Friday, January 23, 2009

OK Irvin, Let's See What Happens

At the TBARTA meeting today, I bumped into Irvin Lee, public works director for the city of Tampa. Irvin was gracious and apologized for the three different employees in public works transportation who I met about bicycle issues last year and who basically blew me off.

Irvin said the city of Tampa is not anti-bicycle and he said a new street re-paving program will allow for bicycle-friendly roads in the city. He said the 40th Street project, for example, will be friendly to bicyclists.

We shall see. The state DOT re-paved Tampa Street and Nebraska Avenue and included bike lanes.

The city of Tampa during my five years here? A one-mile-long bike lane on Manhattan Avenue. That's it.

It's not about words.

It's about action.

And I'm waiting for the city of Tampa to step up and deliver roads and streets that have space and bike lanes for bicyclists so that we can safely bike from one section of the city to another. It can be done. St. Petersburg does it. Tampa can, too.

Come and attend a bicycle transportation meeting at 1:30 PM on Feb. 26 at City Hall.

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