BikeWalkLee: Hot to trot?

BikeWalkLee Column
The News-Press, November 21, 2019
by Ken Gooderham


Are you ready for running’s big day?

That day would be next Thursday – Thanksgiving – the most popular day for running races according to Running USA. The group tracked 1.17 million runners participating in some kind of Thanksgiving-based event in 2018 – more than double the runners they found in 2011, the first year the nonprofit tracked the Turkey Trot totals.

That’s a lot of trotting.

What makes the event so popular?

• It’s meant to be fun, with an array of costumes you would never see at a regular race.
• It can be a family event where the generations can do something together.
• It can become a tradition, with runners boasting about how long their streak of participating reaches each year.
• It’s ubiquitous, with races in every town.
• It almost always benefits a worthy cause, another draw for participants.
• And it’s tied to Thanksgiving – a holiday known for edible excess – so burning off a few calories before ingesting vast quantities later in the day is somehow appropriate.

If this has piqued your interest in trying one out, you’ll have plenty to choose from locally (all scheduled on Turkey Day itself):

• The 40th annual Turkey Trot 5K, 1-mile fun run and tot trot, Cape Coral Hospital (ftmyerstrackclub.com)
• The 6th annual GCR Thanksgiving 5K, plus 1K kids run, downtown Naples (gcrunner.org)
• The Thanksgiving Day 5K, Hertz Arena, Estero (runeliteeevents.com)
• The FGCU 9th annual Gobbler 5K and 1K fun run, Alico Arena, Estero (runsignup.com)
• The Gobble Gobble Four Miler, offering a timed event and a fun run/walk, Naples (runsignup.com)
• The 21st annual Turkey Trot 5K run and fun walk, Florida Southwestern State College, Punta Gorda (runsignup.com)

If you can’t find one out of that lineup, you’re just not trying.

It’s a bike path!

Maybe it’s the snowbirds flocking back to town. Maybe it’s people just not knowing any better. Maybe it’s just a streak of bad luck.

Whatever the cause, it seems as though more drivers are deciding that cyclists and pedestrians shouldn’t be the only ones who use the local bike paths and lanes. They want in that action, too – so they’re parking vehicles where people should only be biking, walking or running.

How bad is it? On one recent ride, I encountered five different vehicular obstacles in a 15-mile route… two landscaping trucks, one lawn mower, one utility vehicle (actually, two – but they were end-to-end, so I’ll count them as one long obstacle) and one truck that apparently was trying to sneak off the new-car lot but only made it across the bike path before it was stopped.

In case you did not know, parking on sidewalks or bike lanes is illegal in Florida (check out Florida Statutes 316.1945) and many other places.

I understand that there are times when, absent any other option, drivers may need to temporarily park on a sidewalk or bike path… say, for a delivery, or letting a passenger out, or due to a vehicle malfunction. But none of these instances qualified as that.

Most of them were simply a matter of convenience – for the drivers, however, not for the cyclists or pedestrians. As far as the car lots who feel compelled to park their vehicles on sidewalks or bike paths… no one is going to buy your car or truck simply because it’s two feet closer to the road – but it does improve the chances of someone running into your high-priced vehicle.

So, drivers, when you have to pull off the road for whatever reason and you see that stretch of pavement or asphalt so conveniently located just over there… please resist the urge. It’s not a really long parking space… it’s a bike path, and motor vehicles should not be on it.

Ready to ride or run? 

Run? Besides the plethora of Turkey Trots mentioned above, local runners can also choose from two half-marathons – the Fall Classic Half in Naples Nov. 24 and the Florida West Coast Half (and 5K) in Sarasota Dec. 8 – along with a 10K – the 41st annual city of Palms River Run in downtown Fort Myers Dec. 7. Details at runeliteevents.com, westcoasthalf.com and ftmyerstrackclub.com, respectively.

Ride? Critical Mass has these regularly scheduled rides on tap:

• Friday, Nov. 29: Cape Coral Critical Mass ride. Gather at 7:30 p.m., start at 8 p.m. at the Southwest Florida Military Museum parking lot at 4820 Leonard Street.
• Saturday, Nov. 30: Saturday Slow Roll 8 a.m. meet-up at 2160 McGregor Blvd. Recommended for inexperienced/young riders. Distance is 6 miles, includes group ride instruction.
• Friday, Dec. 6: SW Florida Critical Mass ride. A family-friendly slow ride through Fort Myers gathering at 7:15 p.m. and starting at 8 p.m. Grab your helmet, bring all your friends and meet in the open field next to Publix at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers.

Lights required for night rides, helmets recommended for all, details at meetup.com.

For cyclists looking for another post-Thanksgiving tradition, try the 26th annual Turkey Leg Metric Century, which leaves from Daniels crossing Shopping Center at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29 (details at caloosariders.org)

If you’re looking for a good ride and some cycling camaraderie, look no further than the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club. Check out their ride calendar and you see a ride for almost every day of the week (and even more on weekends), all mapped and planned for your enjoyment. The Riders even tell you how fast (or not) you’ll need to be to keep up… click on the ride of your choice for all the details and even a map. All at caloosariders.org.


Both?  Sunday, Jan. 5: HITS Endurance Sarasota Tri, with sprint/Olympic/half distances, Nathan Benderson Park, Sarasota (hitsendurance.com).

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RIDE:

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

# # #

Ken Gooderham writes this on behalf of BikeWalkLee, 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. 


 

Cops: If you see something, do something

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, July 31, 2019
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

It’s hard to miss this big rig blocking the sidewalk but it remained for weeks. DAN MOSER / FLORIDA WEEKLY

“If You See Something, Say Something” is an awareness campaign slogan that came to be after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Obviously, it’s intended to spur the public to let law enforcement know whenever something seems suspicious, initially to thwart terrorist attacks. I’d like to suggest a new phrase with the intended target not being the public but rather the law enforcement community: “See Something, Do Something.” While it would seem obvious that anytime law enforcement officials see something amiss or illegal they act upon it in one way or another, the fact is it’s quite common for many illegal and dangerous acts that are traffic related to be overlooked or ignored.

Considering how horrific our traffic crash statistics are here in Southwest Florida I don’t believe it’s unreasonable to expect traffic law enforcement be a high priority. Vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and people on bikes are killed and injured at a rate almost double the national average, a rate that’s been this way for decades. One reason may be due to the lack of adequate traffic law enforcement which results in drivers realizing there’s little chance of them being stopped, warned or cited for violating traffic law.

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 at bikepedmoser@gmail.com
and 239-334-6417.

I write this with the best of intentions and as one who frequently works with the various enforcement agencies to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities, especially among non-motorists. I’ve taken part in high visibility enforcement operations, ride-alongs and crosswalk enforcement operations so I appreciate the efforts being undertaken. But whether the apparent ongoing nominal level of enforcement is because it’s a low priority within the various law enforcement agencies or just thought of as inconsequential and not worthy of the time and effort required I’m not sure. Whatever the reason, far too many traffic infractions are witnessed by law enforcers but not acted upon. Anyone who pays attention while on our roads and pathways witnesses what I’m describing on a regular basis.

Data comparing traffic-related deaths, injuries, and financial loss to those same costs for crime are hard to come by but a recent University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study did just that. Researchers found serious crime in Michigan in 2015 resulted in $2 billion in monetary costs and $8 billion in total costs (monetary and nonmonetary quality-of-life) versus overall traffic crashes resulting in $4.6 billion in monetary costs and $19.3 billion in total costs. More significantly, they documented 539 criminal homicides versus 1,011 fatal crashes and 28,775 non-fatal violent crimes versus 76,065 crash-related injuries. When comparing nonmonetary statistics for Florida, in 2017 there were 561 homicides versus 3,117 traffic fatalities and 42,877 non-fatal violent crimes versus 254,310 crash-related injuries (sources: flhsmv.gov and fdle.state.fl.us). Even when only the human factor is considered, traffic incidents are clearly more of a societal problem than crime. However, other than Florida Highway Patrol, most law enforcement agencies dedicate only a fraction of their budgets and manpower for traffic law enforcement.

If nothing else, the following common violations that affect non-motorists’ safety and access could initially be targeted:

Blatant violations by motorists turning right on a red light without first stopping, putting vulnerable road users at high risk when attempting to cross at intersections.

Folks on bicycles operating against the flow of traffic instead of riding in the same direction as other traffic.

Motorists obstructing foot and bicycle traffic by parking on sidewalks.

Each of these violations is obvious when occurring so the only reason I can speculate they are not addressed is because they are purposely ignored.

No one wants to see our roads turned into places where everyone must fear being pulled over each time we’re out there but something needs to change because the current approach isn’t working, as confirmed by our year-after-year crash statistics. Understanding the time and effort it takes to write citations and knowing that not all law enforcement personnel will be able to drop what they’re doing whenever they witness traffic violations we should at least expect many more contacts made with violators if only to educate and raise awareness. I suspect an encounter that results in nothing more than a reminder or a verbal warning would probably be much more impactful for the violator, at least for those who aren’t “the usual suspects” who make it a habit to break traffic laws and have the record to confirm as much. For those folks, a written citation is in order.

To learn about this topic and more, visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com and www.streetsaliveswfl.org.¦



For Lee County cycling and tri events visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL). The Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings. BikeWalkLee’s blog site has all the information you’ll need to stay abreast of advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida as well as statewide and nationally.

Your vote can help outdoor quality of life

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, 10/10/18
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com




Since early this summer there have been quite a number of opinion pieces — from letters to editors to guest columnists’ writings — expressing exasperation and demanding solutions to our water woes. Like too many other problems our community faces, it took a near meltdown of the tourism and fishing industries for anyone other than the “usual suspects” (i.e., environmentalists, scientists and others who have been sounding the alarm for a long, long time) to finally become indignant and press for action.

Whether this newfound support to solve the problem will eventually succeed is yet to be determined, but it sure can’t hurt to have so many more aware of and concerned about just how much impact bad water has on our community’s economics and quality of life.

Much like our current water problems, our chronically unsafe traffic environment has been obvious and festering for decades. Both have been denied the attention and resources necessary to adequately address these issues. Why our local, state and federal governments, the business community and the general public give such relatively low priority to both significant problems remains a mystery to me.

Apparently, I’m expecting too much. One would think that routinely being among the worse environments in the country for non-motorists would eventually equate to it becoming a high priority to change that fact. Falling to the worst in the nation should have sent everyone scrambling. However, like other quality of life and vital economic aspects of Lee County and Southwest Florida, that’s not been the case.

Understandably, our water quality and natural environment have taken center stage recently. Just like the many obvious indicators of problems for pedestrians and cyclists that have and continue to plague our transportation network, our water and environment woes have been apparent for decades. Yet it wasn’t until the double-whammy of our inland waterways becoming clogged with algae and tons of suffocated sea life washing up on our shores did almost every elected official acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. And then only because of the economic impacts it’s having, not so much the environmental and health costs. So, until the lives lost or forever changed by traffic related incidents equate to what our leaders at all levels consider an economic crisis, it looks like nothing will change. Unless, of course, until there are leaders in office who decide we’ve had enough.

Being mid-term election season, we have an opportunity to move toward changing priorities that benefit all citizens when it comes to health, safety and quality of life. Each of those elements does indeed have economic value so there should really be no negative trade-off versus the status quo. In some cases it will take new representatives to recognize and address the problems. In others it’s just a matter of those in office being on the wrong side of the majority so they are being thwarted in their efforts. Unbiased information is required to determine how candidates and incumbents at various levels of government, from municipal positions to the federal levels, will work on those and other important matters.

For those seeking background of an overall sense on currently elected officials and candidates the Lee County chapter of League of Women Voters (lwvlee.org) is an excellent resource. Politifact Florida (politifact.com/florida) offers a Truth- O-Meter that covers many topics and statements made by elected officials and candidates.

Specific to issues related to pedestrians and bicyclists, Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) has “Legislative Platform” pages and the League of American Bicyclists (bikeleague.org) has an “I Bike – I Vote” section. BikeWalkLee’s blog (bikewalklee.blogspot.com) is a good source of information on the people, organizations and policies.

If we are ever to shed the stigma and related reality of being the most dangerous place in the U.S. to be a pedestrian, we must have in place leaders who acknowledge and seriously address the causes. ¦

- 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 at bikepedmoser@gmail.com and 334-6417. 

For Lee County cycling and tri events visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL). The Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings. BikeWalkLee’s blog site has all the information you’ll need to stay abreast of advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida as well as statewide and nationally.