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