Saturday, May 28, 2016

May 30th: Upcoming Run/Walk/Bike/Tri events

Hello all, hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, here are some upcoming events for the Summer. There will be plenty of running, walking, biking, and triathlons!

Upcoming events 

Running/walking:
  • Monday, May 30: Memorial Day 5K. Celebrate Memorial Day with a fun 5K at North Collier Regional Park. Proceeds of the race benefit the Special Olympics. (gcrunner.org)
  • Monday, May 30: Memorial Day 5K Run on the Green, Eastwood Golf Course, Fort Myers. Benefits Fort Myers Parks and Rec. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
  • Monday, May 30: Third annual Sandoval 5K, Sandoval of Cape Coral, 7 a.m. (3dracinginc.com)
  • Saturday, June 11: Inaugural Oasis HS Running with the Sharks 5K, to benefit Osais High football. Starts at 7:15 a.m. at 3519 Oasis Blvd, Cape Coral (3dracing.com)
  • Saturday, June 18: 8th Annual Summer Sizzler 5K. Starts 7 a.m. at Jaycee Park, Cape Coral. (3dracing.com)
  • Saturday, June 18: Sugden Stride 5K, 7 a.m. at Sugden Regional Park in Naples. (eliteevents.org)
  • Monday, July 4: USA Independence Day 5K (run and walk), Germain Arena (eliteevents.org)
  • Monday, July 4: Moe’s Firecracker 5K, Fleishmann Park, Naples (gcrunner.org)
Cycling:
  • Friday, June 3: SW Florida Critical Mass ride. Join a family-friendly slow ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Grab your helmet, bring all your friends and meet in the open field next to Publix (beginning at 7:15 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll-out) at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers. (twitter.com/swflcm or Facebook)
  • Friday, June 10: NE-Lee Critical Mass ride, gathers at 7:15 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll out at the Winn-Dixie, 14600 Palm Beach Blvd. Lights required, helmets recommended.
  • Saturday, June 11: Sanibel Critical mass ride, gathers at 7:15 p.m. for a 7:45 p.m. roll out at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended.
  • Sunday, July 3: Wheels and Wings VII, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Starts and finishes at Beef O’Brady’s in Punta Gorda, with 15-, 32- and 62-mile rides, a 50-mile Gravel Grinder and the Speed Trap Alley. Peace River Riders Bicycle Club, info on Eventbrite.com
Triathlons:
  • Saturdays, June 4-25: Triathlon Kids Camp with Coach Angie Ferguson, ages 6-13, Cypress Lake Pool, Fort Myers. (active.com)
  • Sunday, June 5: Naples Fitness Challenge Reverse Sprint. Naples Beach Club. (thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)
  • Sunday, June 25: TRISK Tri Siesta Key, sprint and Olympic tri plus duathlon. (multirace.us)
  • Sunday, July 10: American Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon in Naples, sprint triathlon and duathlon (eliteevents.org)
  • Saturday, July 16: Englewood Sprint tri (swflymca.org), 
Plan ahead: Other upcoming area tris include:

Thursday, May 26, 2016

BWL Column: Iona couple enjoy ups, downs of biking to work

Be inspired to try riding your bike to work by Holly Milbrandt's guest column about riding bikes to work from Iona to Sanibel with her husband.  Thanks, Holly, for sharing your story (and photos).
 
BWL column in News-Press, May 26, 2016
Guest column by Holly Milbrandt

Sanibel's path system  
NOTE: With National Bike to Work Day just in the rear-view mirror, we offer the tale of a commuting couple who use their bikes to enjoy the trip to and from work.

A couple years ago, my husband and I relocated from Cape Coral to the Iona area of Fort Myers. After nearly 10 years of commuting back and forth to Sanibel from the Cape, across two bridges and countless stoplights, we were thrilled with our new home and the prospect of biking to work.

As somewhat avid cyclists, we had biked across the Sanibel Causeway numerous times. Although daunting at first, particularly the high “A” span, we quickly found that our bikes and our legs were up for the challenge.
Leaving home for the ride

(We would later convince ourselves that we could train to ride the famous Alps climbs of the Tour de France – Alp d'Huez, Col de Galibier, and others – by doing some "training" rides over the high span of the Sanibel Causeway. Needless to say, we were sorely - pun intended - mistaken! But that’s a story for another day…)

Of course, biking to work is a bit different than simply heading out for a pleasure ride. Not only did we need the regular ride supplies — tire irons, spare tube, CO2 cartridges – we needed to think about everything we would need for the workday. Certainly I couldn’t strut around the office in my spandex all day, not even on Sanibel!

Although I’d prefer to just jump on my bike and go, it was obvious that a backpack would definitely be required to haul my daily needs – change of clothes, lunch, and cell phone, at a minimum. We also decided that we seriously needed to upgrade our bike lights, both front and back, to be sure we could see and be seen at all times.

Properly outfitted, we have now spent the better part of two “seasons” (mainly November-May) biking to work. Some days we ride together, some days our schedules dictate that we embark on separate journeys. Some days, despite our best intentions, we have to drive. But as lovers of nature and the environment in both our personal and professional lives, we have found the rides to be greatly satisfying, for some of the same but often for different for reasons.
The best view for cyclists on the Sanibel Causeway is at the top looking down. 
(Photo: Holly Milbrandt/Special to The News-Press)

As one who has always preferred early morning exercise, the ride TO work is my thing. Getting up a few minutes earlier than normal to head out on the 40-minute ride doesn’t bother me one bit. Once on the Causeway, I take a look back over my shoulder as the sun rises over Fort Myers Beach and then continue toward the Sanibel Lighthouse flashing in front of me. I look for dolphins, note the condition of the Caloosahatchee, and say “hi” to the osprey waiting for me on the C span. Arriving at work, I am energized and ready to take on the day.

My "I am not a morning person" husband disagrees. For him, it’s the ride home FROM work where he finds the greatest pleasure. He finds nothing more satisfying than cruising down the shared-use path along Periwinkle Way, passing vehicles stacked up bumper to bumper at 5 p.m. This makes the early rising totally worth it. His rides across the Causeway are spent thinking about waves and currents, scanning for sailboats, and determining the current tide conditions. Arriving at home, he is energized and ready to enjoy the evening.

Some of our fellow Causeway denizens help make the ride worth it. 
(Photo: Holly Milbrandt/Special to The News-Press)
Sure, the ride isn’t always magical. But for the most part, biking to work brings more joy than pain. We enjoy waving to our co-workers as they pass by in their cars and are glad that they have realized that honking is not encouraged; we appreciate when drivers slow down a bit and give us a little extra room; and we are happy to be two less cars on Sanibel as we support the City of Sanibel’s “Bike or Hike” campaign. As temperatures rise and the summer rains begin, we will likely make more trips by car and fewer by bike. But as traffic begins to swell next season, you can bet we will back in our saddles again!
Sanibel's "Bike & Hike" Campaign

-- BikeWalkLee is 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.

Ready to ride or run?

Run: This Memorial Day weekend, you have you choice of 5Ks: Run on the Green in Fort Myers (ftmyerstrackclub.com), Sandoval 5K in Cape Coral (2dracing.com) and a fun 5K to support Special Olympics at North Collier Regional Park (gcrunner.org).

Ride: Three Critical Mass rides ahead: Friday it’s Cape Coral (gather at 7:30 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll-out at 4706 SE 11th Place); a starter/sightseeing ride on Saturday (gather at 9 a.m., roll at 9:15 a.m. from 2160 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers); and  Friday, June 3, it’s the original CM ride beginning at 7:15 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll-out at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. For the night rides, lights are required and helmets recommended.

Both: Kids, hone your tri skills at a Triathlon Kids Camp with Coach Angie Ferguson. It’s offered Saturdays, June 4-25, for ages 6-13 at the Cypress Lake Pool, Fort Myers (active.com). Adults, put those skills to use at the Naples Fitness Challenge Reverse Sprint on Sunday, June 5, at the Naples Beach Club. (thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Chuck Marohn: Engineers should not design streets

One of the leaders of the new thinking about transportation, land use, and finance is Chuck Marohn, the Founder and President of Strong Towns, who is both a Professional Engineer (PE) and a planner (AICP). He has spoken in hundreds of towns and cities across North America, and speaks regularly for diverse audiences and venues. He was the keynote speaker at Florida's APA conference held in Naples in 2012, so some of you have heard him speak, read his articles, listened to his podcasts, or TED talks.  This week he wrote another thought-provoking Strong Towns blog post entitled "Engineers should not design streets," which focuses on the difference between roads and streets. [See Chuck Marohn's TED Talk on "The Difference between Streets and Roads"]


As Chuck says, "We do a disservice to our communities when we treat streets as if they were roads, when we ignore the complex environments streets are meant to create and treat them as if they were simple throughput models. Streets need to be designed block by block. Those designs need to be responsive and adaptable." 

Yes, it's time for SWFL to rethink how it designs streets.

Strong Towns Blog
                       
Engineers should not design streets

May 23, 2016
by Charles Marohn


Last Friday I was participating in the 5th Annual Mayor's Bike Ride in Duluth following a week spent sharing the Strong Towns message on the Iron Range. The friendly woman riding next to me asked me what could be done to to better educate engineers so they would start to build streets that were about more than simply about moving cars. My answer rejected the premise of the question: We should not be asking engineers to design streets.

A quick review for those of you that are new here (which might be up to half the audience -- amazing). Roads and streets are two separate things. The function of a road is to connect productive places. You can think of a road as a refinement of the railroad -- a road on rails -- where people board in one place, depart in another and there is a high speed connection between the two.

In contrast, the function of a street is to serve as a platform for building wealth. On a street, we're attempting to grow the complex ecosystem that produces community wealth. In these environments, people (outside of their automobile) are the indicator species of success. So, in short, with a street we're trying to create environments where humans, and human interaction, flourish.

Engineers are well-suited to constructing roads. Road environments are quite simple and, thus, lend themselves well to things like design manuals and uniform guidelines. There are only so many variables and the relationship they have to each other is fairly straightforward. In the United States, we have tested, refined and codified an engineering approach to roads that is pretty amazing and, in terms of engineering, the envy of the world.

There are two primary variables for designing a road: design speed and projected traffic volume. From those two numbers, we can derive the number of lanes, lane width, shoulder width, the width of clear zones and the allowable horizontal and vertical curvature. From those factors, we can specify all the pavement markings and signage that are necessary. We can then monitor things like the Level of Service, the 85th percentile speed and traffic counts to optimize how the road functions over time. Engineers are really good at this.

Engineers are not good at building streets nor, I would argue, can the typical engineer readily become good at it. Streets that produce wealth for a community are complex environments. They do not lend themselves well to rote standards or even design guidelines. There are numerous variables at play that interact with each other, forming feedback loops and changing in ways that are impossible to predict.

Consider just one variable: the future of the adjacent land. The operative component of building wealth on a street is building. Who owns the property? What are they going to do with it? What is their capacity? Will they stick with it? Will they find the love of their life and move across the country? Each property has a near infinite set of complexities to it that change and respond to change, each of which is far more important to the wealth capacity of the street than, for example, lane width.

If we're trying to create an ecosystem that results in our indicator species (people) showing up in greater and greater numbers, we can't just focus on one or two variables. It can't be just design speed and volume. The natural ecosystem equivalent would be an observation that productive forests have trees and so we hire our forest engineers to go out and plant rows and rows of the optimum tree. It's obvious that, absent other flora and fauna, insects and bacteria, sunlight and rain and a myriad of other variables, the trees we are planting just aren't enough to get the ecosystem we're after.

If we're trying to create a natural ecosystem, we first have to recognize the environment we're in. A desert ecosystem will be far different than a northern forest. We then need to seed the basic elements, but we don't direct them day-to-day; we nurture them as they grow. If we know what we're after -- if we know our indicator species of success -- if we see the experiment getting way off track, we can intervene in small ways to nudge it back on course. We can introduce small changes and see how the system responds. Over time, our natural ecosystem will show us how it wants to grow.

We do a disservice to our communities when we treat streets as if they were roads, when we ignore the complex environments streets are meant to create and treat them as if they were simple throughput models. Streets need to be designed block by block. Those designs need to be responsive and adaptable.

Understanding that 99%+ of all streets that will exist a decade from now already exist today, what we're really talking about here in North America isn't building new streets but making good use of existing streets. The way we do this -- the way we design block by block in ways that are responsive and adaptable -- is to try things and see what works. Our tools are not traffic counters and code books but paint, cones and straw bales. Before we make any change permanent, we test it -- and possibly other variations -- first to see what works.

So if this isn't the job of an engineer -- and it's not -- who should design streets? The answer is as simple as it is radical: everyone. Building a productive street is a collective endeavor that involves the people who live on it, those who own property on it, those who traverse it as well as the myriad of professionals who have expertise they can lend to the discussion.

Put your least technical person on staff in charge of your next street. Empower them to meet with people, observe how people use the street and then experiment, in a low cost way, with different alternatives. Keep experimenting until you start to see your indicator species show up (outside of their cars, of course). Now you have a design you can hand over to your engineer to specify the technical stuff -- pavement thickness, paint specs, etc... -- and get the project built.

Engineers are highly competent at building roads. When you are trying to move automobiles quickly from one place to another, put your engineering in charge and do what they recommend. When you are trying to build a street -- when you are trying to make your city wealthier and more prosperous -- make your engineer one small voice in a larger chorus of people whose words and, especially, whose actions dictate what your design should be.

  See Chuck Marohn's TED Talk on "The Difference between Streets and Roads"

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Bonita City Council considers Bonita Beach Road corridor vision study

At the May 18th Bonita Springs City Council meeting, Ian Lockwood of the Toole Design Group presented the results of the Beach Beach Road visioning study, requested by Council last year.
The study, the result of a series of public workshops this winter, resulted in a proposed vision for this corridor that is a complete streets approach, complete with roundabouts, separated bike lanes, sidewalks, lane width reductions, more inter-connectivity of local streets, and attractive landscaping throughout. 
 
Council members were enthusiastic about the vision.  Lockwood said the biggest challenge ahead was the need for cooperation between the city, Lee and Collier Counties, and FDOT. In terms of the immediate priority, he suggested that the City work to preserve the existing road network so that it remains available to create the connected street network envisioned in the vision study.


The next step is for Toole to submit a final report, which will be available on the City's website.  At the June 1st Council meeting, the Council will consider a proposal to extend the contract with Toole Design, which would include having them play a "quarterbacking" function for all the related projects currently underway in the city.

Video of May 18th Council meeting (Toole Design presentation during first hour of meeting)

Toole Design's PowerPoint presentation to Council

For background see our previous blog post:
 BWL blog 2/28/16 post:"A vision for the Bonita Beach Road corridor beginning to take shape" 


Below is the Naples Daily News May 19, 2016 article about the May 18th Council discussion: Bonita Springs City Council hears plans for busy road , by Patrick Riley.

After years of traffic on Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs has a road map that could make the 7.5-mile east-west corridor safer and more attractive and efficient.

On Wednesday, Toole Design Group — a planning, engineering and landscape architecture firm with headquarters in Maryland — presented the City Council with a Bonita Beach Road plan that includes roundabouts, separated bicycle lanes and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes.

The goal is to transform Bonita Beach Road from its "freeway-like" appearance to a "town-like" road, especially near the beach and the city's downtown area, said Ian Lockwood, regional office director at Toole Design's branch in Orlando.

"There's other places like the commercial area and the (Interstate 75) area, which has a slightly different scale, but on the edges we still want it to be friendly for the bikes and pedestrians," Lockwood said.

The corridor connects Bonita Springs' beach to its only I-75 exit and — despite running six lanes wide at its broadest segment — is prone to traffic jams and slowdowns.

Toole Design's plan proposes five roundabouts — three in the Old 41 Road area and two near the beach.

The roundabouts, Lockwood said, would save drivers gasoline because they're idling less, reduce pollution and noise levels, and allow pedestrians to cross the street in a safer manner.

They also dramatically reduce the risk of accidents by allowing cars to flow steadily and at safer speeds, he said.

"Nobody speeds up for a roundabout," Lockwood told the council. "But I imagine everybody in the room has had a stale green light in front of them and thought, 'Maybe I should speed up so I don't get caught at the red.' And that's how people get injured and killed."

Toole Design's proposal also includes landscaping upgrades along the corridor and the addition of bicycle lanes.

Though the council has yet to adopt Toole Design's vision for Bonita Beach Road, councilors lauded the plan.

"As many of us know, the original comprehensive plan for Bonita Springs from the year 2000 had a vision that said (Bonita) Beach Road should be a beautiful, commercial parkway," Deputy Mayor Peter O'Flinn said. "This is a huge step, 16 years later, toward that."


Monday, May 23, 2016

May 23rd: Upcoming running/walking/biking/tri events

Here are some exciting events coming up to finish out our last week of May, and into the rest of Summer here in SWFL. There will also be a few events going on for this upcoming memorial day weekend!

Upcoming events 

Running/walking:
  • Monday, May 30: Memorial Day 5K. Celebrate Memorial Day with a fun 5K at North Collier Regional Park. Proceeds of the race benefit the Special Olympics. (gcrunner.org)
  • Monday, May 30: Memorial Day 5K Run on the Green, Eastwood Golf Course, Fort Myers. Benefits Fort Myers Parks and Rec. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
  • Monday, May 30: Third annual Sandoval 5K, Sandoval of Cape Coral, 7 a.m. (3dracinginc.com)
  • Saturday, June 11: Inaugural Oasis HS Running with the Sharks 5K, to benefit Osais High football. Starts at 7:15 a.m. at 3519 Oasis Blvd, Cape Coral (3dracing.com)
  • Saturday, June 18: 8th Annual Summer Sizzler 5K. Starts 7 a.m. at Jaycee Park, Cape Coral. (3dracing.com)
  • Saturday, June 18: Sugden Stride 5K, 7 a.m. at Sugden Regional Park in Naples. (eliteevents.org)
  • Monday, July 4: USA Independence Day 5K (run and walk), Germain Arena (eliteevents.org)
  • Monday, July 4: Moe’s Firecracker 5K, Fleishmann Park, Naples (gcrunner.org)
Cycling:
  • Friday, May 27: Cape Coral Critical Mass ride. Gather at 7:30 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll-out at 4706 SE 11th Place for a family-friendly ride through the Cape. Lights required, helmets recommended.
  • Saturday, May 28: SW Florida Critical Mass will offer a starter/sightseeing ride on Saturday; gather at 9 a.m., roll at 9:15 a.m. from 2160 McGregor Blvd. Distance is 6 miles, includes group ride instruction.
  • Friday, June 3: SW Florida Critical Mass ride. Join a family-friendly slow ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Grab your helmet, bring all your friends and meet in the open field next to Publix (beginning at 7:15 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll-out) at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers. (twitter.com/swflcm or Facebook)
  • Friday, June 10: NE-Lee Critical Mass ride, gathers at 7:15 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll out at the Winn-Dixie, 14600 Palm Beach Blvd. Lights required, helmets recommended.
  • Saturday, June 11: Sanibel Critical mass ride, gathers at 7:15 p.m. for a 7:45 p.m. roll out at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended.
  • Sunday, July 3: Wheels and Wings VII, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Starts and finishes at Beef O’Brady’s in Punta Gorda, with 15-, 32- and 62-mile rides, a 50-mile Gravel Grinder and the Speed Trap Alley. Peace River Riders Bicycle Club, info on Eventbrite.com
Triathlons:
  • Saturdays, June 4-25: Triathlon Kids Camp with Coach Angie Ferguson, ages 6-13, Cypress Lake Pool, Fort Myers. (active.com)
  • Sunday, June 5: Naples Fitness Challenge Reverse Sprint. Naples Beach Club. (thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)
  • Sunday, June 25: TRISK Tri Siesta Key, sprint and Olympic tri plus duathlon. (multirace.us)
  • Sunday, July 10: American Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon in Naples, sprint triathlon and duathlon (eliteevents.org)
  • Saturday, July 16: Englewood Sprint tri (swflymca.org), 
Plan ahead: Other upcoming area tris include:

Monday, May 16, 2016

Feds get out of the way of communities that want to design safer, more complete streets

There have been several developments at the federal level that are making it easier for communities that want to design safer, more complete streets. First, FHWA has issued new street design guidelines which are much simpler. Second, FHWA issued an announcement last week making clear that it does not have regulations or policies that require specific minimum Level of Service (LOS) values for projects on the National Highway System. As we well know from our experience in Lee County, LOS is often used to halt plans to make streets safer for everyone or boost economic development by narrowing lanes, adding bike lanes, mid-block crosswalks, bulb-outs, or other improvements. While these are two steps forward, FHWA is proposing to go in the opposite direction in its recently proposed performance measure for congestion, which is solely auto-focused. This is just a proposal so there's time to weigh in with your comments in opposition (see below for instructions).
Smart Growth America, one of BikeWalkLee's national partners and the umbrella organization for the National Complete Streets Coalition, wrote an excellent blog last week on these developments, which is shared below.

 

Smart Growth America Blog

The Federal Highway Administration made two big moves this last week to clear the way for states, metro areas, and local communities to use federal dollars to design safer, more complete streets.
Both of these updates are great news for anyone advocating for streets that better meet the needs of everyone that uses them, as well as better serving the goals of the surrounding community. FHWA deserves a big round of applause for making these changes.

If you are working on a local transportation project and your DOT or some other agency cites vague federal rules when refusing to build a safe and complete street, show them the FHWA memo below. Their guidance makes it extremely clear: there’s wide latitude to design streets to best suit local needs, and old regulations that treat all roads like highways have been rolled back.

Federal street design guidelines just got a lot simpler

Last week, FHWA finalized new street design guidelines that scrap the bulk of the criteria that local communities and states must adhere to when building or reconstructing certain roads — especially those with speed limits under 50 mph. Of 13 current design criteria for certain roads under 50 mph, 11 criteria have been scrapped, because, in FHWA’s words, they have “minimal influence on the safety or operation on our urban streets.”

Until now, states or cities would have to go through an arduous process of requesting an exception to do common sense things like line a downtown street with street trees, reduce the width of lanes to add a bike lane, or curve a street slightly to slow traffic and make it safer for people in cars and on foot. (This old post explains the change in more detail.)

The new criteria recognize that successful streets running through a bustling downtown of any size need to be designed far differently than rural highways connecting two towns or cities. They have to meet a far more diverse range of needs than simply moving cars fast, and these smart new guidelines reflect that wisdom.

Thousands of our supporters sent in letters to FHWA about this issue, and FHWA listened. From the final rule:
The FHWA received comments from 2,327 individuals and organizations on the proposed changes to the controlling criteria. Of these, 2,167 were individual form-letter comments delivered to the docket by Transportation for America…The overwhelming support for changes to the controlling criteria indicate that the changes will support agency and community efforts to develop transportation projects that support community goals and are appropriate to the project context. The provisions included here for design documentation will result in more consistent evaluation of exceptions to the adopted design standards when controlling criteria are not met on NHS highways.
Even more encouraging, FHWA responded strongly to the handful of state DOTs that sent in comments noting their desire to keep the old design guidelines intact:
The FHWA finds that removing these controlling criteria from application in low-speed environments is supported by research and provides additional flexibility to better accommodate all modes of transportation. No new controlling criteria are proposed at this time.
In their comments, FHWA affirmed that local communities should have more leeway in how they design streets — after all, they know their local needs best — and that research shows that the old guidelines made it more difficult to accommodate all modes of transportation.

Vehicle speed- and delay-focused “level of service” metric is not a federal requirement

When planning a new street, reconstructing an old street, or conducting traffic studies for new development, most transportation agencies rely on a metric known as level of service or “LOS”. While commonly accepted amongst many traffic engineers, it’s an outdated, narrow metric that assesses how well a road performs only by looking at the number of cars and the amount of delay experienced by vehicles.

If the only goal of your community’s streets is moving cars fast, then level of service is the way to go. If your community also wants to keep people safe, or allow people to walk, bike or take transit, or support a vibrant downtown, then relying only on level of service isn’t going to cut it. It’s like trying to decide if a new pair of pants will fit by measuring the waist and ignoring the inseam.

Similar to the street design requirements that FHWA just scrapped, level of service is often used to halt plans to make streets safer for everyone or boost economic development by narrowing lanes, adding bike lanes, mid-block crosswalks, bulb-outs, or other improvements. It’s even been cited as a federal requirement in some cases. To those agencies, planners and engineers, FHWA made an announcement on May 6 (emphasis added):
We have received several questions regarding the minimum level of service (LOS) requirements for projects on the National Highway System (NHS)…FHWA does not have regulations or policies that require specific minimum LOS values for projects on the NHS. The recommended values in the Green Book are regarded by FHWA as guidance only. Traffic forecasts are just one factor to consider when planning and designing projects. Agencies should set expectations for operational performance based on existing and projected traffic conditions, current and proposed land use, context, and agency transportation planning goals, and should also take into account the input of a wide cross section of project stakeholders.
This might seem like a minor clarification, but FHWA just gave the green light to localities that want to implement a complete streets approach. By making clear that there is zero federal requirement to use level of service (and that there never has been), FHWA is implying that transportation agencies should consider more than just traffic speeds when planning street projects.
Changing policy is one thing but changing behavior is another, however. Level of service is an instructive example. It’s never been a federal requirement, but that hasn’t stopped transportation agencies all over from relying on it. And though the design guidelines have been radically pared back for most streets, that doesn’t mean that a state DOT won’t continue to adhere to them as a matter of course.

Engaging with your city, metro planning organization and state DOT will continue to be important for your community to realize its plans for safer, complete streets.

Yet, USDOT is going the opposite direction on measuring congestion

Of course, these encouraging changes from FHWA stand in sharp contrast with USDOT’s narrow, vehicle-focused proposal for how to measure congestion. While FHWA acknowledges that “traffic forecasts are just one factor to consider,” the proposed rule from USDOT would measure congestion in a way that places vehicle speed and delay far above any other factors.

This would penalize places that have made it easier to avoid congestion by making it easier to get around on transit, by foot or bike, or through telecommuting. And it would have the effect of rewarding places with long commutes that move quickly over places with shorter average commutes that move slower.

We need to measure congestion in a way that lines up with these two very encouraging moves from FHWA.

Have you sent a letter yet? Join the nearly 2,000 people who have already told USDOT they can do better.

This post is crossposted from our Transportation for America program.

May 16: Upcoming running/walking/biking/tri events

We are almost half-way through the month of May, celebrating cycling and bringing awareness to bike safety, and we hope you will continue to celebrate bike month with these fine events coming up. There are also great events coming up throughout our Summer season, so get out and enjoy some sunshine! 

Upcoming events
Running/walking:

  • Saturday, May 21: Cape Cops 5K run/walk and fun run, starting at 7:30 a.m. to benefit the families of fallen or injured officers. Cape Coral Yacht Club. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)
  • Saturday, May 21: 2016 Seahawk Sprint for Music 5K and fun Run, 7:30 a.m. Cape Coral High School – 2300 Santa Barbara Blvd. Cape Coral. (3dracinginc.com)
  • Monday, May 30: Memorial Day 5K. Celebrate Memorial Day with a fun 5k at North Collier Regional Park. Proceeds of the race benefit the Special Olympics. (gcrunner.org)
  • Monday, May 30: Memorial Day 5K Run on the Green, Eastwood Golf Course, Fort Myers. Benefits Fort Myers Parks and Rec. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com
  • Monday, May 30: Third annual Sandoval 5K, Sandoval of Cape Coral, 7 a.m. (3dracinginc.com)
  • Saturday, June 18: Sugden Stride 5K, 7 a.m. at Sugden Regional Park in Naples. (eliteevents.org)
  • Monday, July 4: USA Independence Day 5K (run and walk), Germain Arena (eliteevents.org)
  • Monday, July 4: Moe’s Firecracker 5K, Fleishmann Park, Naples (gcrunner.org)
Cycling:

  • Wednesday, May 18: Ride of Silence, to honor those who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. The Fort Myers ride starts at 7 p.m. at Centennial Park; the Sanibel ride starts at 7 p.m. from Matzaluna, 1200 Periwinkle Way.
  • Friday, May 27: Cape Coral Critical Mass ride. Gather at 7:30 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll-out at 4706 SE 11th Place for a family-friendly ride through the Cape. Lights required, helmets recommended.
  • Saturday, May 28: SW Florida Critical Mass will offer a starter/sightseeing ride on Saturday; gather at 9 a.m., roll at 9:15 a.m. from 2160 McGregor Blvd. Distance is 6 miles, includes group ride instruction.
  • Friday, June 3: SW Florida Critical Mass ride. Join a family-friendly slow ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Grab your helmet, bring all your friends and meet in the open field next to Publix (beginning at 7:15 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll-out) at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers. (twitter.com/swflcm or Facebook)      
Triathlons:
  • Saturdays, June 4-25: Triathlon Kids Camp with Coach Angie Ferguson, ages 6-13, Cypress Lake Pool, Fort Myers. (active.com)
  • Sunday, June 5: Naples Fitness Challenge Reverse Sprint. Naples Beach Club. (thefitnesschallengetriathlon.com)
Plan ahead: Other upcoming area tris include:

Thursday, May 12, 2016

BWL Column: Join Ride of Silence on May 18

May is National Bike as well as the annual Ride of Silence On May 18th, a time to remember those injured or killed while biking and to raise awareness about cyclist safety.

News-Press article May 11th



It's May, National Bike Month … which means events focusing on two-wheeled endeavors.

There’s National Bike to Work Week on May 16-20, Bike to Work Day on May 20, and two local Ride of Silence events on Wednesday, May 18, to honor fallen cyclists and promote road safety.

The Ride of Silence is a worldwide event, with almost all U.S. states participating as well as 22 other countries. These events share the same goals: "To honor fallen cyclists, to promote road safety, and to make a difference."

Bike safety is not a fleeting issue – especially here in Florida which ranks as the very worst in the nation for cyclist safety, with the highest fatality rate for 10 years in a row. In 2014, eight cyclists were killed in Lee County crashes; in 2015, four cyclists were killed; and in 2016 to date, there has been one.

In memorializing injured and killed cyclists, the Ride of Silence seeks to draw motorists’ attention to a cyclist's legal rights to full use of the roadways, to inform motorists that we are here, to watch for us – as if our lives depended on it. Please come out to show your support and send the message that we deserve our right to operate on our own roads. We are not just bike riders, but friends and neighbors and we must all Share the Road.

Locally there are two Rides of Silence planned on May 18:

Fort Myers Ride of Silence: Sponsored by the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club. Arrive by 6:45 p.m., ride begins promptly at 7 p.m. from Centennial Park, 2000 West First Street, Fort Myers. Cyclists will ride in a silent, funeral-style procession at 10-12 mph for 8 miles to honor those who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Riders are requested to wear black arm bands (or red if they have personally been injured in a cycling versus motor vehicle crash). No registration necessary, no charge. Helmets are required, and no headphones. For further details, email: ros@caloosariders.org

Sanibel Ride of Silence: Sponsored by the Sanibel Bicycle Club in partnership with Matzaluna Restaurant and Billy's Bikes. Riders are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 p.m. at Matzaluna Restaurant (1200 Periwinkle Way). Safety vests, water, and air for tires will be available. At 7 p.m. promptly the ride will leave Matzaluna's, down Periwinkle Way to the Sanibel Causeway. The ride will cross over the first two bridges of the causeway, do the turnaround under the main span, and return to Matzaluna (approximately 7 miles round trip). Helmets required for all riders, and front and tail lights are required if you plan to ride your bike home after dinner. Matzaluna will provide discounted food and drink for all riders. For further details, call 395-1695.

-- 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

National Bike Challenge

May 1 was also the kickoff for the National Bike Challenge, a way for individuals, teams, workplaces and more to log their bike miles from now to the end of September.

It’s the brainchild of PeopleForBikes, a group working to make bicycling better for everyone by uniting millions of riders, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities to create a powerful, united voice for bicycling and its benefits.

In its simplest form, the Challenge is an online logging center for users to record miles ridden and compete with other riders all over the country, either entering your mileage manually or using one of the Challenge apps.

It doesn’t matter if you’re riding hundreds of miles a week or just getting back in the saddle, you are welcome in the National Bike Challenge. Check it out online at nationalbikechallenge.org.

Ready to ride or run?

Run: This weekend, you can support Lovers Key (Turtle Trot 5K, ftmyerstrackclub.com). Next weekend, you can support fallen or injured police officers (Cape Cops 5K, ftmyerstrackclub.com) or music at Cape Coral High School (Seahawk Sprint for Music 5K, 3dracing.com).

Ride: Two Critical Mass rides ahead: Friday it’s Northeast Lee which gathers at 7:15 p.m. for an 8 p.m. roll out at the Winn-Dixie, 14600 Palm Beach Blvd. Saturday, it’s the Sanibel ride which gathers at 7:15 p.m. for a 7:45 p.m. roll out at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. For both lights are required and helmets recommended.

Both: On Saturday, it’s the Cape Coral Yacht Club Sprint  (capeparks.com or active.com)… or you can register and get ready for one of the raft of races coming up. Kids, hone your tri skills at a Triathlon Kids Camp with Coach Angie Ferguson. It’s offered Saturdays, June 4-25, for ages 6-13 at the Cypress Lake Pool, Fort Myers (active.com).

#BeSeenLee

#BeSeenLee: To keep people safe at night while biking, we’re working to provide free bike lights to those unable to afford them (but who have to ride at night). BikeWalkLee partners (including Pawnbroker Marketing and Billy's Bikes) will be coordinating events during this campaign. Be sure to watch the BikeWalklee Facebook and Twitter pages for more #BeSeenLee event announcements and details.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Bonita's Historical Bike Tour big success



Report (and Photos) by Lindsay Rodriguez, City of Bonita Springs Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee member and event organizer

The City of Bonita Springs Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee (BPSAC) had a fantastic Inaugural Historical Bike Tour this past weekend! Our event was a huge success for our committee and everyone who attended had a great time, learned a lot about the history of Bonita and saw some cool sites – plus the weather was perfect! 
 
The ride started and ended at the Liles Hotel in the heart of downtown. We stopped at some main historical sites along the leisurely 3-mile ride including the Bonita Springs Elementary School, the Shangri-La Hotel and Resort; Everglades Wonder Gardens just to name a few. The feedback I personally received from the 40+ attendees was all positive! People were asking me when the next ride would be! 
 
The entire event would not have been possible without the support of the City, The Bonita Springs Historical Society, Trianon Hotel, Waldrop Engineering, Engel’s Bike Shop, CJ & Hung’s House of Bikes and Trikes, Zorba’s Mediterranean Grille & Bar, Johnny Malloy’s, Doc’s Beach House, Fish House, Veranda Golf and Country Club, Deromo’s Gourmet Market & Restaurant, and last but certainly not least, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department who generously provided us with 2 Deputies to keep our event extra safe! 
 
We owe a huge THANK YOU to Charlie Strader with the Bonita Springs Historical Society for guiding the bike tour with Darren Robertshaw (Committee Member) and providing excellent stories and bits of information at each stop.
Charlie also arrived early to help set up and open the Liles Hotel for us, and he stayed after the event to clear up – he is amazing and a pleasure to work with. We also got a special mini-tour of the 80-year-old Everglades Wonder Gardens by Janet Martin, which really added that extra special touch to our event. When we returned from the ride, the Trianon Hotel had a beautiful spread of food ready for us and cold drinks – we could not have asked for more! 
 
Considering our limited amount of time to prepare for this event, it went very well. Next year we have a lot to consider – including incorporating the downtown redevelopment more into the tour. By then hopefully there will be much more of it to see and talk about! Overall the event was a success and there’s clearly a demand for more bike tours. I am grateful to every single person who showed up to support us – THANK YOU!
 

May 24th: Estero Public Workshop on capital improvement projects



Estero residents, mark your calendars for May 24th and plan to attend this public workshop, gathering citizen input for the Village's first 5-year CIP (Capital Improvement Plan).  The transportation CIP will reflect the Village's priorities for what roadway and walking and biking facilities to funded over the next 5 years. Check out the FGCU Infrastructure Study (linked below) to review their recommendations. If you have any questions, contact BWL's Estero rep, Doug Saxton at dpsaxton100@gmail.com.


Village of Estero announcement:

 
  
SAVE THE DATE!
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2016
What improvements would you like to see in the Village of Estero?
This question will be asked of Estero residents at a public workshop to be held at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 24, at the Legacy Church, 21115 Corkscrew Road, across from the entrance to the Estero Community Park and Village Hall.
foliageThe Village Council will be reviewing Capital Improvement Projects as part of the overall budget process and wants to hear what projects the community believes to be most important so that Council can set priorities and put together a complete plan.
Some of the projects proposed by Council members are sidewalks, lighting, and road improvements along Estero Parkway; landscaping throughout the community; access to the Estero River, and a bike trail study.  However, they want to hear what improvements the community wants to see happen before putting an action plan together.
The Capital Projects would be paid from a portion of the unallocated general fund, gas taxes, impact fees, community park impact fees and regional park impact fees.
By identifying projects based on a 7 year term vs 5 years, the projects could be paid on a cash basis instead of borrowing funds.
The Village intends to follow conservative fiscal practices in order to have a significant amount of money in the reserves, setting aside monies for emergencies.
The Village continues to seek community input into how Estero grows in the future.  Please plan to attend this important meeting and make your voice heard.
See results of studies conducted to date:

Monday, May 9, 2016

Presentation of Bonita Beach Rd. corridor vision to Council on May 18th

Over the past year, the City of Bonita Springs has been working to create a vision for the Bonita Beach Road corridor, led by the Toole Design Group consultant team. The series of public workshops this winter resulted in a proposed vision for this corridor that is a complete streets approach, complete with roundabouts, separated bike lanes, sidewalks, lane width reductions, more inter-connectivity of local streets, and attractive landscaping throughout. The consultant team will present the draft vision to the City Council at its regular meeting on May 18th (9 a.m.) for the Council's review and action. The Council meeting is open to the public, with an opportunity for public comment. In addition, the Council meeting can be viewed "real time" (and available as video afterward) on the City's website.
For background see our previous blog post:
 BWL blog 2/28/16 post:"A vision for the Bonita Beach Road corridor beginning to take shape" 

Below is the City's flyer about the May 18th presentation.