Friendship TrailBridge Can Be Saved Through TIGER Grant

I received some interesting info regarding a potential funding source to fix the Friendship TrailBridge -- old Gandy Bridge -- from the Ghost Rider, who passed the info from another source:

"As you probably are aware, the Friendship TrailBridge - formerly known as the "Old Gandy Bridge" - has been closed for safety reasons. The counties will soon decide whether to restore it or tear it down.

"It can be saved. There is a very good chance of Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties tapping into a federal Department of Transportation $1.5 billion grant for restoring the Bridge. The Bridge qualifies for this funding grant. See article, below concerning details on the US DOT's TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant.

However, the counties need to hear from the citizens of Tampa Bay - do the citizens want to see the bridge torn down or restored?

As a practical matter, if the bridge is torn down, you and I and the citizens of Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties will pay the bill with our taxpayers' dollars. Why not restore the Bridge with federal dollars - the TIGER Grant?"

Reminder: Public meetings on the TrailBridge's future is July 14 and 15.

SHBC's Urban Ride Includes A Stop At City Bike Tampa

This morning the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club set out for a 12-mile urban ride through downtown Tampa to Hyde Park Village and back, with a pitstop at the new City Bike Tampa downtown bike store in Tampa.

Kellie Cyr talks with SHBC members about her new bike shop.


There's Doug, who was pinch-hitting for Ken as today's ride leader. Downtown Tampa.


Taking the lane on North Boulevard and taking it north to Seminole Heights.


A no-look photo from behind captures big Ron Swiger.


That's Rick Hickman, who helped get the club web site up and running.

SWFBUD Mentioned In Bicycling Magazine's August Edition

SWFBUD goes national again. This time, SWFBUD made Bicycling Magazine.

Check out the current August edition of Bicycling with Lance on the cover and turn to page 30, the hubbub section.

Halfway down the page SWFBUD makes an appearance, calling for governments in Florida to be proactive in preventing bicyclist fatalities.

The back story: Several months ago I crunched the transportation numbers on the number of bicyclist fatalities by state in the US in 2007 and learned that Florida leads the country with the highest bicyclist fatality rate AND in the raw number of bicyclist fatalities (more than California, which has twice the population).

I wrote a media release about my SWFBUD bicyclist fatality findings and Bicycling ran with it.

SWFBUD Bike Ride To Budget Hearing July 16 Still On Despite New Meeting Location

Hillsborough County has switched the location of its July 16 budget hearing at 6 PM to the All People's Life Center at 6105 East Sligh Avenue.

The SWFBUD Bike Ride will still be on for 5 PM, meeting on Central Avenue in front of the garden center at 5800 Central Avenue.

The tentative route will be Central Avenue north to Hanna Avenue, and a right turn on Hanna for a straight beeline to 56th Street North. Then a left on 56th Street and a right turn on East Sligh.

It's about 5 miles.

Friendship TrailBridge Options

Meetings are July 14 and 15 for the Friendship TrailBridge.

PRESENTATION OF REPORT ON THE FRIENDSHIP TRAILBRIDGE STRUCTURE

The Hillsborough County Public Works Department has managed the engineering analysis of the Friendship TrailBridge structure. A presentation will be made to the Committee and attendees on the findings of the recently completed engineering evaluation and alternatives for consideration

Alternative 1: $15 million - Repair entire structure.
Gain approximately 10 years of life
Still “on-going” repair cost due to continued deterioration

Alternative 2: $10 million - Abbreviated form of Alternative 1
Each end remains in area of catwalks
End repaired and upgraded
Middle section demolished

Alternative 3: $17.5 million - Demolish entire structure
Add fishing piers on each side

Alternative 4: $19.5 million - Demolish entire structure
Include other project for trail connection (ex: hang off new Gandy Bridge, etc)

Demolition of entire structure estimated at $13 million

PUBLIC COMMENT
The Oversight Committee will hear public comment on the alternatives, proposals and options in regards to the Friendship TrailBridge

Catching Up On Odds and Ends

I'm told WMNF has been discussing the Friendship TrailBridge and bike trail issues during the middle of the day this week. Remember, big public meetings on the TrailBridge at the Weeden Nature Center in St. Pete on July 14 at 4 PM and at the Platt Library on Manhattan Avenue in Tampa on July 15 at 7 pm. Tell officials to fix the Friendship Trail and re-open it.

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Interesting way to map your ride at mapmyride.com

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Adult Cycling Camp

Dates: Saturday August 1, 2009
Time: 8:00 A.M – 12:00 P.M.
Location: 14547 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL 33613-2709 (Florida Medical Clinic parking lot just before Skipper Road on the south side of BBD)
Description: This is an Adult Cycling Camp for cyclists ages 18 and up. This camp will emphasize road safety and bicycle commuting skills. Students will also learn comprehensive bicycle handling and group riding skills. Students will receive professional instruction and on bike experience from a LAB league cycling instructor/USA Cycling- Certified Coach
Registration: Advanced Registration required – space is limited http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=9029
Fee: $55
Contact: Sharon Monahan
LAB Certified Instructor
LeWedge(TM)Bike Fit Technician
813-909-9247 / 813-482-4364
kidsrp.coach@juno.com
Important Information
All riders must sign a release
All riders must have an approved Helmet and 2 wheeled bicycle in good working order – see your local bicycle shop for tune-up details.

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Seminole Heights Bicycle Club has its 10/12-mile intermediate ride from Seminole Heights to Hyde Park and back on Saturday July 11, with a pitstop for snacks at the new downtown Tampa bike shop -- City Bike Tampa on Cass Street. Meet at 8:30 AM at the Garden Center at 5800 Central Avenue.

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This was passed on to me by SWFBUD member store Chainwheel Drive in Clearwater.

"ACT NOW TO STOP YET MORE ROAD CROSSINGS FROM BEING BUILT ON PINELLAS TRAIL"

More road crossings to endanger us on Pinellas Trail? That's what will happen unless all bicyclists immediately contact government officials to stop a series of proposed road crossings and other takeaways that are planned for Pinellas Trail.

Here's the deal. The City of Tarpon Springs, in conjunction with a developer, have approved a massive building project right next to Pinellas Trail about one half mile north of Klosterman Road. The project is called Meres Crossing and is slated to create new car crossings of the trail in several places.

Meres Crossing has already resulted in the massacre of several acres of native Florida wetlands and woodlands right next to the Trail. This decimation has created severe flooding on the Trail which harms your ability to safely bike towards Tarpon Springs.

Pinellas County officials have not so far stood up and opposed this takeaway, but there is still time to stop the development and the road crossings and to force the developer to mitigate the damage already done to the Trail by the flooding that the developer has caused.

The developer should also be required to restore the viewshed so that the Trail again looks like it is in the middle of a forest, rather than as it is now, which is that it looks like it goes through the middle of a blasted out industrial park.

Please call Trail Manager Lyle Davis at 727 453 3234, use the Pinellas County Commission comment form or phone number (http://www.pinellascounty.org/forms/contact-us.htm), and also contact area newspapers, television stations, bike clubs and other Pinellas Trail advocates to help stop any new road crossings on Pinellas Trail. Also advocate for making the developer pay for wetlands mitigation, trail flooding mitigation, and no more removal of native flora and fauna along the Trail.

Pinellas Trail is already threatened because of budget cuts and past approvals of new roads without overcrossings, as well as new development. The time is now for us to contact county officials to encourage them to protect the Trail and stop the further ruination of this valuable bicycling resource.

Act now: according to county officials, there's still time to stop new roads and developments from harming the Trail

CBE Offers Tour de France/CBE Group Rides This Month

SWFBUD member store Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium is offering some fun Tour de France Month rides. Check out these "Tour de CBE" group rides. CBE owner Brian Eckman said his store is hosting a few special Tour De France / CBE Group rides this month, and he'd love for cyclists to join them:

Sunday 7/19: "Flat Stage" -- CBE Safety Harbor Ride. 8:am from CBE back parking lot. ~42 miles with definite A (avg 20mph) and B (avg 17-18mph) groups with a C group/shorter loop (avg 14-15mph). Stop for coffee at Starbucks Safety Harbor and plan to be back at the shop here by 11:00am latest. We'll have Tour coverage on our 2 TVs, and a spread of French wine, cheese, croissants, pastry and other munchies. And of course, some Belgian beer for those who just don't like wine (like me). :)

Sunday 7/26: "Mountain Stage" -- San Antonio hills ride. (map on cbebikes.com) meet at San An ballfields @ 7:15am - Roll out by 7:30am. We'll do a 36-40 mile loop at a B / B- pace and try to average 17mph or so. We won't "host" a post-ride party there since it's in a public parking area and everyone has to drive home, but there's a very nice deli / store just down the road that's great for an after ride sandwich and beverage.