2014, Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort,400 South Collier, Marco Island.  8a.m. start $85 individuals, $160 teams (http://www.thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RIDE:

Have a favorite route you like to bike, or a unique walk you’d like to share with others? Tell us about it at info@bikewalklee.org, and maybe we can feature it in an upcoming column.

LeeTran ridership numbers are down an average of 2.8% so far this year

Since the budget cuts in November which reduced evening and weekend LeeTran services, BikeWalkLee has been tracking the monthly ridership numbers and has continued to express our concerns about the impact of these cuts.  

At the May 16th MPO Board meeting, the LeeTran Director noted that ridership reductions appeared to be stabilizing, with April's ridership numbers (compared to the April 2013 numbers) down only slightly (-0.09%).  Over the past 6 months, since the cuts went into effect, ridership has fallen on average, 2.8% a month.  The following are the monthly numbers (compared to the same month the previous year:

October 2013:  +2.49% (before cuts)

Nov. 2013:        -3.55%

Dec. 2013:         +1.95%

Jan. 2014:           -8.36%

Feb. 2014:          -2.19%

March 2014:      -4.55%

April 2014:        -0.09%

6-mo. average:   -2.8%

The consistent ridership reductions are evidence of the negative impact these cuts are having on the transit system overall and on individual lives of our citizens who rely on transit to get to work and lead independent and productive lives. Since the cutbacks went into effect in mid-November, ridership numbers have fallen for the first time in years, after several years of record-breaking increases in ridership. 

See BikeWalkLee's April 18th blog post,  BikeWalkLee's April 10th blog post, and BikeWalkLee's April 8th letter to BoCC members, requesting the Board to restore the LeeTran service cuts in the County's "continuation budget" for FY 2014-15.

Invite to May 30th stakeholder's workshop re: transportation improvements on San Carlos Blvd./Fort Myers Beach

Here's your chance to provide input into bike/ped/transit improvements needed on the road leading up to Fort Myers Beach--San Carlos Blvd.--long a sore point for cyclist, as well as pedestrians and transit users. (See the links below for BikeWalkLee's comments and suggestions from our 2012 review of Fort Myers Beach.)

Here's a link to the MPO announcement.

 
Below are links to  BikeWalkLee's 2012 and 2013 reviews of the North Estero Blvd. complete streets project, as well as our suggestions for Estero Blvd. and San Carlos Blvd.  

http://bikewalklee.blogspot.com/2012/06/fort-myers-beachs-north-estero-blvd-is.html
http://bikewalklee.blogspot.com/2012/06/bikewalklees-suggestions-for-county.html 
(this link includes suggestions for San Carlos Blvd.) 
http://bikewalklee.blogspot.com/2012/06/bikewalklee-supports-roundabout-as-part.html
2013 bike audit on Estero Blvd:  http://bikewalklee.blogspot.com/2013/07/results-of-bike-audit-ride-on-estero.html