Let's Check Out The Tampa Bicycle Improvements

If you're a bicyclist in the Tampa area, you know how valuable bike lanes are. They offer designated space for you in a city that traditionally did not value bicycling and more bicyclists will bike on roads with bike lanes.

But the city's transportation department recognizes that Tampa needs to improve its infrastructure for bicyclists, so it's a tremendous addition whenever I see a new bike lane or a new sharrow with the accompanying sign that explains bicyclist may take the lane.

Two great bike infrastructure improvements are the North Boulevard bike lanes and the sharrows in 22nd Street. In addition, Hillsborough Avenue has been paved near the Veterans Highway and bike lanes have been installed in a small but vital stretch.

Let's go for a bike ride and I'll show you around. Tonight, I wanted to check out the improvements.

Here's North Boulevard, which has gone from four to three lanes, with bike lanes that end before MLK Blvd. I hope the city stays true to its word and places sharrows after the point where the bike lanes end. Here's the North Boulevard bike lane heading south.


Here's North Boulevard heading south at the bridge that spans the Hillsborough River north of Blake High School. I hope the city of Tampa continues with the bike lane stripe.


There's my neighbor Chip on North Boulevard.


Here's a trail with a purpose -- the U Path, which connects Cypress west of Westshore to the State Road 60/Rocky Point/Clearwater causeway area.




This is wonderful piece of re-surfacing and lane striping on eastbound Hillsborough Avenue as it approaches the Veterans Highway ramp. I bike here often.

Previously without a bike lane, I would bike in the through lane but cars also heading straight through and not turning right onto the Veterans would come dangerously close to me.

Now, with the new striping and the bike lane, I bike right through and the cars safely pass me on my right and on my left.

Well done and I'm assuming it's the local Florida DOT office, since Hillsborough is a state road. Kudos to the DOT for this piece of lane striping.


Hillsborough Avenue heading east, just east of the Veterans Highway and on the north side of Tampa International Airport. This is a new road surface with the bike lane retained from before.


All bicyclists want is some safe room to bike. This is 22nd Street heading south to MLK. Bicyclists don't want to slow down motorists but we want safe space and safe roads to roll.


This is beautiful -- sharrow and sign working in tandem on 22nd Street, south of MLK.


Great job city of Tampa -- this is how you do it on 22nd Street.


22nd Street heading north -- this is north of MLK heading to Hillsborough Avenue.


Welcome back to reality in Tampa -- the disappearing bike lane on 22nd Street heading north.