Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Bike Florida announces Share the Road Challenge Grant for 2016

Here's an opportunity for local Lee county governments, our school district, any of our bike clubs or advocacy organizations to apply for the new Bike Florida challenge grant for innovative ideas to improve cycling and bicycle safety in our community.  
Update: Click here for the grant application and further instructions.
file:///C:/Users/Darla%20Letourneau/Downloads/challenge%20grant%20release.pdf

On Sept. 13, the Board of Directors of Bike Florida authorized the creation of a $25,000 Share The Road Challenge Grant for 2016. It will be a matching grant, so the potential amount of money available will be $50,000.

The Share The Road Challenge Grant will be offered to a local government, school district, bike club or bike-ped advocacy organization that comes forward with the most innovative idea to improve cycling and bicycle safety in their community. 

“We’re very excited about this new challenge grant,” Bike Florida Executive Director Ron Cunningham said. “The idea is to stimulate creative thinking about how to better facilitate cycling and improve bike-ped safety at the community level. Ideally we would like to support a model initiative or program that could then be exported to other Florida communities. We want applicants to come to us with their best ideas, whether it be a protected bike lane demonstration project, a creative design for a bike boulevard, a new approach to bike safety and education or some other initiative.”

The $25,000 Share The Road Challenge Grant will take the place of the Share The Road mini-grants that Bike Florida has been offering for years. The mini-grants provide small amounts of seed money, usually no more than $2,000, to support modest cycling projects. “The intent of the Share The Road Challenge Grant is to maximize Bike Florida’s available resources to help fund a larger, more ambitious project,” Cunningham said. “With a total of $50,000 available, including the local match, grant applicants may then be able to leverage additional funding for their initiative in the form of state or federal grants.”

The Challenge Grant will be funded by revenues received from the sale of Share The Road license tags. Bike Florida will also be soliciting sponsors to help support its grant program.

Bike Florida will schedule a Challenge Grant workshop for potential applicants during its Share The Road Celebration of Cycling event on Friday, Nov. 13, in the City of Clermont. That event will feature a daylong series of speakers and forum discussions about how to improve bike-ped safety in Florida and what communities are doing to facilitate bicycle travel. Details about Share The Road Celebration of Cycling can be found at www.sharetheroad.org.

Questions about the Share The Road Challenge Grant can be directed to Ron Cunningham, Executive Director, at ron@bikeflorida.org, or 352-262-5798.

Bonita Bay Bicycle Club's "Do-Good Bike Project"

This guest blog post was originally posted 9/29 on Florida Bicycle Association's blog and reprinted here with the writer's permission (Steve Nicks of Bonita Bay Bicycle Club). Kudos to the BBBC for undertaking this project to benefit the Bonita Springs community.

The Do-Good Bike Project
  Lyman Philips of the Bonita Bay Bicycle Club and Steve Nicks started the “Do-Good Bike Project” to benefit the Bonita Springs Community. They are collecting and refurbishing bicycles no longer in use from owners in the retirement community of Bonita Bay. These bicycles are then donated to any person in the community in need of a bike for transportation or recreation.  Steve Nicks wrote the following for local media:
IMG_1275
Steve Nicks doing good for bicycles and future bicyclists

It must have been during a trip to the Reje Universal Supermarket in old Bonita Springs for a half kilo fix of fresh, still warm, white corn Los Arcos tortillas that it dawned on me: many, many people of all ages rely on the humble bicycle for basic transportation. This is not recreational biking; this is biking to get somewhere.
Before moving to Bonita Springs full time, I was deeply involved in two bike projects which received donations of unneeded bikes and, after some care, attention and repair, gave them to people who had a need for a bike, but limited ability to get one.

One was Wheels for Winners in Wisconsin where I volunteered when I first retired. There I learned how to fix bikes as part of a nonprofit that took donated bikes, fixed and refreshed them, then gave them to school age kids who earned a bike with extra school work or community service. At the same time, with the patience of my wife who tolerated bikes and bike parts strewn all over our garage and under our side deck, I spent over 7 years fixing and furnishing about 250 bikes on free loan to University of Wisconsin foreign exchange students. In all, I gave bikes to students from 43 different countries and enjoyed the wonderful experience of being a friend to so many interesting young people.

Back to now.   Even though there are lots of bike riders in old Bonita Springs, finding a bike that someone of limited means can afford is problematic. Unlike up north where places like St. Vincent de Paul’s or Goodwill have many donated bikes for sale, here, even though there is a welter of thrift shops, there are almost no used bikes at any of them. I know this first-hand having been dragged by my wife through the seemingly endless array of such shops for reasons that still elude me.

That being said, we have here in Bonita Bay a unique resource to meet this need.  Lyman Philips, a member of the Bonita Bay Bicycle Club, and myself have initiated a project to benefit the Bonita Springs community.  Bikes that are no longer needed, bikes that came along with the purchase of the condo or house, bikes that the grandkids outgrew, bikes that have a repair issue which makes no economic sense to have a bike shop fix, all clutter up many of our garages and storage areas.  This bicycle clutter can now be “re-positioned” to those in need with a little effort and good will. That’s the idea behind the “Bonita Bay Do-Good Bike Project”.
A partnership has been developed with the Literacy Council Gulf Coast in Bonita Springs to connect such bikes with their adult students learning English.  So far, mainly adult students have eagerly received 19 bikes and there is now a waiting list.   We had five children’s bikes that went to the Mom and Tot language class. The moms were ecstatic!

The Bonita Bay Bicycle Club has been very helpful with the initial outreach and Joe DuBois of Trek Bicycle Store has been a valuable resource as well.  A new bicycle lock goes along with each ‘re-positioned’ bike; even the cost of a decent lock is daunting to some in this target group.

Why is this article here?  Well, the project needs more donated bikes. Do you live in the Bonita Springs area and have a bike or two that could be ‘re-positioned’ for good use?  If you can help, please email me at steve.nicks1@gmail.com.

Right now this project is at the “it keeps the old guys out of trouble” stage.  There are no employees.  This is a self-funded, garage based and volunteer driven initiative.  We appreciate your time and any help you can provide.

Mr. Nicks and Mr. Phillips enjoy using their fundraising and mechanical skills in the service of others.  Bonita Bay residents who no longer have an interest in cycling are pleased to “clean the garage” for a good cause.  It’s a win-win and a great Positive Spin for Florida cycling!

Walking into the Future: Designing pedestrian-friendly communities

Walkability is key to the economic future of SWFL, as demonstrated by Florida Weekly's feature story this week.  Includes interviews with Fort Myers Mayor Henderson, Naples Pathways Coalition, and BikeWalkLee, and local leaders in Florida walkable communities.  Don't miss the Oct. 15th full day symposium on creating walkable urban communities sponsored by the City of Fort Myers.


Walking into the future

Designing pedestrian-friendly communities
BY ROGER WILLIAMS

CityPlace Plaza in West Palm Beach provides an example of a walkable mixed-use development. 
COURTESY PHOTO CityPlace Plaza in West Palm Beach provides an example of a walkable mixed-use development. COURTESY PHOTOLike a perfect economic storm of the future showing only the first real edges of new urbanism, the following events took place almost simultaneously late last week:
• Jeri Muoio and Raphael Clemente, the city’s mayor and the director of its Downtown Redevelopment Authority, flew back into West Palm Beach from Copenhagen, Denmark, where they’d traveled to study one of the world’s most successful bicycling and walking cities;
• Mayor Randy Henderson drove past the home where Thomas Edison once lived in Fort Myers, the city where the mayor was born and raised, and insisted that “walkability and urban infill is the most relevant issue with regard to our quality of life” — and that was only 24 hours after seven people had been shot in the course of a single evening in an economically challenged part of town. Then he put his money where his mouth is, and pointed to an Oct. 15 seminar for all comers with some of the most renowned urban planners and walkability experts in the nation and the state;

MUOIO MUOIO• Jane Cheffy and Beth Brainard, the president and executive director of Naples Pathways Coalition, returned from the two-day Transplex conference hosted by the Florida DOT at which bicycle and pedestrian-friendly communities received top billing. Ms. Cheffy’s simple idea to retrofit public-transportation busses that could haul a number of bicycles for commuters who could then get to work or shopping won a shark-tank competition for good ideas;
• And finally, about 50 people took advantage of the free bicycle-for-a-day loaner program along Punta Gorda’s 18 miles of bicycle and pedestrian pathways. The pathways connect homes, parks and commercial shopping zones. The freebike program is funded by the nonprofit Team Punta Gorda, which counted 5,000 users in 2014, the program’s inaugural year.

CLEMENTE CLEMENTEAll that energetic commotion could ultimately prove to be a huge economic boon to the Florida of the future, and it comes on the heels of the U.S. Surgeon General’s call to action earlier in September. Bicycle-pedestrian apologists cite that call-to-action as potentially the most important federal support for their efforts in years.
“What if we labeled unwalkable neighborhoods like we do cigarettes?” a blogger wrote on the Transportation For America website.
“A similar call from the surgeon general in 1964 was the watershed event that kicked off a decades-long decline in cigarette use.”
In the communities
To many of those who look at our contemporary and future cities, walking and bicycling is about a lot more than just health. Those who create cities where people can walk or bicycle to work or to shop, will create wealth, too. And not simply because healthier people reduce the huge drag on the American health care system that obesity and related diseases bring.

HENDERSON HENDERSON“This is not something you have to do guesswork on, walkable cities — there’s a formula that I discovered at Carnegie Mellon University in May,” says Mayor Henderson, who attended a conference there for American city leaders.
In downtown Fort Myers where pedestrians crowd streets paved with the same restored bricks Mr. Edison and his wife, Mina, once strolled, many elements of the formula are already in place, he notes.
But elsewhere in the city and county and in spite of miles of trails, walking and bicycling is as dangerous, or more so, than anywhere else in the United States. That fact is borne out by the high per-capita statistics for bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and injuries on the Southwest coast.

MINICOZZI MINICOZZI“There is pent-up demand for walkable communities,” says Darla Letourneau, a leader of the nonprofit BikeWalkLee, which promotes walking and bicycling safely through the region.
“Those areas around the country that have created vibrant walkable neighborhoods are reaping the economic benefits from their investment, while Florida lags behind. Much is at stake for Southwest Florida in making our roadways and streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Palm Beach County leaders, and especially those in West Palm, appear to be ahead in the game of catch-up, or as the term of art has it, urban infill.
The European journey undertaken by Mayor Muoio and Mr. Clemente, for example, was paid for by a grant from the Knight Foundation, which has chosen to support specifically 26 urban areas in the United States vigorously trying to improve the quality of life on their streets.

LEINBERGER LEINBERGERIn Florida, those include all of Palm Beach County, along with the cities of Tallahassee, Bradenton and Miami.
West Palm’s Mayor Muoio in a press release praised European cities in general for offering “a lot of valuable place-making lessons.” Both she and Mr. Clemente, who directs the 46-year-old special taxing district downtown, applauded Copenhagen in particular for its combined use of mass transit and bicycles.
“Copenhagen is the best example in the world of how to design a city for people, instead of fitting people into a city structure,” he said.
But the grant offers more than just a trip for two to Copenhagen. In mid- October, urban designers from Denmark’s Gehi Architects, who helped make Copenhagen the ultimate in pedestrian and bicycle friendly cities, will travel to West Palm Beach to offer ideas and consultation.

SPECK SPECKAnd this week the Knight Foundation kicks off its second annual Knight Cities Challenge, beginning Oct. 1. The Challenge ultimately awards $5 million to fund the best new ideas to be implemented in any of the 26 Knight communities nationwide. Applicants have until Oct. 27 to submit their ideas to knightcities.org and winners will be announced in early 2016, according to the organization website.
Last year’s winner, a planner in Philadelphia, won for an idea he called “popup pools” created in neighborhoods all over the City of Brother Love.
In Naples, Immokalee and elsewhere, meanwhile Neapolitans Ms. Cheffy and Ms. Brainard have pointed out that walkability is not just important for health reasons, but for economic reasons.

CLICKSTEIN CLICKSTEINPeople want to walk, and they’ll pay for the privilege of walking or pedaling safely and comfortably from their homes to destinations that include shopping and eating or recreational opportunities.
When businesses get on board to help make that happen, usually their incentive is economic and practical, not just charitable, say promoters of such urban environments.
The list of sponsors in the Naples area is therefore significant as an indicator that walkability is a money-maker and everybody is starting to recognize it: there are banks, real estate companies, breweries, restaurants and hotels, major wealth consultants and major supermarket chains, along with bicycle and running shops, and many others helping to fund the Coalition and its efforts.
Punta Gorda Councilwoman Nancy Prafke, who helped lead Team Punta Gorda efforts to make Charlotte County more accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians after Hurricane Charley dismantled the place more than a decade ago, reflects the pragmatism of many elected leaders as well.
“Team Punta Gorda hired a renowned urban planner to develop a citizens’ master plan,” she recalls of retrofitting her town.
“Yes, becoming more bicycle and pedestrian friendly fits in with the new urbanism. So we can choose to take the view of a planner or a governmental entity or the medical community or the business community, and we can cite all the positive reasons why we think this is good, and that’s fine.
“But in reality, what today’s residents want are more active lifestyles.
“So in my view, we’re looking to satisfy the desire of today’s residents who support active lifestyles. That’s the first reason for doing this.”
Fort Myers Mayor Henderson seconds that notion: “People move to infill cities so they can be closer to work and amenities, both public and recreational. And so it follows that walkability would drive the value of the environment up — economically as well as in terms of desirability.” ¦
>> What: Meeting Market Demands for Walkable Urban Communities, all-day seminar.
>> When: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 (doors open 7:30 a.m.).
>> Where: Harborside Event Center, downtown Fort Myers
>> Cost: $55 per person (special student pricing available).
>> National Keynote Speakers: Joe Minicozzi, Urban3; Professor Chris Leinberger, George Washington University; Jeff Speck, author of “Walkable City.”
>> Other Speakers: Cary Clickstein, mayor, Delray Beach; Tim Hernandez, principal, New Urban Communities Corp.; Brooke Myers, president, Emerge Real Estate Ventures, LLC; Larry Pierce, director, Realco Group; Kevin Rickard, principal, New Urban Communities Development Corp.; Bill Spikowski, urban planner, Spikowski Planning Associates; Ken K. Stoltenberg, partner, Management Mercury Advisors.
>> For more information or to register: 321- 7100 or online at cityftmyers.com/ cra orfmra@cityftmyers.com

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Rep. Passidomo refiles bicycle safety bill

Great to see Rep. Kathleen Passidomo retroduce her bike safety bill for the 2016 Florida Legislative session, which begins Jan. 2016.  Check the details of the bill (HB 253 and SB 332 by Senator Altman) and track its progress through the legislative process. BikeWalkLee will be testifying in support of this bill (and other issues before the Legislature) at the Oct. 14th Lee Legislative Delegation annual hearing, and will post our statement on the blog on Oct. 14th. Let Florida legislators know that it's important that they enact this bill in 2016.

News-Press Sept. 29, 2015 by Ben Brasch

Passidomo refiles bicycle safety bill  

http://www.news-press.com/story/news/2015/09/28/kathlee-passidomo-bicycle-safety-share-the-road-hb-253-house-bill/73007406/

Rep. Passidomo

A Southwest Florida legislator refiled a bill Monday that would hold drivers more accountable for hurting bicyclists or others on the road.

Motorists who cause bodily injury to bicyclists or other "vulnerable road users" could, in addition to other charges, get slapped with fines up to $2,500, under a bill refiled by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.

House Bill 253 intends to make roads safer for bicycles, also calls for motorists' licenses to be suspended for three months, with a requirement to retake a driver's exam, if they twice within five years are charged with non-criminal traffic infractions that result in serious bodily injury or death to bicyclists or other "vulnerable" pedestrians.

Under the bill, a "vulnerable" road user includes pedestrians at crosswalks, highway workers and people riding horses, farm tractors, horse-drawn carriages or electric mobility devices.
The bill spells out that motorists must yield the right-of-way to bicyclists or pedestrians when making right turns that cross sidewalks, bicycle lanes or bicycle paths.

The measure also would allow motorists to cross double yellow median lines to give three feet of space when passing bicyclists or other "vulnerable" users.
Passidomo filed a similar measure for the 2015 session. That proposal cleared four committees but died without getting a floor hearing when the House ended its regular session early over a budget impasse with the Senate. The new bill will be considered during the 2016 session, which starts in January.

Share and learn about ideas to make the roads safer on The News-Press Facebook page, Share the Road Florida.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this story.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Sept. 28th: Upcoming running/walking/biking/tri events



Upcoming events

Running/walking:
   Saturday, Oct. 3: Lexington Cares 5K Run/Walk, to benefit the Regional Cancer Center’s Breast Health Center. Starts at 7:30 a.m. at Lexington Country Club, 16257 Willowcrest Way, Fort Myers. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
·         Saturday, Oct. 10: Cops and Joggers 2015 5K, Starts from Centennial Park, downtown Fort Myers, at 7:45 p.m. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
·         Saturday, Oct. 10: 2015 Busey Bank Run For Prevention 5K, 7:45 a.m. at Florida Gulf Coast University. (www.3dracinginc.com)
·         Saturday, Oct. 17: 7th annual 10K 4 FISH (Friends In Service Here). Starts at  Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, at 7:30 a.m. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
·         Sunday, Oct. 18: Rocktoberfest 10 Miler & 2x5 Mile Relay, North Collier Regional Park. Rock n' Roll joins with Octoberfest in the only 10-mile race in Southwest Florida. (www.eliteevents.org)
·         Saturday, Oct. 24: 8th annual Race the Roof. 15K and 5K runs, 5K walk, Tot Trot. Benefits Habitat for Humanity, at the Verandah Community. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
·         Saturday, Oct. 31: 4th Annual LCEC Goblin Gallop to benefit the United Way. The Goblin Gallop 5K Run/Walk and Trick Or Trot will be held at Jim Jeffers Park in Cape Coral. Since its inception, this 5k has netted over $9,800 for the United Way! Sign-up today and join others as we help our community!
·         Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day 5K Midpoint Madness. To benefit YMCA, race starts at 7 p.m. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
Cycling:
·         Friday, Oct. 2: SWFL Critical Mass ride. Join a family fun slow ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Grab your helmet, bring all your friends and meet in the open field next to Publix (at 7:30 p.m.) at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers. (twitter.com/swflcm)
·         Sunday, Oct. 25: Tour de North Port. 15-, 35- and 65-mile rides, full SAG, breakfast and lunch. (http://peoplefortrees.com/tourevent1_15.php)
·         Sunday, Nov. 8: Veterans Day Honor Ride, a  ride to honor our veterans and support Honor Flight of Collier County. Ride from Naples Cyclery to Fat Point Brewery in Punta Gorda, up U.S. 41 with a police and military escort at 22 mph. $50 includes supported ride, lunch and Craft Beers at Fat Point and a souvenir pint glass. Ground transportation back to Naples Cyclery (motor coach) and your bike will be transported inside one of Naples Cyclery's enclosed trucks. You'll be able load a bag with a change of clothes into the trucks in the morning so they will be available when we arrive at the brewery. There will be a second distance option starting at 9:30 from the Crowne Plaza in Fort Myers. This ride is 30 miles to the brewery and does not offer return transportation. 

Triathlons:
·         Saturday, Oct. 3: Siesta Key triathlon (sprint). Benefits the YMCA Sharks swim team. (www.siestakeytriathlon.org)
·         Sunday, Oct. 4: Marco Island Triathlon (sprint). Starts at 8 a.m. from Marco Mariott Beach Resort. (www.thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)
·         Sunday, Oct. 18: Longboat Key International/Sprint Triathlon/Duathlon. Starts at 7:30 a.m. from Longboat Key Club and Resort. (www.lbktriathlon.com)
·         Sunday, Nov. 8: Challenge Venice, Olympic and half Ironman, based at Sharky's on the Pier, 1600 Harbor Drive, Venice. Kid’s tri offered the day before (www.challenge-fl.com)

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Last chance to take MPO survey: Which bike/ped/transit/road projects should be prioritized for funding?

 The Lee MPO is in the midst of developing the county's transportation plan for the next 25 years.  Throughout the 2-year process, there have been multiple opportunities for public input--from public workshops to online surveys.  Take a few minutes to fill out this survey, which gives you an opportunity to "vote" on specific bike/ped/transit/road projects that are being considered.  We also encourage you to share this survey broadly with your networks and friends.  For the future of Lee County, it's important that your voices are heard.  Thanks!

 Listen to WGCU Gulf Coast Live  Sept. 23rd radio interview with MPO's Don Scott about the 2040 LRTP and importance of public participation.  Still time to do this survey, but hurry!
 
Projects built in our future begin with conversations today!

Take the survey and tell us what is important to you by visiting 2040transportationplan.leempo.com/  

Lee County, Fla. – In the next 25 years, Lee County’s population and jobs are expected to grow by 70 percent. In fact, more than a million people will live here by 2040. To address the transportation needs of our growing communities, the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is currently updating its transportation plan and wants to know which projects you think would make the biggest difference to getting around Lee County, now and in the future.

To do this, different bike, pedestrian, transit, and roadway projects are presented in an online survey. The MPO is asking the public to share their ideas on which projects should be prioritized for future transportation investments.  The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and is available by visiting 2040transportationplan.leempo.com/now through September 2015. [will still be taking input the first week of October.]


The Lee MPO Board will be making decisions for our transportation future, but not without your help. Let your thoughts and choices be heard! 

Visit 2040transportationplan.leempo.com/ and tell the Lee MPO which projects are most important to you.

Help BikeWalkLee receive free radio spots--Participate in WGCU's "Your Community" radio pledge drive


Want to help BikeWalkLee promote bike/ped safety? encourage more residents to bike and walk? Participate in WGCU's "Your Community" pledge drive and select "Streets Alive of Lee County, Inc. and BikeWalkLee" as your organization to receive free radio spots. You can go online NOW to participate, or better yet, call 1-800-533-9428 during BWL's 4-5 p.m. on Monday Oct. 19th WGCU pledge hour. Help spread the word to your colleagues, family, and friends!

When organizations work together through teamwork and collaboration, exceptional things happen.  This is one of the reasons Streets Alive of Lee County, Inc. and BikeWalkLee, along with 60 other nonprofit friends in the region have partnered with WGCU Public Media for their October Community Campaign Radio Pledge Drive.   Last year we participated in this pledge drive, and loved the opportunity to talk on air about our mission and local efforts to make our communities more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.  You may have also heard some of our radio spots promoting BikeWalkLee's complete streets mission.  This year, WGCU has made it even easier for you to help us receive free radio spots!

If you’re unfamiliar, a couple times a year WGCU turns to the community to raise the necessary funds to keep public radio programming on the air.  These “pledge drives” are critical to WGCU’s operations and thousands of people from our region donate money.

Cindy Banyai at Royal Palm Classic BWL booth
Here’s the fun part! On Monday Oct. 19th from 4 p.m.  until 5 p.m.  BikeWalkLee's Dr. Cindy Banyai will be live on air on WGCU FM, raising funds for Southwest Florida’s award-winning public radio station.  In return, WGCU has offered us free radio promos that we can use to promote our events and our mission throughout the next year. 

You can help us receive these free radio spots!

Just call in (1-800-533-9428) anytime during the pledge campaign (October 17-23) and make a pledge of any dollar amount. Once we’ve raised $1000 for WGCU, Streets Alive, Inc. and BikeWalkLee will receive 28 radio spots!  The more we raise, the more spots we earn! Your gift will support our local treasure, WGCU Public Radio, and at the same time provide us with valuable marketing opportunities that we might otherwise not be able to afford. 

WGCU-FM can be found at 90.1 on the FM Dial (91.7 FM on Marco Island), is streamed live on WGCU.org, or can be accessed through the WGCU mobile app.  You can make your pledge of support by calling 1-800-533-9428 or by pledging online at WGCU.org.  Just make sure that you select "Streets Alive Lee County, Inc. and BikeWalkLee" as the nonprofit you want to support with free radio promos on the scroll down menu labeled "Click for the Non-profit List" (it's in alphabetical order and we're 4th from the last) . 

Tune in, make a pledge, and we'd love to thank you live on the air.  Tied up on Oct. 19th? or just can't wait to participate?  Click here to make an online pledge.  Just scroll down the "non-profit list" and Check the box: "Streets Alive Lee County, Inc. and BikeWalkLee".  Thank you!


 Streets Alive Lee County, Inc. and BikeWalkLee are honored to partner with the WGCU "Your Community" Pledge Drive.

Dan Moser Column: Join the Million Mile Movement

Dan's column today highlights Healthy Lee's Million Mile Movement.  Be sure to sign up to participate starting Oct. 1st.  See BWL's blog post for more details.

 Florida Weekly, Outdoors section, Sept. 23, 2015

Loud and clear alarms have been sounding for quite some time now, but the call for all Americans to get fit is more urgent than ever. The damage we’re doing to ourselves continues to proliferate. Just as we’re irreversibly hurting our planet through our own actions, we’re doing the same to ourselves by being overweight and sedentary. And, similar to the price we’re paying for overusing carbon-based energy and polluting our air and water, costs associated with the medical conditions that result from obesity and inactivity are hitting us directly in our individual and collective pocketbooks.
One of the early alarm sounders was and continues to be Jim Nathan, CEO/President of Lee Memorial Health System. He’s been preaching the prevention message for all of the many decades he’s been in the health-care business and he’s as much about making that a key mission of LMHS as ever. Mr. Nathan continues to hammer home to anyone who will listen the message that preventing disease and injury will do the most good for individuals, society and LMHS. Everyone benefits when a health-care facility is more about being a wellness center than a fix-it shop.
Just as a power company that sells electricity encourages its customers to conserve energy so that capacity building is unnecessary, Mr. Nathan makes clear that having to provide less repair but more care and maintenance is by far a better way to operate any health care system for the same reason. More importantly, he knows what that means for individuals’ quality of life.
Mr. Nathan’s message to the LMHS board of directors at its recent meeting focused only on that topic: LMHS should do whatever it must to help its customers (i.e., all residents and visitors to our area) become and/or stay healthy so they don’t need as many non-prevention services. To that end, he announced Healthy Lee’s “Million Mile Movement,” a challenge to the whole community to collectively log 1 million miles of walking, running, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing and skating between Oct. 1 to the end of the year. In his presentation he informed the board that as a way for LMHS to provide leadership in the challenge, he committed the board members to log 10 percent of those miles. I’m guessing he made that pronouncement only to be sure they were listening, but even though the board members alone obviously can’t rack up 100,000 miles, if everyone who works and volunteers for LMHS participates they just might be able to reach that number. Whether you’re affiliated with LMHS or not, we can all do our part by getting (more) active and logging our miles by registering at healthylee.com/million-milemovement.
Safe routes to school
Back in a May, 2015 column I wrote that Lisa Indovino, the Safe Routes to School Community Educator who works within Lee County schools, was the very worthy winner of Florida Bicycle Association’s Educator of the Year. We have been fortunate to have her expertise and energy here for the past few years but, alas, Ms. Indovino has decided to take on that role in Manatee County so she’ll be closer to her home. During her tenure here she reached more students than any other individual or program ever did and she did so by utilizing a variety of creative and fun-filled approaches. Her shoes are surely going to be hard to fill, so if you know of someone who can work well with kids, teachers and school administrators— and especially who’s passionate about bike/ped safety — encourage them to apply for the two open positions. One is full-time and the other part-time, but I’m told both positions must be applied for. The plan is for Ms. Indovino to stay long enough to help in the transitioning of her replacement(s). The job descriptions and applications can be found at allkids.org/careers/jobs/details-page?requisitionidno=7025 (Full time Community Educator Position) and allkids.org/careers/jobs/details-page?requisitionidno=6983 (Part Time Community Educator Position).
As usual, you’ll find much more about the Million Mile Movement, Safe Routes to School, and other community matters at BikeWalkLee’s blog: bikewalklee.blogspot.com.
Until next time, I’ll look for you on the roads and pathways.
Dan Moser is a long-time bicycle/pedestrian advocate and traffic safety professional who cycles, run and walks regularly for transportation, recreation and fitness. Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com and 334- 6417.