SWFL Lost a Complete Streets Champion Today

 Celebrating the Life of Beth Brainard

We are sad to share the news that after a lengthy battle with cancer, Beth Brainard passed away on Wednesday, November 7, 2018. Her friends and colleagues are invited to a memorial service to celebrate her life on Saturday, November 17 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm at The Moorings Country Club, 2500 Crayton Road, Naples, FL 34103. In lieu of flowers, she asked that donations be made in her name to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

Beth was honored by the City of Naples for her contribution to the community during her tenure with Naples Pathways Coalition. Please visit our website and scroll down to the News and Announcements section to watch the video of Mayor Bill Barnett reading the proclamation presented to Beth declaring October 2018 as Beth Brainard Month.

We will be forever grateful to Beth for her passion to create safe, bikeable and walkable communities, her efforts to change legislation that would make texting while driving a primary offense, and her work to educate motorists, cyclists and pedestrians of their responsibilities and how to safely share the roads.

Contact Us
phone: 239-777-7718
web: naplespathways.org
NPC Facebook

Mailing Address:
300 Fifth Ave. S, Suite 101, Box 464
Naples, FL 34102

President, Craig Manchen
Executive Director, Michelle Avola
email: Michelle@naplespathways.org

Collier Co. Wins $13 M TIGER grant for Immokalee bike/ped safety project

Kudos to Collier County for their successful efforts in winning TIGER grant to address longstanding bike/ped safety issues in Immokalee. Proud of SWFL for winning $23 M (including Lee MPO $10 M complete streets grant in 2013) over past 5 years from the federal TIGER grant program to make our streets safer for walkers and cyclists.

Naples Daily News, March 9, 2018
Immokalee gets $13 million grant for sidewalks, lights, bus shelters, drainage
Greg Stanley, greg.stanley@naplesnews.com

After years of trying, Collier County will receive a $13 million federal grant to build sidewalks, streetlights and bus shelters in Immokalee, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week.

The money — enough to build 20 miles of sidewalks, upgrade 32 intersections and add 22 shaded bus shelters — will fund one of the largest projects to make Immokalee safer for its many pedestrians and bicyclists.

The grant also will be used to add lights to most intersections in town and build 20 miles of drainage ditches along roads to keep paths from flooding and forcing pedestrians onto the sides of streets.
Immokalee's Community Redevelopment Agency has been trying to add sidewalks, illuminate streets and install adequate road drainage systems for years.

"So many of our side streets have no lighting, and it gets very dark," said Christie Betancourt, operations manager of the CRA. "This is just great news."

Almost 250 people on foot or on bicycles have been hit by cars in Immokalee since 2005, according to county data. Immokalee has a population of 24,000.

The county estimates a quarter of Immokalee residents don't have a car. More than 30 percent of students walk or bike to school, and almost half of adults walk, bike or take a bus to work.
Yet 63 percent — almost two-thirds — of Immokalee streets don't have a sidewalk.

Design work will begin in the coming months, with construction expected to begin sometime in late 2019, according to the county's grant application.The work is expected to finish in 2021.

Betancourt and Collier County Commissioner Bill McDaniel, who represents the area, said much of the credit for the grant should go to Trinity Scott and Lorraine Lantz, county transportation planners who were instrumental in writing the application, prioritizing needs and capturing the grant.

"We're always talking about how Immokalee is a walking community," McDaniel said. "That means having safe sidewalks for our children to get to and from school and for our residents to get around is paramount."

McDaniel thanked U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations subcommittee, and U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, of Florida, for supporting the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant.
Diaz-Balart, whose district includes Immokalee, said in a statement he is eager to see the effects of the grant.

"From the installation of streetlights to the construction of bus shelters and sidewalks, the funds from this grant will be utilized to improve the quality of life for Immokalee residents,” he said.

Naples Pathways: Walkability, a local issue that's gone national

Naples Pathways Coalition also focused on walkability in a guest column in NDN today.  If you live in Collier County, you have an opportunity to weigh in with your elected officials prior to their Oct. 6th meeting that will focus on the need for more sidewalks and a complete streets approach.

Naples Daily News 9/17/15, Guest Column: Beth Brainard, Naples Pathways Coalition http://www.naplesnews.com/news/health/blue-zone/naples-pathways-walkability-a-local-issue-thats-gone-national_12497339

(photo  in NDN)

NAPLES, Fla. - This summer, the Collier County Planning Commission took a serious look at how sidewalks, or the lack of them, affects neighborhood residents as well as county taxpayers.
Some sobering statistics were revealed.

Over 2,700 Collier County children who live within walking distance of their schools are "courtesy bussed" because their neighborhoods lack sidewalks and are deemed too dangerous. This costs the local school system — not the state or federal government — over $500,000 per year.

A sidewalk installed when a new house is under construction costs approximately $1,000, which is included in the cost of the lot or carried by the developer. To install a sidewalk after a neighborhood is built, it costs approximately six times more, around $6,000 per lot, and the cost is paid by the county — which means by you, the taxpayers.

Twenty-three percent of all children in Collier County are obese and another 18 percent are at risk of becoming so. This is higher than the national average that says 16 percent of children are obese.
Then, last week, a really wonderful thing happened.

The U.S. Surgeon General issued a historic call to action to make walking a national priority. (See article on 11D.) Step It Up!

The Surgeon General's call to action to promote walking and walkable communities, "calls on Americans to become more physically active through walking and on the nation to better support walking and walkability."

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said increasing physical activity significantly reduces the risk of chronic diseases and related risk factors. Additionally physical activity has other health benefits, like promoting positive mental health and healthy aging, and it is one of the simplest, most important actions people can take to improve their overall health. We already know that, don't we?

The Step It Up! call to action includes five goals.

• Make walking a national priority.

• Design communities that make it safe and easy to walk for people of all ages and abilities.

• Promote programs and policies to support walking where people live, learn, work and play.

• Provide information to encourage walking and improve walkability.

• Improve the quality of data collected about walking and walkability, address research gaps and evaluate programs to promote walking and walkability.

We need to get out of our cars and up off our sofas and move! However, that is easier said than done if you live in a neighborhood where there is no place to safely walk — one without sidewalks; or where you are too old and infirmed or too young to cross a street to get to it; or the only place to walk is along a shadeless stretch of sidewalk along a high speed road; or if you are brave and fast enough to cross a six-lane road to get to a path. All these problems exist in Collier County.

While this national campaign ramps up, local decisions about sidewalks and walkability will be made. The Planning Commission, which serves in an advisory capacity to the county commissioners (CC), passed the information along to Commissioners and it will hopefully be part of a larger discussion at a commissioners' workshop this fall on sidewalks and Complete Streets planning.
Hopefully the commissioners will also consider the Surgeon General's call to action.

If you and your children or grandchildren can't walk safely in your neighborhood, call or email your commissioner before Oct. 6 and let him or her know.

Beth Brainard is the executive director of Naples Pathways Coalition, a nonprofit organization that works to make the greater Naples area a safe, bikeable, walkable community. Contact Beth at bethbrainard@naplespathways.org or visit naplespathways.org.

The birth of a bill to protect cyclists, walkers

 Powerful feature article by News-Press' Janine Zeitlin about how the tragedy in Fort Myers Beach last August, where five cyclists were hit and injured, led to the drafting of a bill to better protect vulnerable users.  Thanks to everyone who has played a role in getting this bill introduced in the Florida House--from Collier's Florida House Rep. Passidomo, Collier County Commissioner Georgia Hiller, federal prosecutor Jeff Michelland, and advocate Tish Kelly and many others.

News-Press, Jan. 23, 2015

 http://www.news-press.com/story/news/2015/01/22/birth-bill-protect-cyclists-walkers/22185687 

By Janine Zeitlin jzeitlin@news-press.com 

(News-Press Photo: Submitted)

Jeff Michelland left courtroom 6C feeling frustrated.

It was a late August morning. Michelland, a federal prosecutor and cyclist, had just watched Judge Maria Gonzalez sentence an 84-year-old for careless driving at the Lee County Justice Center in downtown Fort Myers. Lee Luenser had swerved twice into a line of cyclists and injured five of them in a July crash on Fort Myers Beach.

Luenser's punishment: $1,000 and a yearlong license suspension, after which he'd need medical clearance to drive.

Michelland was there as a friend, not as a lawyer.

Meanwhile, Michelland's friend, Milton Quinonez, couldn't work or drive due to nonstop dizziness from a traumatic brain injury. The father of two girls had clung to life for days in critical condition. It pained Michelland to see this strong cyclist in his 40s reduced to rubble, especially given what Keith Spain, a Naples doctor on the ride, had told law enforcement. Luenser approached Spain after the crash as the doctor tried to keep Quinonez alive.

Jeff Michelland, a federal prosecutor in Fort Myers and an avid cyclist, was instrumental in drafting a bill to better protect vulnerable users after his friend was severely injured in Fort Myers Beach.(News-Press Photo: Submitted)

"You were in the road," Spain recalled Luenser saying. "I should have hit them harder."
A crash report says Luenser may have had a medical event while driving.

For Michelland, the penalty didn't fit. It wasn't the judge's fault, he thought, it was a legal framework that allowed a paltry punishment for such an act. To him, it seemed like the driver was getting off with a slap on the wrist. As he was leaving the courtroom, Michelland noticed an unfamiliar face in the close-knit group of cyclists there.

"Why are you here?" he asked the woman, Tish Kelly, a competitive cyclist from Naples. Kelly and her friend, Collier County Commissioner Georgia Hiller, had been talking for months about how to beef up protections for vulnerable road users. Kelly rides with Hiller's 20-year-old son and had her own experience of injustice. Her husband, Chuck Kelly, still couldn't walk more than 100 feet without pain after a crash in January 2014. A truck driver plowed into Chuck while dangerously passing a Naples cycling group. Her husband counted more than 20 broken bones and faced lifelong pain. The driver received a $170 ticket. No court appearance required.

Collier Commissioner Georgia Hiller teamed up with Tish Kelly and Jeff Michelland to seek better legal protections statewide for vulnerable users after seeing what her 20-year-old son, George Hiller, faces on the roads while riding in Southwest Florida. Hiller spearheaded an anti-harassment law of vulnerable users in Collier County, the first of its kind in the state.(News-Press Photo: Submitted)

It had been a bloody year, Tish thought. It had to stop. Florida is the most lethal state in the nation for cyclists, and Southwest Florida has ranked among the most dangerous in the state for walkers and cyclists.

They exchanged contacts. Shortly after, Michelland, Kelly and Hiller arranged to meet at Starbucks in Naples to brainstorm.

Hiller recalls licking her chops at the idea a prosecutor could help draft legislation. They knew there was a problem, they just need to find the best way to solve it.

"You're the man for the job," Hiller remembers telling Michelland.

The aftermath of a July crash that injured five cyclists in Fort Myers Beach. The driver looks on as one of the cyclist tries to keep the most seriously injured cyclist alive. The crash was the impetus for a statewide bill to make drivers more accountable for harming vulnerable users.(Photo: Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

The trio set to work on months of researching, drafting a proposal and currying political favor. Last week, state Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican, introduced the bill to increase protection for vulnerable users — cyclists, walkers, people in wheelchairs and motorcycle riders — and make drivers more accountable for hurting them. Passidomo is Chuck Kelly's law partner in Naples and has witnessed his lasting pain. Among other things, the bill would:

•increase penalties and require mandatory court appearances for certain driving violations if they contribute to the harm of a vulnerable user.
•make it illegal for a motorist to cut off a vulnerable user when turning right.
•clarify the 3-foot rule, which law enforcement has said is hard to enforce in its current form, as being from the widest part of anything attached to the vehicle.
•make harassing a cyclist a misdemeanor.
•mandate driver education and testing on the legal rights and safety of vulnerable users.

Passidomo believes the bill relies on common sense to clear up ambiguities about sharing the road and would help reduce injuries.
"This is a tragedy that's happening all over the state," said Passidomo. "I read about it in The News-Press almost every day. We've got to find a good way to share the road lawfully and collaboratively, as opposed to antagonistically."

Share the Road logo(Photo: news-press.com)

While not part of the bill, Passidomo said, cycling groups have committed to educate riders about rules like not running stop signs.

"There are bad cyclists and runners just like there are bad drivers," said Tish Kelly. For years, she has volunteered to police the behaviors of other cyclists during group rides and has seen more compliance. "Everyone needs to adhere to the law."

Hiller also spearheaded the push to criminalize harassment of vulnerable road users in Collier County. In January, the law became the first of its kind in Florida. The county recognized Passidomo's bill as part of its legislative priorities. Hiller is working with the county lobbyist, as they seek a Senate sponsor. Hiller is hopeful sending a statewide message could also help attract tourists who want to run and walk in the Sunshine State without having to compromise their personal safety.

"They say law is like making sausage," said Hiller. "Well, not in our case. For us, it was filet mignon."

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

Highlights from the House proposal:
•Defines the terms "vulnerable user" and "bodily injury."
• Amends the 3-foot law by including any part of or attachment to the motor vehicle, anything extending from the motor vehicle, and any trailer or other thing being towed by the motor vehicle.
• Makes it illegal for a person operating a vehicle who overtakes and passes a vulnerable user proceeding in the same direction to make a right turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway unless the turn can be made at a safe distance.
• Permits a driver to cross a double yellow line when passing a vulnerable user in order to provide at least 3 feet.
• Makes it a misdemeanor to harass, taunt or maliciously throw an object at or in the direction of a person riding a bicycle.
• Defines "substandard-width lane" in bicycle regulations statute.
• Increases penalties and requires mandatory court appearance for careless driving, violation of the 3-foot law; and violation of the new right-turn law, if the violation contributed to the bodily injury of a vulnerable user, and requires the law enforcement officer issuing the citation for the violation to note such information on the citation;
• Mandates driver education and traffic law education courses provide instruction on laws about the rights and safety of vulnerable users.
• Mandates driver license examinations include testing on laws relating to vulnerable users.

Connect with this reporter: @Janinezeitlin (Twitter).

Collier County advocates, lawmakers, and staff work to make roads safer for cyclistss

Collier County advocates, elected officials, and County and MPO staff are focused on what can be done to make the roadways safer for cyclists.  Kudos to the Naples Pathways Coalition, one of BikeWalkLee's supporter organizations, for its leadership.  Bike/ped safety is a region-wide problem in SWFL and BikeWalkLee is partnering with the Naples Pathways Coalition and others to bring more awareness and action to this serious problem.    

Naples Daily News, Dec. 9, 2014:  Editorial: Collier citizens, lawmaker on the road to making it safer for bicyclists

Credit goes to Collier County volunteers and government leaders as they work in tandem to make roads safer for bicyclists.

As community leaders look for ways to make Collier County a healthier place to live through eating and exercise habits, bicycle safety is highly important complementary work.

News consumers in Southwest Florida in recent weeks have read and heard the tragic story of Griffin Shallow, a cyclist seriously injured when struck by a car in November while riding on Vanderbilt Beach Road. They've read and heard about Austin Dukette, 15, a cyclist who died in Cape Coral in August after he was struck by a Lee County sheriff's deputy.

And last week, the Collier County legislative delegation heard about a Naples attorney's struggle to recover after sustaining 25 broken bones in a cycling accident.

That's the human side of the numbers. A Collier County Metropolitan Planning Organization report in 2013, summarizing data from 2008-12, showed there were about 620 bicycle-related crashes in that span compared with some 500 involving pedestrians. A guest commentary published on these pages last week by a representative of the nonprofit Naples Pathways Coalition stated there are 64,000 cyclists in Collier County and more than 350 crashes occurred between cyclists and vehicles in the past 3 ½ years. A Cycling Accident Prevention Committee report on the issue is expected to be completed in early 2015.

Thanks to these dedicated citizen volunteers, working in concert with government staff and elected leaders in Collier County, an initiative is in the works. Collier County commissioners considered the problem so pressing, they made it second on their list of priorities for the Legislature to address in 2015.

State Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, is doing so. She is working on proposed state legislation aimed at better protecting cyclists.

Some possibilities discussed with Collier County's state lawmakers include requiring bicycle safety law questions in driver license tests and making awareness part of driver education courses. Other suggestions are modifying right turn on red laws to allow bicycles to clear first and bolstering penalties in a law requiring drivers to keep a 3-foot buffer from a cyclist.

Didn't know about that last one? Collier County government staff lists it atop its tips to make roads safer for bicyclists, noting that since 2006, Florida law has required motorists to give bicyclists 3 feet of space when passing.

Based on the Cycling Accident Prevention Committee numbers, a cyclist could be in range anywhere in Collier. According to the MPO report, if you think Immokalee or Golden Gate is the most likely place for a cyclist to have a collision with a vehicle, think again. Among the top 20 locations for collisions, most were in North Naples and East Naples.

Thankfully, volunteers and government leaders from Collier County are figuring out a path toward making the roads safer for cyclists and drivers to co-exist. 

Guest commentary: Cars and cyclists safely sharing the road

Naples Daily News, Dec. 5, 2014

Don Rupprecht (Naples Pathways Coalition)

At 11 p.m. on Nov. 21, a motorist hit a cyclist, Griffin Shallow, from behind on Vanderbilt Beach Road, seriously injuring him.

After checking to see if Shallow was dead, the motorist drove away, leaving the injured cyclist in the middle of the road like roadkill. This hideous post-accident behavior of the motorist is not typical in bicycle-automobile crashes.

But it does highlight a serious issue in Collier County about conflicting usage of the roads that needs to be corrected and will require the cooperation and efforts of everyone living in and visiting our community.

We are encouraged by the action of Florida state troopers in seeking a felony warrant for the arrest of the motorist who hit Shallow. This case appears to be on point for the application of the Aaron Cohen Act, signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott this year.

It increases the penalties for motorists who leave the scene of an accident where injury or death occurs.

The vulnerable road user (cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians) provisions of Florida law should also apply in this case. If the motorist is determined to be guilty of violating the Aaron Cohen Act, we are hopeful that the court will apply the sentencing provisions of the act as intended by those who drafted the law.

The Cycling Accident Prevention Committee (CAPC) of the Naples Pathways Coalition (NPC) is currently finalizing a study of cycling accidents in Collier County and hopes to issue a report in January 2015.

Approximately 64,000 cyclists occupy the roads of Collier County for sport, exercise and to commute to work. For more than 12 percent of the population, a bicycle is their only method of transportation. In the past 3½ years, there have been more than 350 bicycle-automobile crashes and 61 percent of these crashes resulted in injuries to the cyclist, some very serious.

These are very conservative numbers, because the Collier Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) estimates that 40 percent of bicycle-automobile crashes are not reported.

As a vacation and winter-home community, Collier County and Naples need to commit to taking the necessary action to make this community safe for cyclists. There has to be a change in the planning and design of the roads and the behavior by both cyclists and motorists.

Research has confirmed that there is a tremendous need for education of both motorists and cyclists concerning how to share the road.

Everyone needs to know the law. Motorists need to be attentive and cautious and cyclists need to be predictable and defensive. Through cooperation and respect, we can make Collier County a prime example of a safe, bicycle-friendly community in the sun.

Based on MPO forecasts, there will be more than 100,000 cyclists on Collier County roads in 10 to 15 years. The CAPC of the NPC is working to make Collier County a safe environment for those cyclists.

Check our website in January for the details of a cyclist safety action plan.

'Blue Zone' initiative launched in Collier County

BikeWalkLee is excited about the cutting-edge "Blue Zones" project coming to Collier County and South Lee.  This is a major long-term initiative that uses scientific research to help communities boost their well-being.  Blue Zone projects have been successfully implemented in 13 communities across the country and in every instance, it's proven to improve the well-being of participating communities. A key focus of these projects is permanent change in the environment, i.e., the built environment--roads, sidewalks, biking facilities, parks, buildings, etc. It's also a model community-wide collaboration with a broad spectrum of  partners and community groups.

 BikeWalkLee's Margaret Banyan, Ann Pierce, and Darla Letourneau, along with representatives from the Naples Pathways Coalition, attended the Oct. 24th kick-off event, and will also participate in this week's community assessment process.  Click here to learn more about the Collier County project. Below is the Oct. 25th Naples Daily News article about the kick-off event, along with our photos from the event.

BWL'ers Darla, Ann, Margaret with Dan Burden

Naples Daily News, Oct. 25, 2014

NCH announces 'Blue Zone' initiative for Collier and south Lee

By Liz Freeman

  

NAPLES, Fla. - A 10-member team from the Blue Zones Project will spend the next two weeks in Southwest Florida assessing the community’s lifestyle environment to help local residents live healthier and have more fulfilling lives.

The NCH Healthcare System announced Friday the launch of a Blue Zone initiative for Collier and south Lee County, spearheaded by NCH president and chief executive officer, Dr. Allen Weiss. The Blue Zones Project is a Minneapolis-based organization that helps communities transform residents’ lives to be healthier, happier and more connected to one another.

“We can change our culture, we are poised to do it,” Weiss said Friday to 125 local leaders at a breakfast on the campus of the NCH Downtown Naples Hospital to announce the initiative.

The Blue Zones project was launched after National Geographic’s explorer Dan Buettner looked at communities worldwide where people live longer and wanted to know why. He found nine “power principles” that included communities where people are moving naturally in walkable neighborhoods, eat wisely, limit alcohol intake, have time to down shift for meditating or napping, put family first and belong in some way to a faith-based community.

Photo gallery: The Blue Zones Project to assess Naples

Weiss has been advocating the merits of the Blue Zone lifestyle over the past year and has been nudging elected, civic and business leaders to get on board with it. NCH sees the project as a 10-year initiative.

Tony Buettner, vice president of product and business development for the project, presented Friday an overview of how the project came into being after his brother examined longevity in Sardinia, Italy and Okiniwa, Japan, where the focus is on friends, family and downshifting.

“People with higher well-being cost less and are more productive,” he said. “How do we raise well-being? It’s all about evidence-based choices.”

The Blue Zones group partnered with Healthways, a Nashville, Tennessee-based company that provides support to companies and government entities to make behavioral changes.

Albert Lea, Minnesota, was the first pilot Blue Zone project in the United States. The city added walkways and bike paths, and put healthier foods in schools and grocery stores, among numerous other changes.

The result, in terms of one measurement, has been a 49-percent decrease in city workers’ medical claims, Buettner said. More school children walk to school there and it is now safer for them to do so, he said.

The governor of Iowa in 2011 launched a statewide initiative for Iowa to be a Blue Zone. The city of Spencer was an early participant and now 58 percent of residents exercise regularly and 13 local companies have become Blue Zone worksites.

For a project to work, there must be a commitment to change among community policy-makers, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, work sites, the media, and philanthropic groups, he said.

During the assessment in Collier, Buettner said his team will be looking at each sector locally, in part to determine the challenges.

“Is there buy in? Do they want to do the work?” he said, adding that being a Blue Zone community takes hard work and engagement.

Community leaders left the kick-off event enthused. Some pointed out that the city of Naples, with its emphasis on walkable neighborhoods near downtown and bicycle paths, has a jump start.

 “If we start in the city and prove what we have done in the city, it may affect (others) in the county,” said Alan Ryker, who co-founded the Naples Pathways Coalition Inc. several years ago to promote bike paths and sidewalks. “I’m excited about the fact that we are thinking about it.”

Collier County manager Leo Ochs said the county can make policy decisions that help and some decisions, such as putting in bike paths and sidewalks, and promoting bicycling safety, dovetail into Blue Zone principles. The county has $250,000 a year budgeted for sidewalks and bike paths, according to county staff.

“Those are all compliment tie-ins to some of the concepts we heard,” he said.

Stephanie Vick, administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Collier said many groups have been working on various projects to promote better health for years. The Blue Zones project will provide a strong focus and collaboration, Vick said.

“The synergy of all of us working together is exciting,” she said.
 

BikeWalkLee sends letter to Collier County in support of Vanderbilt Dr. 12 foot Greenway

Background:  The Vanderbilt Drive Pathway is an off-road asphalt greenway that is already funded by funds from a local developer.  It runs for 4 miles along Vanderbilt Drive from 111th Ave. North to Bonita Beach Rd.  The original plan was to create the pathway at a width of 12 feet, the industry standard for a multi-use pathway.  According to the Naples Pathways Coalition (NPC), a small group of residents in the area has asked officials to reduce the width to 5 feet, and Collier County planning agencies have agreed to reduce the width to 8 feet "as a compromise".  Collier County is now receiving comments from all county residents.

BikeWalkLee submitted a letter in support of the original proposed 12-feet multi-use pathway. 
The following is an excerpt from our letter:

"We are writing today in support of the proposed 12-foot multi-use pathway along Vanderbilt Drive, which would connect with Bonita Beach Rd. in Lee County.  Having connected and safe bicycling and walking facilities is one of our key goals.  The industry standard for multi-use pathways is 12 feet.  Given the various types of path users—pedestrians, cyclists, moms with strollers, people in wheelchairs, people walking their dogs, etc.—a wide path is key to ensuring the safety of all pathway users.  Eight feet is simply not wide enough to have two-way traffic for the mix of users that will be using the path.  One of the key principles of complete streets is to “do it right the first time”.  There is nothing more costly on transportation projects than not providing for anticipated use and having to come back later and pay ten times more to retrofit the project."

"Collier County is in an enviable position—you have the funds on hand now from the developer to pay for the needed 12-foot standard multi-use pathway.  Not moving forward with the pathway as planned will cost future taxpayers of Collier County more money in inevitable retrofits, and will deny current residents and visitors an adequate and safe multi-use path system." 

Click here to read the full letter.