Cape Coral Community Foundation presents check for bike racks at May 6th Cape Coral Council meeting

 

At May 6, 2019 Cape Coral City Council meeting, Mayor Coviello, Carolyn Conant and Diane and Mike Holm accepted the $8200 check from Beth Rivera and Joe Cerino for the purchase of bike racks in the newly renovated downtown area on SE 47th Terrace. Mike & Diane Holm and Mike Swanson worked together with Cape Coral Community Foundation to raise funds to make Cape Coral more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.  The Cape Coral partnership sponsoring the bike racks was highlighted in BikeWalkLee's April 29th blog post.
May 6, 2019 check presentation by Cape Coral Community Foundation to the City of Cape Coral. From left to right, Mayor Coviello, Beth Rivera, Grant Manager of Cape Coral Community Foundation (CCCF), Joe Cerino, CCCF Board Member, Carolyn Conant, Cape Coral Bike Ped, Diane & Mike Holm of Fort Myers Cyclery and Cape Coral Bike Ped members. Absent Mike Swanson, Cape Coral Bike Ped.

The bike racks along with the new outdoor furniture will enhance the bicycle-pedestrian ambiance of downtown. As Michael Chatman noted, “The Cape Coral Community Foundation’s mission is to foster a healthy and dynamic community where individuals are inspired to support, strengthen and enrich quality of life through generosity and civic engagement. This project is a good example of enriching quality of life and civic engagement.”

 

 

Cape Coral Council takes actions in support of its complete streets policy and receives award from FBA

Cape Coral's City Council meeting on April 3rd highlighted the City's ongoing progress in implementing complete streets in the Cape.  There were three items on the agenda related to these efforts. 

FBA's Afonso, CM Szerlag, Mayor Sawicki, PW's Zambrano, CCBP's Conant, Swanson, and Aubuchon

First, The Florida Bicycle Association's (FBA) Executive Director, Becky Afonso presented the FBA 2016 Bicycle Friendly Community of the Year award to the City of Cape Coral, recognizing both City officials and Cape Coral Bike-Ped group.  
 
 Second, the Council approved the City's first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.  Third, the Council approved the project design for the SE 47th Terrace Streetscape Project, which focuses on revitalizing this area by making it a "complete street", making it a safe and welcome place for pedestrians.  Kudos to the City Council, City staff, and the Cape Coral Bike-Ped group for their outstanding efforts, and to FBA for bringing statewide recognition to these local accomplishments.  Below is an article reporting on yesterday's Council actions, along with links to the Master Plan, and previous BWL blogs about these initiatives.

April 4, 2017 CapeCoral.com blog:  5 Things to Know from the Cape Coral City Council Meeting (Apr. 3)  

[excerpts below--#3 and #4]

#3:  Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan approved

The city's first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is now official.

During Monday night's meeting, the city council unanimously approved the plan that will add 93 miles of sidewalks, 22 miles of multi-use paths, and 138 miles of on-street bike paths over the next 15 to 20 years.

The plan was created to provide a cycling network safe for bicyclists and pedestrians that will spread throughout the city.

The cost to construct the network is estimated at $63 million.

Alta Planning and Design, the company hired by the city to create the master plan, recommended the city seek state and federal grants, make the improvements part of the city's UEP and Road Repaving initiatives, as well as using future gas tax allocations to fund the projects. According to the firm, with those allocations, 30% of the proposed bike and pedestrian projects would be funded through Fiscal Year 2022.

The city has already utilized an over $3 million grant it received from the state to begin construction of a multi-use path along Kismet Parkway.

In related news, at the beginning of Monday's meeting, the City of Cape Coral and the Cape Coral Bike-Ped organization received the 2016 Bicycle Friendly Community Award from the Florida Bicycle Association.

The non-profit organization was created to promote bicycle safety throughout the state of Florida and annually recognizes contributions to accomplish that goal. Florida Bicycle Association President Becky Afonso was on hand at the meeting to present the city and Bike-Ped the award, and commended both for their partnership to create a network of bicycle paths in the city making it safer for both bicyclists and pedestrians.

#4: Council/CRA approves SE 47th Terrace Streetscape Project design
Before Monday's regular meeting, the city council, acting in their roles as CRA Commissioners held a special meeting to discuss whether or not to approve the proposed design plan for the SE 47th Terrace Streetscape Project.

Called a "legacy project" by City Manager John Szerlag, the $8.5 million initiative will completely revitalize the look of SE 47th Terrace from Del Prado Boulevard to Coronado Parkway.

According to the proposed design, the project will include brick paver expanded sidewalks on both sides of the road, new landscaping, custom street lighting, elimination of on-street parking, and a roundabout at the intersection of SE 47th Terrace and Vincennes Boulevard.

It has been the roundabout that has caused the most publicity since the design plans have been released, with some concerned the roundabout could cause traffic issues on the busy street.

However, city traffic engineer Bill Corbett explained during Monday's presentation that roundabouts provide a safer option for both pedestrians and drivers reducing traffic crashes by 48% than other traffic calming options on the average.

Regarding the size of the roundabout, Corbett also assured the board of commissioners that the city has enough land in the surrounding right-of-ways to accommodate for the roundabout.

In addition to the aesthetic upgrades, the project will also include water and sewer upgrades. The $1.9 million cost for those upgrades will be paid through the city's water and sewer fund. The remaining $6.6 million cost of the project will be shared by the city and CRA. Szerlag says the current plan is for the city and CRA to equally share that cost. However, as time comes closer to pay for the construction that could change depending on the financial health of both entities. Meaning if one fund has a stronger financial setting, it could cover more of the cost burden for the project.

After hearing the presentation, the commissioners unanimously voted to approve the design, and later during the regular city council meeting, council members once again unanimously approved the design moving the project to the next phase.

Szerlag says the goal is to have shovels in the ground later this year to begin the project with a projected construction timeline of nine to twelve months to complete.

 Related Links:

Cape Coral Bike Ped Master Plan--approved 4/4/17

Agenda Pkg for Cape Coral Council 4/3/17 Meeting

BWL 2/17/17 Blog:  Cape Coral selected as 'Bicycle friendly community of the year' by Florida Bicycle Association

BWL 4/22/16 Blog: Cape Coral residents share ideas for improving walking and biking

Cape Coral selected as 'Bicycle friendly community of the year' by Florida Bicycle Association

The Florida Bicycle Association has selected Cape Coral as Bicycle Friendly Community of the Year. 

"Your efforts and achievements for bicyclists is shaping our vision for Florida to be a state where bicycling is safe, respected and encouraged as a means of transportation and recreation" wrote Becky Afonso, Executive Director of the Association in a letter to Cape Coral Bike-Ped.

"Your hard work and dedication to bicycling is to be commended and celebrated", she wrote. The award will be presented later this spring, probably in March (Florida Bike Month) or May (National Bike Month).

BikeWalkLee would like to congratulate Carolyn Conant and the entire group of volunteers of CCBP with this award. It is yet another encouraging sign of the continuing developments to improve conditions in Cape Coral and the entire area for bicycling and walking, as a mode of transportation as well as for recreation and tourism.

Cape Coral Bike-Ped's leader Carolyn Conant finalist for 2016 Trailblazer of the Year award

At the end of every year, News-Press announces the finalists for its People of the Year awards, which honor "those who have made tremendous community impacts and changes lives along the way." There are eight award categories, including Person of the Year and Trailblazer of the Year.  Over the past six weeks, News-Press has featured profiles of the finalists for all the 2016 People of the Year awards. Today the paper focused on the three finalists for the Trailblazer of the Year award, including Carolyn Conant, the leader of  the Cape Coral Bike-Ped group. The award winners will be announced on Feb. 21st. See the original December BWL blog post about all the finalists.
 
News-Press, Jan. 31, 2017, by Frank Bumb:  Carolyn Conant puts the trails in trail blazer

Photo: Kinfay Moroti/news-press.com

 Sometimes the term “trailblazer” is a term of art, meant to convey the image of a bold person showing their comrades the path forward through a figurative wilderness or laying track for others to follow in their footsteps.

Carolyn Conant, is literally making the paths for others to follow. Ideally through walking and cycling. Carolyn Conant leads Cape Coral Bike-Ped volunteer organization.

Dedicated to increase the amount of walking and cycling opportunities in the 10th largest city on Florida and one of the country's fastest growing areas, the group has turned Cape Coral into a cycling destination.

Her efforts are why she, along with Barbara Manzo of Lee County's 20/20 Conservation Committee and Karthryn Kelly of the Heights Foundation were nominated for The News-Press' Trailblazer of the Year. They will be honored Feb. 21 during the News-Press People of the Year Awards at FGCU.

Conant, 67, and her group has already made significant progress.

In 2015, the city was recognized as a bicycle-friendly city for the first time. In October, the city’s public works division secured a nearly $1.8 million Florida Department of Transportation grant for preliminary engineering and design of a 7-mile long, 12-feet wide trail. The trail will run along Kismet Parkway from Del Prado to Burnt Store Road.

Grant paves way for new Cape Coral bike-ped trail

Cape Coral Spokeswoman Connie Barron praised Cape Coral Bike-Ped’s partnership to help secure the grant.

“The partnership we’ve had with Cape Coral Bike-Ped has been extraordinary,” Barron said.

But Conant, a Cape Coral resident for almost 23 years, and Cape Coral Bike-Ped are not done yet.

“We’ve got three main goals for 2017,” Conant said. “We’ve got our Complete Streets Bike-Ped Master Plan, promoting bicycle tourism and our education and safety initiatives.”

The master plan represents a report of community concerns over cycling and pedestrian concerns for areas in their neighborhoods and how the city can expand those opportunities from the 90 miles of paths it has already.

Conant emphasized over and over that the master plan and the group’s other works are not meant just for cyclists but for runners, joggers, walkers, parents with their kids in strollers and more.

“I’m actually not much of a cyclist myself,” Conant said.

But Conant wants to keep Cape Coral thriving, adding miles of accessible bike paths to provide options for some car-averse millennials and others, will keep Cape Coral along that path.

That goes hand-in-hand with promoting Cape Coral as a bicycle tourism destination. Which, if the paths are constructed right, will highlight the city’s burgeoning entertainment and dining options.

“We want to get the word out that this is a good community to come to, ride your bike from one spot, and see what the Cape has to offer while you’re doing it,” Conant said.

The third goal, education and safety initiatives, is all the more pressing because of recent report from Smart Growth America released Jan. 10 that had Lee County as the most dangerous areas for pedestrians and cyclists in Florida and the country. But while that report looks back, Conant hopes increasing education about safety will get Lee County out of that cellar.

"We've got a real opportunity this year."

CAROLYN CONANT

• Her role: Leads the volunteer Cape Coral Bike-Ped group

• Three goals for 2017: Complete Streets Bike-Ped Master Plan, promote bike tourism and improve safety awareness.

News-Press 2016 People of the Year finalists include complete street champions

At this time each year, News-Press announces the finalists for its People of the Year awards, which honor "those who have made tremendous community impacts and changes lives along the way." There are eight award categories, including Person of the Year, Trailblazer of the Year, and Young Professionals of the Year. BikeWalkLee is thrilled that several finalists are community leaders who are part of the broad-based community efforts in support of complete streets and livable communities.

BikeWalkLee especially congratulates the founder and leader of the Cape Coral Bike-Peds (CCBP)group, Carolyn Conant, who is being honored as a finalist for Trailblazer of the Year. Not only has Carolyn and the CCCBP team made Cape Coral a better place to live, their partnership with the City is a model for others throughout SWFL.  In addition, Christin Collins, who leads LMHS's health and wellness/active lifestyles initiatives, as well as serving on the Board of Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation, is a finalist for Person of the Year.  Barbara Manzo, the County's past longtime Parks and Rec Director, is also a Trailblazer finalist of the Year for her successful work on the Conservation 2020 ballot referendum.  Finally Jan-Erik Hustrulid is a finalist for the Young Professional of the Year award.  Jan-Erik works for Owens-Ames-Kimball Company, which was awarded the construction contract for the Lee MPO's TIGER Complete Streets Initiative project, and Jan-Erik has been part of that team. 

Thanks to the News-Press for continuing to highlight the importance of complete streets and livable communities through its ongoing recognition of the community leaders contributing to these efforts.  BikeWalkLee was a finalist for the News-Press Hero of the Year award in 201l.  This year's winners will be announced on Feb. 21 at the News-Press awards breakfast held at FGCU.  Congratulations to all the finalists for their incredible efforts to improve our community.

News-Press Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016: Our People of the Year finalists
Below are excerpt on these four highlighted finalists:

Trailblazer of the Year Finalist: Carolyn Conant

Carolyn Conant

A long-time volunteer, Conant had a vision to offer Cape Coral cyclists, runners and walkers safe and separate pathways near busy roads to enjoy the outdoors. Her efforts helped create 90 miles of wonderful pathways called Cape Coral Bike-Peds. Conant, along with many other volunteers and community leaders, and fueled by tremendous fund-raising efforts, created these nationally-recognized city jewels that wind through the city.

In her nomination letter, Dawn-Marie Driscoll, emeritus Executive Fellow for Business Ethics for Bentley University and a Cape Coral resident, said: "And in this post-election malaise, I think it would be well to honor someone who shows that people can come together outside of partisan politics, work on an important issue together to improve our communities and accomplish much."

Person of the Year Finalist: Christin Collins [no photo in News-Press]

We received over 25 nomination letters for Collins, who not only is an ambassador for health and wellness, but also active in raising funds for Golisano Children’s Hospital and also involved with Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation, the SWFL Wine & Food Festival, the Women’s Foundation, the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, the PACE Center for Girls and the American Heart Association.

But it’s her work at Lee Health, which is celebrating 100 years, that is truly a game changer. She is co-chairing the second Million Mile Movement, creating an awareness for health and wellness and the movement for community members to log 1 million miles over a three-month period. She was instrumental in creating the health system’s Healthy Lifestyle Approach to Wellness and Prevention, focusing on purpose-driven living, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress management, mental and behavioral health.

She created a national speaker series, bringing wellness leaders from around the world to Southwest Florida. Last month, she was part of a four-person team asked to present wellness initiatives at a national conference for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Her influence also resulted in the children’s hospital reaching its $100 million goal, with the final $1 million coming from the SWFL Wine & Food Festival, where she is the co-chair. Her work also has inspired raising funds for pediatric mental and behavioral health, a department which does not yet exist but is needed at Golisano.

In one of the nomination letters, Lee Health CEO Jim Nathan and Cape Coral Hospital CAO Scott Cashman said: "She has helped make an impact locally, spreading regionally and influencing nationally. She embraces and inspires so many community leaders."

Barbara Manzo

Trailblazer of the Year Finalist: Barbara Manzo

She led an effort to inform Lee County residents of saving the county’s most important environmental program, Conservation 20/20. She was chairwomen of the Yes on Conservation 20/20 group, driven by the purpose to make sure voters in the November election approved the referendum to continue the land buying, management and conservation program, which started in 1996.

The group organized in six months and implemented a plan that started a local political committee, raised funds, established a social media campaign and a Facebook page to inform the people of the importance of this referendum. They also created a speakers bureau to meet with various groups across the county.

Jan-Erik Hustrulid

Young Professional of the Year Finalist:  Jan-Erik Hustrulid

The Business Development and Community Outreach Coordinator with the Owen-Ames-Kimball Company, he keeps a hectic and productive pace as chairman of the board for the Heights Foundation and Heights Center, as a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of Lee County as a board trustee for The Cultural Center of Charlotte County, a board member for the Harry Chapin Food Bank and as a executive committee member and programming co-chair for the Southwest Florida Urban Land Institute.

His leadership efforts in various events have helped raise over $200,000 for various organizations and at-risk children. He also served on the first The News-Press Young Professionals Advisory Board this year.

As business development and outreach coordinator for the company, Hustrulid also develops new project opportunities.

He also helps mentor students at FGCU

In her nomination letter, Jeanette Baldwin of Owen-Ames-Kimball said: “He and his colleagues at Owen-Ames-Kimball Company actively support more than 50 local organizations each year by giving of their time, talents and resources.”

 To read about the other finalists, click here.

Cape Receives $1.8 Million SUN Trail Grant to Design Multi-Use Trail in North Cape

Vision of Florida interconnected trail system

The City of Cape Coral announced today that it has received an $1.8 million FDOT grant to design a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail in North Cape Coral along Kismet Parkway. The trail will be part of the Florida SUNTrail, a statewide system of paved multi-use trails for bicyclists and pedestrians, physically separated from vehicular traffic.

The new trail will be a welcome addition to the existing bike/ped facilities in the Cape, in particular for residents of the Northern parts of the city. It will expand the opportunities for safe outdoor exercise and recreation in the area.

The trail will eventually connect Cape Coral to the statewide SUN Trail network of bicycle pedestrian trails, enhancing the city's profile as a tourist destination and its image as a bike/pedestrian friendly community.

BikeWalkLee was an early supporter of SUN Trail and has submitted letters of support. Our annual letter to the Lee Legislative Delegation for the past four years has made bike tourism and the statewide network of bike/ped paths, now called SUN Trail, one of our top priorities. Congratulations to the City of Cape Coral and the volunteers of Cape Coral Bike Ped who have been instrumental in this grant application.


From the 10/12 Cape Coral press release:
‘The City of Cape Coral has received a $1.8 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation for the preliminary engineering and design of a multi-use trail along Kismet Parkway in the north Cape. The Cape's individual trail project was one of 45 projects to receive funding for bicycle and pedestrian trail expansion in Florida through the new Shared Use Nonmotorized (SUN) Trail Program. FDOT awarded $44.4 million in statewide grants in the first year of the program.

"Cape Coral continues to achieve success in obtaining grant funds to help with our goal of expanding bicycle and pedestrian opportunities throughout the city," said Connie Barron, Public Affairs Manager for the City. "This project along Kismet Parkway will provide a signature destination for recreational activity in the north Cape."

The multi-use trail will be on the north side of Kismet Parkway from Del Prado Boulevard west to El Dorado Boulevard, and passing by the City's future Festival Park. The trail will continue on the west side of El Dorado south to Van Buren Parkway, and then on the north side of Van Buren Parkway west to Burnt Store Road. The 12-foot-wide trail spans about seven miles and potentially could include exercise components similar to the linear park along Del Prado Boulevard.

The Cape Coral Bike-Ped group was instrumental in the successful application for grant funding from the SUN Trail Program. The volunteer group continues to work in partnership with the City to advance the goal of developing a bicycle and pedestrian friendly Cape Coral.

Lee Co. segment of SW Coastal Regional Trail

From the 10/11 FDOT press release:

‘All of the selected projects are in the identified SUN Trail network, which consists of the developing statewide system of paved multi-use trails for bicyclists and pedestrians, physically separated from vehicular traffic.

FDOT Secretary Jim Boxold said, “This initial SUN Trail funding will provide safer opportunities for bicyclists and pedestrians, advance the completion of the state trail system and enhance the state’s partnership with local communities throughout Florida.”

Twenty-two of the funded projects help to advance two major regional trails systems selected as priorities by the Florida Greenways and Trails Council. Five of these are part of the Coast to Coast Connector, a 250-mile trail system linking the Gulf and Atlantic coasts through Central Florida, and 17 are part of the St. Johns River Sea Loop, a 270-mile trail system that will link together several communities including St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Titusville, DeLand and Palatka. 23 projects are for individual trail segments throughout the rest of the state.

The SUN Trail Program was established during the 2015 legislative session. More information about the program can be found at floridasuntrail.com.’

Cape Coral BikeWalkSafely2Live PSA Video contest launched today

As a result of the tireless work of Cape Coral Bike Ped in partnership with the City of Cape Coral, a safety video (PSA) contest for all Lee County schools was launched today at Cape Coral City Council Meeting.

From the press release:
'Calling all middle and high school students in media and audio-visual classes and your teachers, join this effort to create videos that encourage students to learn about bicycle and pedestrian safety issues.

The City of Cape Coral could send your Lee County school up to $1,000 to purchase media equipment or for bicycle and pedestrian initiatives. The best middle and high school students’ Public Service Announcement (PSA) videos will be aired on TV ads in Lee County.

This contest through media or audio-visual teachers is open to all Lee County Public, Charter, Private and Parochial schools.

As part of the City of Cape Coral’s bicycle and pedestrian safety initiative, Cape Coral Bike Ped volunteers and the City are asking for your help to increase the number of students who ride their bicycle and walk to school safely.

As Carolyn Conant, of Cape Coral Bike Ped, states: “With the help of middle and high school students’ in Lee County and their effort to create positive bike/ped safety messages in PSA videos that appeal to their peers, we can make this region safer for bicyclist and pedestrians. We believe that peer-to-peer safety and education videos will be a very effective method to get the message out on the rules of the road, the need to wear a helmet and other safety initiatives.”

So get your teachers to commit to be part of this contest, have your teacher go to www.CapeCoral.net/Bicycling and click on the big blue BikeWalkSafely2Live PSA Contest button to get started. Read the Contest Rules, get your parents or guardians to sign a Parental Release Form and have your teacher submit the best 15 video submissions on the online Entry Form. You can do it, get started today!

We are looking for creative approaches to encourage more students to ride and walk to schools and throughout the region in a safe manner. Participants need to create 10, 15 or 30 second videos that highlights bicycle and pedestrian safety and rules of the road and can be shown on TV ads if winners.

The Lee County School District will be sending out information on this contest to their principals today. Notice will also be going out to private and parochial schools.

The details:

• Open to all Lee County middle & high school students in media or audio-visual classes.
• Entries must be completed and sent in using the online Entry Form by the Lee County teacher (or designee) along with your uploaded video.
• Videos must be uploaded at www.CapeCoral.net/Bicycling, click on BikeWalkSafely2Live PSA Contest button then click on the Entry Form to upload the videos.
• Media production or audio-visual teachers, at the middle or high school level, will submit their students’ up to 15 best PSA video on the online Entry Form after reading the Contest Rules.
• Every student involved in the video must return a signed Parental Release Form to your teacher for uploading onto the Entry Form for that project submission.
• A project submission is as follows: one 30 second video, up to two 15 second videos or up to three 10 second videos.
• Submissions will be accepted from September 5, 2016 through November 18, 2017. 

Winners will be chosen on originality, creativity, and how well the students use their artistic vision to portray the theme and how successfully the bicycle and pedestrian safety concept is conveyed. Be sure that what is being conveyed meets with bicycle and pedestrian safety laws in the State of Florida. Check out http://flbikelaw.org/ or www.alerttodayflorida.com websites for bicycle and pedestrian safety laws in Florida. The decision of the judges is final.

For more information contact: Carolyn Conant, Cape Coral Bike Ped, at 239-851-9737 or Jodi Walborn, Safe Routes to School coordinator and Bike Ped member, at 239-738-3155.'

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.  

Dan Moser Column: Honoring locals who are making a difference

Dan's column this week reports on this year's Injury Prevention Coalition award winners.  Please be sure to thank them for all they're doing to make our community safer for pedestrians and cyclists. He also reports on a recent visit by Dan Burden as part of the Blue Zones project.
Florida Weekly, Outdoors section, December 16, 2015

For those of us who enjoy walking, running, skating and cycling outdoors it’s easy to take for granted the fact that there are others out there working to make it possible to do so. While it should be a given that there’s a safe environment for such basic and beneficial endeavors, the disturbing fact that we live in one of the most dangerous places in the country to be a pedestrian and cyclist means that’s not always the case. But thanks to certain individuals and organizations committed to changing things for the better progress is being made that will allow us to feel safe when using our public rights-of-way.

Each year the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition recognizes those who make a significant impact in the area of reducing preventable injury and death. Among IPC’s 2015 awardees making a difference specifically for pedestrians and bicyclists are an individual, two organizations, a government program and a media team (for the complete list of awardees, visit leecountyinjuryprevention.org). Following are those being honored by IPC at its December holiday luncheon:

Steve Chupack, the Citizen Volunteer of the Year, came onto the scene a few years back when he showed up at a BikeWalkLee gathering. A recreational cyclist who lives in Cape Coral, Steve has a passion for safety. He’s engaged and encouraged schools, elected officials, and law enforcement agencies to take action, primarily in the form of education and awareness. Beyond that, Steve is an active member of both BikeWalkLee and Cape Coral Bike-Ped, thus is involved in helping improve the overall environment for cyclists and pedestrians throughout Lee County.

Cape Coral Bike-Ped is IPC’s Organization of the Year. This group of citizen-advocates, city staff members and individuals and businesses from the private sector are the driving force behind Cape Coral being designated as a Bike Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists this year. And while the work that allowed this important achievement to happen didn’t all take place in one year it has been a relatively short time since CC B-P came together to spearhead the effort that resulted in 90 miles of bike routes being identified and marked throughout the city, and, more importantly, convince the city’s leadership (including business leaders) to commit to making their community bike/ped-friendly.

News- Press reporters and editors who are behind the ongoing “Share the Road” campaign are IPC’s Media Partner of the Year. Janine Zeitlan, Laura Ruane and Melanie Payne are the core of the team that brings to the public’s attention the impact of poor road design and road users’ sometimes dangerous behaviors. Their critical data analysis along with relating each victims’ personal stories has resulted in increased public awareness, something that’s an important aspect of IPC’s efforts to make these crashes, injuries, and fatalities less common.

IPC’s Partner of the Year is Lee County EMS. As has been the case since IPC’s inception more than two decades ago, EMS has provided access to grants that allow coalition member organizations to enhance their injury prevention efforts. Examples from this year that relate to outdoor activities include funds to purchase bike lights for distribute in the community and life preservers for loan at public boat launches. Keeping people out of ambulances is, of course, EMS’s ultimate goal, and one that IPC embraces as much as they do.

PACE EH, a program of the Florida Department of Health in Lee County, is IPC’s Program/Outreach Effort of the Year. PACE EH stands for Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health. It is a collaborative effort that brings together residents, local governments and other stakeholders from at-risk neighborhoods to identify and address environmental health issues that are important to the community, including walking and bicycling conditions. The communities involved include Pine Manor, Charleston Park and Tice. Among the initiatives is a health impact assessment to determine public transit ridership and access to safe physical activity, among other elements. The work being done will ultimately lead to improved transportation and non-motorized connectivity plans and actions.

Separate from but complimentary to IPC’s work a national initiative is taking place in Collier County and the south end of Lee County. The Blue Zone project is described by organizers as “a community well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to environment, policy and social networks.” Recently a show-and-tell bike ride was conducted in order for the implementation team to become familiar with some of the infrastructure that serves the village of Estero and city of Bonita Springs. It was a productive outing that included Blue Zone team member Dan Burden, Florida’s first bike/ ped coordinator and world-renowned expert on walkability and bikability. No matter how many times I’ve had the opportunity to hear from or work with Dan, I always come away with both knowledge and inspiration. More about the Blue Zone initiative is sure to follow in upcoming columns. And, as usual, you’ll find much more on this by visiting BikeWalkLee’s blog at 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, runs and walks regularly for transportation, recreation and fitness. Contact him atbikepedmoser@gmail.com and 334- 6417.

BWL Column: Connectivity critical when it comes to cycling

Connectivity of our bike/ped network is critical to safety and accessibility, and is the key ingredient for encouraging more people to bike and walk. Our column contrasts what is happening in Cape Coral and Fort Myers. 

BikeWalkLee Column in News-Press "Go Coastal" section, Dec. 10, 2015
http://www.news-press.com/story/life/outdoors/2015/12/09/connectivity-critical-bike-walk-lee-cape-coral-mass/77033192/

(Photo: news-press.com)

Why does connectivity matter in cycling and walking? For the same reason that the whole is usually greater than the sum of its parts.

Having great facilities in isolation may be good for those people who want to ride or walk only in that area. But what about those who want (in particular) to ride somewhere to enjoy a good bike path? Or who want to be able to actually DO things – such as commute, shop, get to appointments – by bike without having to take their lives in their hands on local roads not built to accommodate cyclists?

When isolated bike lanes or paths are linked together by simply adding a few miles of paths, all of a sudden a bunch of smaller facilities become a good-sized, usable network – and the opportunities to bike places multiply exponentially.

Want to see that in action? Look at Cape Coral, where Cape Coral Bike Ped’s considerable efforts with the city to link existing segments created a 90-mile network almost overnight – which recently helped win the city a Bronze Bike Friendly City designation and a lot of attention.

Want to see it not being done? Look at downtown Fort Myers, which desperately wants to be bike friendly and has made some investments in facilities to encourage cycling. However, if you want to ride to downtown to enjoy those improvements, be prepared for a lot of honking and sidewalks unless you know the back streets and are willing to meander… because there are no good bike paths or lanes leading downtown in almost any direction (you can safely traverse the Edison Bridge if your legs are up for the climb).

The city missed a chance to correct this mistake by not including any bike improvements in the planned renovation of McGregor Boulevard set to begin soon. That means cyclists either have to brave the narrow driving lanes (curbed to add even more excitement) or join the pedestrians and (illegal) golf carts on the narrow sidewalks…. or they have to haul their bikes downtown, unload them to enjoy a ride, then reload and return home by car.

So Fort Myers may be where people should be riding their bikes, but over time Cape Coral may be where people actually ride on a daily and consistent basis – because, thanks to a sufficient and safe bike network, cyclists will actually be able to get there from here (wherever here and there may be).
Turning to a different kind of connectivity, this time of year a lot of people like to admire the artistic (and often awe-inspiring) efforts of homeowners who go all-out in outside décor for the holidays.

Whether tastefully done or seriously over the top, holiday decorations are often quite a show – and there’s no better way to see them than on a bike or on foot.

Bikes are good because you can cover more ground while still proceeding at a pace that lets you take it all in, but you really need a good set of lights (front and back) to keep everyone safe. A walk can be a more impromptu thing – grab a flashlight and go – and either activity will help you burn off a few of those holiday calories.

Even better, however, these excursions by bike or on foot can get you back in touch with your neighborhood (and your neighbors, if they’re out taking in the sights and lights themselves) while taking you away from the usual frenzy of family and festivities. It’s a great break in the day and a great way to see nearby decorations (or even those not so nearby, if you’re willing to go a little farther).

You have two Critical Mass rides to choose from -the traditional Fort Myers fun ride or the new Cape Coral ride. (Photo: Courtesy of Critical Mass)

Feeling really ambitious? Decorate your bicycle and become part of the festivities as you ride. The Caloosa Riders regularly roll out the lights for their annual Christmas Ride; you’d be surprised what they (and you) can accomplish with a couple of strings of battery-powered lights and a little imagination.

Whatever your reason, get into the season… and escape some of its stress with a ride or walk today.

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 www.BikeWalkLee.org.

Ready to ride or run?
Run: Break up your holidays with a run… either  the Santa Stroll 5K run/walk at Sugden Park in Naples (www.eliteevents.org) or the longer Knights of Charity 10K in Estero (3dracinginc.com).
Ride: You now have two Critical Mass rides to choose from… the traditional Fort Myers fun ride (on Friday Jan. 1, rolling out at 7:15 p.m.) or the new Cape Coral ride (just as fun and family friendly, this month  at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26).
Both: Tri for the holiday spirit at the Christmas Sprint in Naples on Dec. 20, or keep training for the HITS Naples Triathlon Weekend on Jan. 9-10.
#BeSeenLee: To keep people safe at night while biking, we’re working to provide free bike lights to those unable to afford them (but who have to ride at night). BikeWalkLee partners (such as including Pawnbroker Marketing and Billy's Bikes) will be coordinating events during this campaign. Be sure to watch the BikeWalklee Facebook and Twitter pages for more #BeSeenLee event announcements and details.

Cape Coral Council approves bike lanes on section of Cape Coral Parkway

Kudos to the Cape Coral City Council that voted (8-0 on Dec. 7th to approve the one-milelink on Cape Coral Parkway, Agualinda Blvd west to Sands Blvd.  Public Works crew expects to have work done by end of year.  The new bike lanes will connect with two existing routes and improve safer access to schools on Oasis Blvd.  At Monday's Council meeting Carolyn Conant of CCBP urged adoption and thanked the Council for its continuing support of bicycle-pedestrian actions helping to make Cape Coral a Bicycle Friendly City.

NBC-2 News 12/07/15: "Cape Coral road construction to make city more bike-friendly"

covered the story (see link below to video and text)
Click here to watch the video

-A stretch of a busy Cape Coral roadway is about to get smaller as Cape Coral Parkway between Sands and Agualinda Boulevards will be narrowed to one lane to make room for bike lanes.

It's a routine that's hard to break for Jim Blossom and his wife as they try to get out on their bikes as often as possible.

"We like the exercise. We like driving around and seeing what's going on in the neighborhood," said Jim Blossom.

And Cape Coral is making it safer for him and other cyclists. Neighbors asked the city to create bike lanes along Cape Coral Parkway from Sands to Agualinda Boulevards. It will ultimately connect two major bike paths.

"It also means you'll link up with Oasis Middle Elementary and High for students and part of what we want is safety," said Blossom.

Carolyn Conant with the Cape Coral Bike Ped group helped propel the project. She's helped link more than 90 miles of bike lanes across the city since 2014.

The city studied traffic patterns along this mile-long stretch and found 4,000 cars pass through daily. At its highest peak, there were about 430 per hour.

But with new construction popping up, Mike Alvaro worries about the traffic.

"That's just additional traffic on this stretch. Now it could be done, but I think they have to study the pattern once those homes are in," said Alvaro, Cape resident of five years.

But the city expects even after those new homes go up, it shouldn't be a problem.

It's nice to have a little stretch there to ride your bikes and hopefully people are more aware of it.

Neighbors said an additional stop sign would help ease speeding; an additional safety measure that will have to wait for now.

The roadwork should be completed within a month.

Critical Mass Comes to Cape Coral starting Friday Nov. 27th

Great to see 70 participants in Friday night's first Critical Mass Ride in Cape Coral.  The event was covered by NBC-2 News. The next ride will be Saturday Dec. 26th.  Then the following rides will be on the last Friday of every month.  If you're interested in leading this monthly ride, please contact Mike Swanson. 

NBC-2 News story 11/27/15:

CAPE CORAL, FL -

Downtown Cape Coral was filled with the lights and sounds of bells and whistles Friday night as Southwest Florida's bike advocate group Critical Mass held their first event.

- Using our app? CLICK HERE to watch video

"It's what we're here for... We go out there. We do our rides. It's fun, and it also shows the awareness," said biker Darlene Flynn.

It comes on the heels of the city earning its first ever bronze award from the League of American Bicyclists. But it also comes as accidents involving bicycles remain high in Southwest Florida.

Lee County is the third deadliest for bikers in the state. Group organizers said the rides are all about spreading awareness and reminding other bikers to stay as visible as possible.

"We're just a good, fun group, and it brings a lot of people together, and you open some eyes up," said Rob Seibert, a member of SWFL's Critical Mass. "When you have a couple hundred..., 300 bicycles out there well lit up, it says an awful lot."

If you're interested in joining, check out their Facebook page.

The popular Critical Mass Ride in Fort Myers is expanding to Cape Coral starting  Friday, November 27.. Plans are to have the ride monthly on the last Friday of the month. The ride is about 10 miles starting at 7 PM. Lights and helmets are required. This is a slow paced ride and many of the riders add decorative lights to their bikes. Starts in the parking lot where the Saturday Farmer’s market is held, SE 10^th PL between SE 46^th LN and SE 47^th Ter (closest address is 4634 SE 10^thPL). Learn more about Critical Mass on their Facebook page.