BikeWalkLee: Rail right-of-way a path to success

BikeWalkLee Column ‘Go Coastal’
The News-Press, November 19, 2020
by Ken Gooderham

Collier County and the cities of Bonita Springs and Estero are studying the possibilities of acquiring miles of railroad rights of way connecting all three, for eventual re-use as multi-use pathways and public transit.

So why is this a good opportunity and a great idea?

Simple… it’s a unique possibility to capture a swath of property adjacent to already developed (or developing) areas, guaranteeing a lot of potential users right next door.

It would give these governments the opportunity to create a multi-use and multimodal transportation corridor from the ground up, where designs and needs could be planned and integrated, instead of retrofitted and accommodated.

It could create a higher-speed public transit option away from the congestion and confusion of U.S. 41 and Interstate 75 – and close to homes, shops, businesses and government offices.

And it could be a building block to expand a similar multi-use corridor northward along the same corridor, creating a potential bike/ped/transit pathway that could stretch from northern Collier County to Charlotte County and beyond.

The Elliot Bay Trail in Seattle, Washington (wikipedia.org)

Sounds too good to be true? It isn’t – but it will take commitment, courage and (of course) cash to become reality.

The three governments are working with the nonprofit Trust for Public Lands on the acquisition, which is still in the study-and-negotiation stage… so a long way from reality. Still, you have to start somewhere.

Also, right now Collier is more focused on public transit, while Estero and Bonita are looking at the bike/ped options more seriously. Both are needed, and we can hope that, if this idea comes to fruition, both bike/ped and transit stay on the table.

The idea itself is not new, having been thoroughly explored in a 2013 study of the Seminole Gulf Railway corridor sponsored by the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT). A number of options for the right-of-way were discussed, along with the opportunities and obstacles in each.

Would it be easy? No. Would it be worth it? Absolutely.

Creating a convenient and uncongested public transit corridor would be a real asset for our area, giving people a real alternative to automobiles at a considerably reduced cost (because you’re building from scratch and working with clear right-of-way). You could even consider multiple transit options… starting with bus rapid transit (just like it sounds, buses making fewer stops and covering more distance) to light rail and even commuter rail as the population (and potential users) grew.

You would still have sufficient space to create a safe and convenient bike/ped path system that could allow people to bike north and south in relative security – another great asset as well as a valuable amenity for nearby neighborhood.

Let’s face it: This area is going to continue to grow, and we’ll never be able to build enough roads if everyone has to rely solely on cars to get around. As roadways get more and more congested, viable mass transit is going to become more attractive to users – and more crucial to maintaining our quality of life.

Similarly, recreation and transportation focused on bike and pedestrian facilities will also continue to grow, so providing a safe and functional network of paths will be another quality-of-life asset. And, as anyone who has watched bile/ped facility in this area knows, if you build it they will come.

So kudos to these three government entities for pursuing this very prudent possibility. We hope the studies and discussions end up make this plan a reality. If that happens, we also hope that Lee County and the City of Fort Myers build on this momentum by launching their own look into expanding this transportation corridor northward.

It’s a great idea that could be a game-changer for our area. Let’s hope the pieces come together.

Turkey Trot? Not!

Another victim of the coronavirus is the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Trots… at least some of the in-person events. The venerable Cape Coral Turkey Trot (celebrating its 41st year) is virtual only, as is the FGCU Gobbler 5K. The Gulf Coast Runners’ Trot has been shortened to 2 miles (from the usual 5K) – but it’s both virtual and in-person (at Naples’ Cambier Park). If it just won’t be Turkey Day without your 5K Trot, head to Hertz Arena in Estero for the Elite Events’ run at 7 a.m. on Nov. 26. Just don’t forget your mask! 

EVENTS: 

Here’s what is scheduled for organized running and biking events locally… but confirm with the organizers and be flexible in case conditions change and large-group activities are limited. Of course, wear a mask and act appropriate to your age, condition and concerns.

FORT MYERS TRACK CLUB (ftmyerstrackclub.com):

• Cape Coral Turkey Trot 5K, Sept. 17-Nov. 26 (virtual)
• City of Palms River Run 10K, Sept. 17-Dec. 5 (virtual)
• Lazy Flamingo Half Marathon & 2-Person Relay, Sept. 17-Dec. 20 (virtual)
• Strides for Education 5K, Feb. 6, 2021 (in-person and virtual)
  

GC RUNNERS (gcrunner.org):

• GCR Thanksgiving 5K, Thursday, Nov. 26 (in-person & virtual)
• Naples Daily News Half Marathon, Saturday, Jan. 17 (in-person & virtual) 

ELITE EVENTS (runeliteevents.com):

• Fall Classic Half Marathon and 5K, Naples, Saturday, Nov. 21
• Thanksgiving Day 5K Run and Walk, Estero, Thursday, Nov. 26
• Naples Christmas Glow Run 5K, Saturday, Dec. 5
• Naples Distance Classic 5K, 10K and Half Marathon, Sunday, Dec. 6
• Sarasota West Coast Half Marathon and 5K, Sunday, Dec. 20
• Venice Half Marathon and 5K, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021
• City of Palms Half Marathon and 5K, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021
• Paradise Coast Half Marathon and 5K, Saturday, March 27, 2021
  

OTHER RUNS:

• FGCU 10th-Annual Gobbler 5K, up to Nov. 26 (virtual) – runsignup.com
• Publix Run to the Arts 5K run/walk – in person on Feb. 7, 2021, or virtual Jan. 30-Feb. 7 runsignup.com or runtothearts.com
  

CYCLING:

The Caloosa Riders are offering member rides, but some are open to non-members (and it wouldn’t hurt you to join the club); check their ride calendar (caloosariders.org) for a description of the distance and speed, and to see if the ride is open to all.

SW Florida Critical Mass is offering their usual slate of family-friendly rides, although the NE Lee ride seems to be lacking a leader and thus is not on the calendar. The options are below, and you can check out their line-up online (http://www.meetup.com/Biking-SWFL/events/) for details and times.

• SW Florida Critical Mass ride, first Friday of the month. A family-friendly slow night ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Helmet and lights required, meet in the parking lot at 2180 West First Street, Fort Myers. 
• Sanibel Critical Mass night ride, second Tuesday of the month. Gathers at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended.
• Cape Coral Critical Mass ride, fourth Friday of the month. Gather at the Southwest Florida Military Museum parking lot at 4820 Leonard Street for a family-friendly night ride through the Cape; helmets and lights required.
• Saturday Morning Slow Roll, fourth Saturday of the month. Meet-up at 2160 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Recommended for inexperienced/young riders. Distance is 6 miles, includes group ride instruction.

If racing is not your thing but you’d like to support their return nonetheless, consider volunteering to help out at the few in-person offerings ahead. With Covid concerns still corralling some of the club’s usual volunteers, a few new helping hand would certainly be welcomed. 

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.

 

 

Micromobility is knocking

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, June 5, 2019
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

E-bikes like this one on display at Tour de Cape are becoming more common.

Getting around in ways other than in a car has become quite common, especially in many urban areas around our country. The advent of bikeshare programs a few decades ago — primarily in our larger cities — meant a significant increase in people using bikes for short and medium distance trips where driving and parking is difficult and costly. But with this rapid increase came concerns about safety and public space use. As those issues were being addressed electric-powered micromobility devices entered the picture in the forms of e-bikes and stand-up e-scooters. As was the case with the original bike-share programs, safety and public space concerns caught many local governments by surprise. Entrepreneurs haven’t waited around for regulators to get a handle on those and other issues created by their businesses and those problems remain in most places where fledgling or even robust micromobility programs exists.

Add to the mix e-scooter and e-bike users operating at higher than appropriate speeds and it’s the lowly pedestrian who faces the most risk, although for inexperienced micromobility device users both sidewalks and roads can be fraught with hazards for them as well.

Cities and universities that rank highest on League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community/University lists worked for many years and even decades to get to that level in terms of developing policies, priorities and infrastructure to accommodate a much higher percentage of bicycle use than average communities. Places like Denver, Portland, Ore., and Davis, Calif., still wrestle with too much of a good thing, although it’s clearly positive overall. Where e-bikes and e-scooters have been thrust into communities and college campuses in large numbers that aren’t adequately prepared for a boom in even traditional, human-powered bicycles it’s going to be interesting to see how officials and the general public deal with the inevitable changes that come with it.

A recent report published by National League of Cities “Micromobility in Cities, a History and Policy Overview,” does an excellent job of framing the benefits, negatives and challenges related to this matter. While our city centers in Southwest Florida don’t yet experience the gridlock and parking problems of larger cities (our traffic problems are generally sprawl-related and primarily on major roads, bridges and I-75 interchanges) many of the good, bad and unknowns still apply. For example, getting cars off the roads is always a plus as it reduces delay among those who do drive and may even remove the need to expand roads, a benefit to all taxpayers. However, reallocating space in the public rights-of-way is usually a necessary step once micromobility use reaches a critical level, meaning existing modes — driving and/or walking — may be compromised in order for that to occur.

An important aspect of this phenomenon not to be underestimated is the profit motive of the micromobility businesses either seeking to expand into an area. In a number of cities, rather than asking permission they seek forgiveness after setting-up shop without first gaining official approval, often times creating chaos or at least unanticipated expenses to local governments and taxpayers. As with many other aspects of today’s world, there’s so much change happening so fast that governments are always well behind the curve in getting a handle on both intended and unintended consequences. But since one of government’s primary purposes is to ensure the safety of its citizens as much as possible, regulating micromobility and the various devices — whether as part of a shared system or private ownership and use — is vital. At this point, at least from what I’ve learned, most governments that are dealing with this are still chasing their tails. Here in Southwest Florida there’s been little thought given to an onslaught of micromobility, thus few, if any, regulations are in place. Sanibel is perhaps the exception. Even with the few e-bikes that are among the transportation mix here, I’ve seen many zipping along at high speeds on sidewalks, something that’s illegal but overlooked by law enforcers, meaning yet another hazard pedestrians must deal with.

As always, to learn about these topics and more visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com. ¦




 
- 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.