Thanks to everyone who participated in yesterday's Streets Alive event in downtown Fort Myers. A special thanks to everyone who visited the BikeWalkLee booth and to our many volunteers. Enjoy our photos, read News-Press' story and see their photo album, too. (photos below by Darla Letourneau)
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| kick-off parade with Mayor Henderson and Councilman Banks |
Bicycles shared space with
pedestrians, children and leashed animals along a maze of closed downtown Fort
Myers roads Sunday as the second annual Streets Alive! spread a gospel of
staying safe and healthy.
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| Jenn Hagen with daughter and friend |
Brisk temperatures and gusting winds
combined with blue, sunny skies to make the morning and afternoon event
pleasant. The transfer of the Taste of The Town to Jet Blue Park opened the way
last year for Streets Alive!
"It's a very new concept,"
said event-planning Chairwoman Kate Gooderham. "It is taking a while for
people to get it."
Originally the event was called
"Ciclovia," a Spanish word meaning cycle paths and referring to
"open streets."
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| Participant shares idea on "Pop-up City Hall" |
Gooderham said the Fort Myers event
was patterned from this and envisioned giving roadways back to people who like
to move around without benefit of motors and engines.
"People are wanting to not be
so isolated," she said. "A lot of what we do is drudgery, and a lot
of diving isn't really fun."
Gooderham said there is a trend
nationally for people looking for things to do. "This provides that
opportunity," she said. "This mixes everybody together."
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| Advocates and government officials hatch some plans |
Streets Alive! cut a swath through
the heart of downtown, closing off streets to motorized traffic and allowing
bikes, wagons and pedestrians and dogs on a leash and a while host of other
modes of non-motorized travel. There were 10 areas, called villages, that
focused on aspects including health, dance, track, food, tennis, Lee County
parks and more.
"We spread the booths out. That
was intentional," Gooderham said. That made it look like there were fewer
people there than there actually was. A steady stream of bikes and foot-traffic
passed by the Second Street headquarters and down Hendry Street to the yacht
basin area, crossing over closed portions of Second, First, Bay and Edwards
Drive in the process.
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| Staff from Cape Coral, Lee MPO, and LeeDOT responded to questions |
"I think this is really super
they closed the streets down," said David Arle, sitting along Hendry with
his Bassett hound Tellula. "It is a perfect day for it.
Darla Letourneau with BikeWalkLee
said the event was nice but would like to see more people take part.
"It a happy event," she
said "The interaction with people is heartwarming."
A bulletin board and special map
area at BikeWalkLee's booth collected information from area residents on what
can be done to help making walking and biking safer in Lee County.
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| Ashley explains "string map" to reporter Mike Braun |
"We have a nice path system,
but you have to go across a lot of dangerous intersections," Letourneau
said.
Ashley Skalecki, an FGCU grad
student, was helping Cindy Banyai, an FGCU adjunct professor specializing in
research and evaluation, take whatever data the board and map generates and
then turn that into a report.
"This is telling us where
people want to go," Banyai said.
Griffin and Wanida Stoutenburg of
Fort Myers pointed out several routes they wished would have a bonafied bike
trail.
"I'd take a bike all the way to
Fort Myers Beach, Griffin Stoutenberg said. "I wouldn't go now, it's too
dangerous."
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| The whole family gets in the act of writing on Pop-up City Hall |
The Stoutenbergs said they ride
often, mainly keeping to the roads along the Caloosahatchee River. "There
are a lot of small roads," he said. "It's pretty nice."
The event was sponsored by the
Florida Department of Transportation and closed city streets to traffic from 11
a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fort Myers joined similar events in
Orlando and Tampa.
"These events promote
bicycle/pedestrian safety in a way that's fun for everyone. I want to see
Florida reduce our rates of injuries and fatalities among bicyclists and
pedestrians. It's about changing behaviors, and 'streets alive' really says it
well," said FDOT Billy Secretary Hattaway.
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| FDOT's booth |
Florida has among the highest rates
of bicycle and pedestrian fatalities in the U.S.
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| Learning to bike at Safety Rodeo |
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| LeeTran bus to try out |
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| Participants shared their ideas of where they'd like to go by transit |
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