Efforts to promote safer biking and walking recognized with multiple awards by Lee Injury Prevention Coalition

  On December 16th, the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition  presented its annual injury prevention awards, including awards to Cape Coral Bike-Ped, the News-Press Share the Road Team, the PACE EH team (for Tice community health impact assessment), and volunteer Steve Chupack for their efforts to promote safer biking and walking, and promote community awareness about injury prevention.  Kudos to all the award winners and thanks to IPC for recognizing the contributions of community leaders and organizations who have worked tirelessly to make it a safer community.
 
Also reported in News-Press 12/16/15: "News-Press earns injury prevention award for bike project

The Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition is a partnership of more than 80 public and private agencies whose mission is to prevent injury, disability and death among people of all ages through advocacy, education, legislation, and partnerships.

Four of the six awards relate to promoting safer biking and walking and BikeWalkLee's complete streets mission.  Below are IPC citations for those four awards:

Injury Prevention Organization of the Year:  Cape Coral Bike-Ped 

Carolyn Conant accepts award for CCBP (photo by Diane Holm)

Cape Coral Bike-Ped burst onto the advocacy scene just a few years ago and immediately made a lasting impact that forever changed Cape Coral for the better. Thanks to an approach of collaboration and partnerships right from the start rather than one of confrontation - something that's the usual MO for many bike/ped advocates (or advocates for any cause, for that matter) - CCB-P has accomplished in their relatively short existence what others in SW Florida can only try to emulate. They are the driving force behind getting over 90-miles (and growing) of safe bikes routes identified and marked with wayfinding signs, all paid for by private sector sponsors. The goodwill they've cultivated between all the necessary parties continues to flourish. And the most recent feather in their cap is the City of Cape Coral just having been awarded a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation on its first attempt. This designation confirms the City's commitment to safe and accessible environment for its citizens and visitors. I'd say that alone is certainly worthy of our Organization of the Year Award. Stay the course!     

Injury Prevention Citizen Volunteer of the Year: Steve Chupak

IPC Chair Brian Raimondo presents award to Steve Chupack

Steve Chupak has been a champion of improving safety for bicyclists since becoming actively involved - first and still with BikeWalkLee - which then led him to being part of the formation of Cape Coral Bike-Ped. Steve's been especially interested in working to get the schools to more fully embrace bike/ped education as an integral part of their curriculum and promote bike helmet use among students. Among his many accomplishments are effectively engaging Cape Coral elected officials, the City's charter schools, and Cape Coral PD, among others, which has led to a number of initiatives that further the causes he's championed. Congratulations, Steve, you are well deserving of our Citizen Volunteer award for 2015.     

Injury Prevention Media Partner of the Year: Share the Road Team

Brian presents award to Janine Zeitlan and Laura Ruane

The Share the Road project started in 2014, when Janine Zeitlan wrote a story about three bad bicycle crashes. Around the same time she set up the Share the Road Community page on Facebook which invites visitors to join the newspaper’s campaign. Editors at the Gannett-owned paper embraced the issue and freed up more writers to look at data. They crunched five years of data looking at insights about the cause of bike fatalities in Southwest Florida Melanie Payne and Laura Ruane profiled the 12 people killed in bike crashes in the area over a year. It continues to be an ongoing conversation with many in the community. 

Injury Prevention Program/Outreach Effort of the Year: Pace-Eh           

PACE EH (Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health) is a program developed by the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess and improve the environmental health of communities. It is a collaborative effort among residents, local government, and other stakeholders that seeks to identify and address environmental health issues that are important to the community, thereby preventing illness, injury, and death related to environmental factors.

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County began its PACE EH program in 2012 in the Pine Manor Community.  Since then, two additional communities have been added – Charleston Park and Tice.  One of the top community-identified issues in the Tice Community is safety, as it has one of the highest pedestrian/bicycle accident rates in Lee County.  The community has been the focus of redevelopment planning efforts; however, inadequate pedestrian facilities and the lack of safety devices, especially surrounding the Palm Beach corridor, create conditions that foster one of the highest pedestrian/bicycle accident rates in Lee County.  With that in mind, the DOH-Lee PACE EH Team, in partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University, applied for and received a grant (one of three in the nation) to conduct an intermediate health impact assessment (HIA) in the community.

The purpose of an HIA is to evaluate the potential health effects of a plan, project or policy before it is implemented. The Tice HIA, completed in June of this year, compared existing conditions, current road plans, and the Tice Community Connectivity and Redevelopment Plan.  The main determinants of health considered were public transit ridership, physical safety, physical activity and safety, air quality, social capital and engagement, emergency response times, and criminal activity.  In addition to informing local policymakers on the health impacts of transportation and connectivity plans, the HIA includes recommendations that identify policy actions that may minimize, mitigate or prevent adverse health outcomes and increase positive health outcomes.  The Tice HIA focuses on increasing walkability, neighborhood connectivity, and multi-modal transportation.

Brian presents award to Geordie Smith

The Injury Prevention Coalition recognizes the efforts of Geordie Smith, the DOH-Lee PACE EH Coordinator, and the rest of the PACE EH team in their efforts to protect and improve the safety and health of some of our most vulnerable populations.  

BikeWalkLee's local representatives, including new Fort Myers Beach rep

BikeWalkLee welcomes its new representative for Fort Myers Beach, Bruce Butcher, who's chair of the Town's Safety Committee.  Thanks to all six of BWL's local reps for keeping our network informed and involved in what's happening around the county.

BikeWalkLee has been involved in advocacy on a countywide basis, participating in all the Lee County MPO meetings and committees, and in the Board of County Commission committees and hearings. While the majority of transportation decisions that affect bike/ped/transit facilities and complete streets policies are made in these two bodies, the local jurisdictions (Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, and Sanibel) also make bike/ped decisions on their local roads as well as influence decisions on county maintained roads.

Beginning in 2011, BikeWalkLee designated local representatives in each jurisdiction. Click here to the updated list and bios of our local representatives. These individuals serve as our “point persons” who lead the local advocacy efforts and keep the BWL network informed about what’s happening in their jurisdiction. Great things are happening in the local jurisdictions and our local representatives are in the thick of things.

We're pleased to announce that Bruce Butcher is the new BWL representative for Fort Myers Beach.  Bruce chairs the Town's Safety Committee that has been working for over a year to address pedestrian and bicycle safety on the Beach.

Here's the full list of our representatives:
 Bonita Springs:       Sarah Baker
 Cape Coral:            Steve Chupack
 Fort Myers:            Ann Pierce
 Fort Myers Beach: Bruce Butcher
 Sanibel:                 Tom Sharbaugh
 FGCU:                   Dr. Margaret Banyan

Click here for bios and contact information on our local reps.

So, if you live in one of these jurisdictions and want to get involved or have questions, contact our representative for that area.

In search of BikeWalkLee representative for Fort Myers Beach

Do you live in Fort Myers Beach,or know someone who does, who is passionate about biking and walking and wants to help make improvements in your community? Then maybe you would be interested in being BikeWalkLee's representative in Fort Myers Beach. Please contact Darla at dletourneau@bikewalklee.org if you might be interested.

BikeWalkLee has been involved in advocacy on a countywide basis, participating in all the Lee County MPO meetings and committees, and in the Board of County Commission committees and hearings. The MPO is a countywide transportation planning body and includes representatives from each of the local jurisdictions. The BoCC and county government covers the unincorporated portions of Lee County. While the majority of transportation decisions that affect bike/ped/transit facilities and complete streets policies are made in these two bodies, the local jurisdictions (Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, and Sanibel) also make bike/ped decisions on their local roads as well as influence decisions on county maintained roads.

In February 2011, BikeWalkLee announced its representatives/reporters in each of these jurisdictions. These individuals serve as our “point persons” who lead the local advocacy efforts and keep the BWL network informed about what’s happening in their jurisdiction. Great things are happening in the local jurisdictions and our local representatives are in the thick of things. Become part of a winning team!

Update on Cape Coral bike lanes pending request

Report from Steve Chupack, BikeWalkLee's Cape Coral representative:

Here's the latest on the SW Cape Coral Neighborhood Association's request for 1.1 miles of bike lanes on Beach Parkway and Agualinda Boulevard.

Thanks to efforts by a number of bike/pedestrian safety advocates, we can report unofficially that the Bicycle Lane Request Survey forms submitted to the Department of Public Works show very strong support for this request. The "survey" was just that, an opportunity for citizens to voice their opinion. Staff of PW will include the survey results when it reports to the City Council's Transportation Advisory Commission. It will be one of many factors considered when voting whether to recommend approving the request.

The TAC was scheduled to hold its next meeting on Nov. 16. On Nov. 4, TAC Chairman, Councilman Pete Brandt, cancelled the meeting after polling other members. There will be at least one new member appointed to the TAC at the Council's Nov. 14 meeting, the first after the election. If the TAC meeting was held as scheduled, there would have been only two days for any new member to be brought up to speed on the issues before the TAC, including the pending review of the SWCCNA bike lane request. It is expected the TAC will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14. We will provide updates as new information becomes available.

Patricia Young, Board member of the SWCCNA, and Steve Chupack, BWL representative for Cape Coral, express their thanks to all who used the survey form posted on BikeWalkLee and other sites, to the Caloosa Riders, and others who indicated their strong support for the bike lane request.

Fowler Street one-way extension proposal

Report by Ann Pierce, BikeWalkLee Representative in City of Fort Myers

On Friday, October 28, the MPO will vote on a measure to amend the Long-Range Transportation Plan regarding a proposed one-way extension of Fowler Street, in downtown Fort Myers, beyond MLK, to connection at Metro Parkway and Kennesaw Street. Currently, the project is designated as ready for design phase. The upcoming vote is to move it back into a new study phase. The original study was done over 18 years ago, and much has changed in Fort Myers in the interim.
When this new study is done, these important concerns need to be addressed: alternatives to extending this one way, alternatives to the existing one ways or portions thereof, impacts on people newly are intermittently venturing into downtown Fort Myers, impacts on business revenues and residential property values, implications for transit access and ease of multi-directional use (particularly in service to the planned new regional library at the corner of Second Street and Royal Palm Avenue, in downtown Fort Myers ),impact on future development along and adjacent to the one-way corridors, and bike/ped accessibility, conductivity and safety.
The study update should also address the following evidence from studies of similar existing single-purpose, urban, one-way pairs:
• Existing evidence indicates significant negative impacts from one-way pairs on business revenue and surrounding property values by as much as 20%.
• One-way pairs increase vehicle miles traveled from 20 to 50%, in the recirculation required to reach a destination.
• One-way pairs increase turning maneuvers from 20 to 60%, greatly increasing the chances of conflict with cyclists and pedestrians.
• Vehicles on one-way roads consistently travel well above the posted speed, resulting in more severe bike/pedestrian crashes.
• Those most disoriented, confused or discouraged by urban one-way pairs are new visitors, vacationers, and the occasional user.... A poor invitation, indeed.

Both Lee County and the City of Fort Myers have committed to the principles of complete streets, requiring a rebalancing of their roadways, making them safer and friendlier for all modes of travel. Therefore any further considerations of this project should address those principles in the context of encouraging a thriving, healthy residential and business environment in County, as well as the City of Fort Myers.

Report on Cape Coral's bike lane open house

Report by Steve Chupack, BikeWalkLee Cape Coral Representative:

More than sixty people stopped in at the Open House held at the Oasis Middle School on October 5th. Judging by the many positive comments offered and number who filled out the short survey form, we are encouraged to think that the 1.1 mile Beach & Agualinda requests will receive a favorable recommendation at the Transportation Advisory Committee meeting later this month. Thanks to Steve Neff, Rashad Hanbali and staff for hosting the open house, BikeWalkLee volunteers, Caloosa Riders and everybody who supported this SW Cape Neighborhood Assn. bike lane request.

For background on the proposals, click here for earlier blog posts.

Update on Cape Coral bike lanes request

Report by Steve Chupack, BikeWalkLee Representative for Cape Coral
June 17, 2011
The Cape Coral Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC) on June 15, approved two of the three bike lane requests submitted on behalf of the SW Cape Coral Neighborhood Association. The requests were presented by Board member Pat Young at the May 18, TAC meeting and supported by Joe Cervoni, President. The application was also endorsed by Caloosa Riders president Mike Swanson, BikeWalkLee and its Cape Coral representative Steve Chupack.

The TAC is chaired by Councilman Pete Brandt and includes Mayor Sullivan and Council members Chulakes-Leetz, Kuehn, and McGrail. The action followed discussion of the recommendations made by Traffic Engineer Rashad Hanbali.

The TAC approved creating bike lanes on: both sides of Agualinda Boulevard between Cape Coral Parkway and Beach Parkway (1.3 miles); both sides of Beach Parkway between Agualinda Boulevard and Oasis Boulevard (.4 miles). Presently, Agualinda Boulevard has bike lanes between Cape Coral Parkway and Eldorado Boulevard; Beach Parkway has bike lanes between Oasis Boulevard and Surfside Boulevard. Putting lanes on these sections adds greatly to achieving the goal of creating bike lanes that are connected. Young and Chupack thanked Council members and Dr. Hanbali in particular for finding a creative solution to an issue of concern at the May TAC meeting about the proposed bike lane at the Beach and Oasis intersection.

It is disappointing that the TAC did not approve the request for a bike lane on both sides of Cape Coral Parkway between Sands Boulevard and SW 17th Place (1.3 miles). SW 17th Place is the first street west of Chiquita Boulevard. Young emphasized a major benefit of this bike lane was that it would provide much needed access by bicycle riders to the many shopping and retail businesses in the area as well as to the nearby Lee Tran bus stop. The TAC agreed with Dr. Hanbali's objections to reducing this part of Cape Coral Parkway to one lane to accommodate the bike lane. He cited traffic volume, that the road was a major artery for vehicles, and a designated hurricane evacuation route. The failure to get approval for the bike lanes on Cape Coral Parkway means the request may need to be re-submitted in a way that better meets both the Cape Coral and MPO Bike/Ped Master Plan connectivity goals.

Two steps remain before the bike lane request can be submitted by the TAC to the full Council for its approval. A petition indicating support for the bike lane requests will be circulated among residents in the immediate area where the bike lanes are to be created, and an open house meeting will be held to invite comment by those living in the area.

This action by the TAC approving the Agualinda and Beach bike lanes fits very well with the MPO's unanimous adoption on May 20, of the Bike/Ped Master plan, particularly with regard to the recommendation calling for greater bike lane connectivity.

Cape Coral City Council Transportation Committee considers 3 bike lane proposals by citizen groups

5/18/11
Report from Steve Chupack, BikeWalkLee's Cape Coral representative
At today's Cape Coral City Council's Transportation Advisory Committee meeting, local advocates, led by Pat Young of the Southwest Cape Coral Neighborhood Association (SWCCNA), presented their proposal to install bike lanes on 3 roadway segments:
1. Agualinda (from Beach to Cape Coral Parkway)
2. Beach (from Oasis to Agualinda)
3. Cape Coral Parkway from Sands to SW 17th Place

In advance of the meeting, BikeWalkLee submitted a letter to the Committee in support of the request. Click here to read our letter.

In addition to Pat Young, the following other citizen groups were represented and spoke in support: The President of SWCCNA, Mr. Cervoni, Mike Swanson, President of the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club,Scott Balogna (Cape Coral member of MPO Citizen Advocacy Committee), the president of NW Neighborhood Assn., and Steve Chupack representing BikeWalkLee.

The following were the outcomes of the meeting:
1. Accepted Dr. Dr. Hanbali's (Safety Engineer) recommendation to approve bike lane on Agualinda from Beach to CC Parkway

2. Accepted Dr. Hanbali's recommendation against putting bike lanes on CC Pkwy from Sands to SW 17th Pl. Mainly because it is an emergency evacuation route, traffic count too high, etc. However, at suggestion of a TAC member Dr. Hanbali agreed to do traffic count west of Agualinda on CC Pkwy. Count apparently was taken east of Agualinda. Seemed to be general agreement on TAC that traffic count west of Agualinda is likely to be much lower than east of it. Dr. Hanbali will report findings. Possibly opens door to approving this important estimated .8 mile section that would enhance connectivity with Sands and Agualinda.

3. Did not accept, for now, Dr. Hanbali's recommendation against putting bike lane on .4 miles on Beach from Oasis to Agualinda. The issues was whether the need to keep the existing right-turn lane onto Oasis was justified. Pat's drawings showed several exceptions to this practice that seem to work quite well. Dr. Hanbali agreed to take another look at the issue and get back to TAC. Several TAC members were advocating for finding a creative solution, including the ones Pat described.

The TAC told Pat Young she could begin gathering signatures on the approved petition form. The petition will be circulated among the residents on the streets where the proposed bike lanes would be created, pending final approval by the TAC and City Council.

5/19 update:
The new counts for Cape Coral Parkway and the new analysis of the Beach/Oasis right turn are going to be presented at the TAC meting on June 15.

NBC-2 News was at the meeting and interviewed several of the participants. Nice job! Here's the video:


Thanks to the community advocates in Cape Coral who put together this terrific proposal and are working hard with the city to bring these bike/ped improvements to their community! Darla

BikeWalkLee announces representatives in local jurisdictions

BikeWalkLee has been involved in advocacy on a countywide basis, participating in all the Lee County MPO meetings and committees, and in the Board of County Commission committees and hearings. The MPO is a countywide transportation planning body and includes representatives from each of the local jurisdictions. The BoCC and county government covers the unincorporated portions of Lee County. While the majority of transportation decisions that affect bike/ped/transit facilities and complete streets policies are made in these two bodies, the local jurisdictions (Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, and Sanibel) also make bike/ped decisions on their local roads as well as influence decisions on county maintained roads.

BikeWalkLee is pleased to announce its representatives/reporters in each of these jurisdictions. These individuals will serve as our “point persons” who will lead the local advocacy efforts and keep the BWL network informed about what’s happening in their jurisdiction. If you live in one of these jurisdictions, here’s your new “go to” person. The following are the representatives and their contact information:

Bonita Springs: Sarah Baker, sbaker@bikewalklee.org
• Sarah Baker is a Senior Analyst / Planner with the Lee County Health Department. Sarah grew up in Fort Myers and has lived in Bonita Springs since 2003. She is a Board Member of the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition and a founding member of Fit-Friendly Southwest Florida. Sarah also leads a troop of Girl Scouts in Bonita Springs. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys rollerblading and ice-skating with her husband and 10-year old daughter Lydia.

Cape Coral: Steve Chupack, schupack@bikewalklee.org
• Steve Chupack has been a year-round resident of Cape Coral since 2003. Steve was a co-founder in 2005 of the Safety on Surfside Committee, which successfully petitioned the Cape Coral City Council to approve new bike lanes in the area. He was elected recently to serve on the Board of Directors of the SW Cape Coral Neighborhood Association. Steve is a former executive with non-profits and the Vermont Agency of Human Services. He is an avid kayaker, cyclist and walker.

Fort Myers: Dan Moser, dmoser@bikewalklee.org
• Dan Moser has been a resident of Lee County since 1973, a resident of the City of Fort Myers for the last 25 years, and has been a vocal advocate for biking and walking during most of his career. He is a founding member of BikeWalkLee and serves on its steering group. He has been a member of the City of Ft Myers Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board since its inception in 1999 and is its current chairman. Dan is also the Program Director for the Florida Bicycle Association, an instructor for Lee Memorial Health System Trauma Center's High Risk Driver Program & Young Driver Program, Lee Injury Prevention Coalition vice chairman, and chairman of Lee MPO Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinating Committee. He is also a certified bicycle education instructor and instructor-trainer. Dan’s primary mode of transportation is his bicycle.

City of Fort Myers Beach: Carrie Hill, chill@bikewalklee.org
• Carrie is a long-time resident of Fort Myers Beach and an active advocate for biking and walking. She was appointed by the City of Fort Myers Beach to represent the city on the MPO Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinating Committee (BPCC). Carrie bicycles as her mode of transportation on FMB. She is a native Floridian and a homeowner on Fort Myers Beach for 15 years. In addition to being an avid cyclist and scuba diver, she is a published poet, artist, and thespian. Her artwork has been used for the Sand sculpting and Shrimp Festivals. Carrie serves on the Cultural and Environmental Learning Center Advisory Board (CELCAB), which oversees the Mound House, and is President of Friends of Mound House, She is also a long-standing member of the FMB Community Foundation.

City of Sanibel: Tom Sharbaugh, tsharbaugh@bikewalklee.org
• Tom Sharbaugh has been a resident of Sanibel since 2002. He is a member of the Sanibel Bicycle Club, serving as a current board member, communications chair and past president. He created the Club’s award-winning Bike Safety Education Program to increase awareness of safe biking “rules of the road” among island residents and tourist visitors. He is currently leading a community-wide effort to construct a “path welcome center” that will serve as a trailhead for Sanibel’s path system and also provide rest stop amenities for path users. Tom is a former business executive who has managed marketing and communications functions for national companies. He’s an avid recreational cyclist , enjoys kayaking, and returns to the Chicago area during the summers.

Florida Gulf Coast University: Dr. Margaret Banyan, mbanyan@bikewalklee.org
• Margaret Banyan, Ph.D., is a Visiting Assistant Professor at FGCU, and teaches in the Division of Public Affairs in the areas of land use planning, public administration, and political science. She is a member of the FGCU Master Plan Committee. She is a founding member of BikeWalkLee and part of its Steering Group. She is chair of the Lee County Community Sustainability Advisory Committee, and a member of the Lee County Homeless Coalition. Her interests center on sustainability, equity, public transit, and citizen involvement. Before moving to Lee County, she worked at Portland State University as the director of the Center for Public Participation.

We’re excited to have these representatives as part of the BWL team!