Thursday, April 21, 2011

Myron Keeps On Forging Ahead

Kudos to Myron Griffin of Seminole Heights in Tampa who asked the city of Tampa to place sharrows on 12th Street -- a busy north-south road in the Seminole Heights neihborhood that is used by motorists and bicyclists alike because it's a straight shot from Sligh Avenue to Hanna Avenue without stop signs.

The city of Tampa rejected Myron's request, but did say why.

So, rather than give up -- which I assume the city of Tampa assumed when it rejected Myron's request -- Myron forged ahead with a follow-up letter. I have printed the letter below.

We need people like Myron who will ask the city of Tampa to make our roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians and will walk away when he gets the cold shoulder from local government.

Myron's response to the sharrows rejection:

"John,

I received an email from City of Tampa that the request for sharrows had been closed. It was a bit unclear as to whether it was still under consideration or not, but after having several look at it, we concluded that it had been considered, but did not make the grade.

May I ask for an explanation as to what criteria it did not meet? It's the least you could do for us. It is very frustrating to make nominations and have them considered, discussed, and dismissed without a word of explanation. We would appreciate this information so we may proceed in our own way to improve the safety of our valued bicyclists and pedestrians.

Thank you and would you please copy your dept. head, (Jean Dorzback).

Sincerely,
Myron A. Griffin"

I believe the city of Tampa is trying to create a policy regarding installing sharrows on streets that are not being re-surfaced. The city is also conducting a bike-ped study, which includes looking at three main areas in the city -- downtown, Westshore and the USF area.

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