Holidays Rides Include Stop To Deliver Teddy Bears

Kudos to 15 local bicyclists such as Jose, Jack "Ghost Rider" Sweeney and Jim Shirk for biking the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club Holiday Teddy Bear Urban Ride this morning and dropping dozens of Teddy Bears at Channel 8 in downtown Tampa this morning.

I heard 15 cyclists did the ride from Seminole Heights to Channel 8 to deliver the teddy bears. Great job, guys.

Afterwards, I got my cruiser ready for the SHBC Holiday Family Ride -- the second ride in the SHBC Ride Doubleheader today.


Bridget's bicycle is decked out for the Holiday Family Ride.


SHBC member Jose, who came up with the idea to deliver Teddy Bears at Channel 8 during the Urban Ride, stands proud before the SHBC Family Ride.


Sweetie Bridget and brother-in-law Harsh in town for LatkeFest tonight chat while cycling the Family Ride.


Young Eddie next to the LatkeFest bicycle.

More Words Exchanged In St. Petersburg

My, has the world changed upside down.

Here in the Tampa Bay area, where some drivers yell at me as a bicyclist to get off the road and where bicyclists die at a higher rate than just about any place in the U.S., it seems like there are some people in St. Petersburg who believe it's the bicyclists who are the meanies and making life oh so miserable for the poor, meek driver.

Ironic, isn't it? So many people, especially on the Tampa side of the Bay, tell me they're afraid to bike on the street because of Tampa's "unfriendly roads." Even the new police chief in Tampa, Jane Castor, acknowledged in a recent email to me the "unfriendly" nature of roads for cyclists.

I know many people who want to bike on the road, but choose not to. They're too afraid of motorists and believe they will be struck by a car and injured.

Yet, have you ever heard of a motorist who won't drive on a road because those nasty bicyclists make it too dangerous for them to drive?

Now, don't get me wrong. Just because you're a bicyclist doesn't automatically make you a decent and human being. Bicyclists and motorists have to cooperate in sharing the road together. We're equals as far as the legal right to the road. The car just happens to be the vehicle that goes faster (most of the time).

We all know the Tampa Bay area is behind the rest of the country when it comes to roads that are wide enough to comfortably accommodate both driver and bicyclist and also when it comes to drivers being informed about state laws that recognize bicycles as vehicles and allow bicyclists to "take the lane" under specific sets of circumstances.

Which brings us to the recent email discourse between Tim Butts, the president of the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club, and Judy. president of the Lakewood Civic Association.

Seems like Judy and nameless people she cites in her letters have a problem with bicyclists in St. Petersburg because they supposedly hog the road and say unpleasant things to drivers.

Tim responds by saying a bicyclists have a right to the road and suggests Judy and her friends in Lakewoods study the law.

And then there's someone by the name of Bret Meyers, who sent an email to Judy including two videos of bicyclists on the road that upset Bret. I believe Bret is the anonymous person who has commented on this blog, but never left his name. In his email to Judy, his name was listed on the top of the email.

As before, I will publish the letters in the interests of letting people read the arguments.


Bret Meyers' email

Hello Judy

I hope this is finding the correct person. You are being mentioned in Alan Snels blog regarding cyclists and their lack of courtesy and lack of uage of existing bike lanes. We face the same type of cyclists out in the country also. Alan of course wont respond to my emails regarding the nastiness of the cyclists. I thought you may be interested in the videos below; they show typical behavior of these cyclists in the greater Tampa Bay area. I hope you can use the videos to support your standpoint, cyclists breaking FS 316 by running stop signs, riding more than 2 abreast, not using bike lanes, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwbKNSkGGyw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpc_RqvhHHk

Good luck.


Judy's email to Tim

This was sent to me totally without solicitation.

I said it before and I'll say it again: The public is tired of this war.

Notice the use of words in this email: Nastiness. Lack of courtesy.

These images of our local bicyclists are becoming universal and nothing, I'm sad to say, has been said to me or anyone else who witnesses this behavior to make us believe that the violators have any intentions of backing down. We keep hearing that the Club is telling its members to behave, or that the Club is fairly certain it isn't their members doing this. But I think the credibility is wearing thin.

The horrible truth is that nothing is going to change here until there is violence - that's usually the sort of event that drives change in this world. I have two male friends who are both very passive, non-aggressive, educated teacher-types who wouldn't dream of using foul language or raising a fist, and both of them have rolled down their car windows and blasted bicyclists. Says the university professor who got his head bashed in for protesting the war in ' Nam : "I hate them." Strong stuff.

Judy



Tim's email to Judy

Judy,

I did note that the cyclists (apparently) took a right turn on red (8/29; 5:04) without stopping, after an SUV illegally pulled in front of them, onto the shoulder of a multi-lane roadway (the Pinellas Bay Way ). That maneuver appeared to be safe and did not impede or affect any other traffic. And, for reference, that group was not from St. Petersburg Bicycle Club.

I watched both videos and the cyclists shown (most of whom I know) were riding in a safe and legal manner. They did not run any stop signs (there are none on the route shown); there is no legal requirement to ride in bike lanes; and although they did ride more than two abreast occasionally those appeared to be transient occurrences as one cyclist passed others. For the most part the cyclists were riding on multi-lane roads and did not in any way impede traffic. Again, they were riding in a safe and legal manner.

Please tell me exactly where (what times) do you believe these videos show illegal behavior by cyclists (other than potentially as noted above)? Did I miss something?

Clearly, one problem is not the behavior of cyclists but the understanding of the law by motorists in general and the residents of Lakewood Estates. I’ve tried to be subtle and polite about it, but now I am specifically asking that you forward the attached document to your residents and ask that they read and understand the rights and responsibilities of all vehicle operators, cyclists and motorists.

Note that I am copying the City of St. Petersburg Police Department and others. I found your reference to violence (“road rage”) very disturbing. Hopefully Sergeant Dukeman or another representative of the Police Department can speak to you and the gentlemen you reference about that issue.

Also note I am copying Alan Snel on this response. If you don’t want your e-mails on his blog I’m sure he will respect your request. He is welcome to post my comments if he wishes to do so.

Ride Safely,

TIM

Tim Butts
President SPBC

Copy:
Board of the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club (bc)
Cheryl Stacks, City of St. Petersburg
Michael Frederick, City of St. Petersburg
Sergeant Dukeman, City of St. Petersburg Police Department
Laura Hallam , Florida Bicycle Associations
Alan Snel



Judy's email to Tim

I had the very same thought as I watched that first video. The interesting point here is not that they were occasionally more than 2 abreast or that they failed to stop on red. The interesting point is what the SENDER of that email perceived. He saw a whole mess of problems in a video that to me looked extremely mild. Why do you suppose that is? ( It's not my fault; I never heard of this guy before that email. It came from San Antonio , TX , where they have the same problem. As does Amherst , MA. And I know as much about that video as you do -- it looked like some of it was filmed on the Bayway.)

You missed the point. This is what I am trying to convey: It's an image problem. It's a communication problem. It's a spin problem. And Lakewood is not the problem; our residents have been relatively quiet on this subject. But neighboring areas have been vocal. Let's not limit this to Lakewood ; most of what I personally see by way of discourteous behavior is around the university and on Pinellas Point Drive .

I am not advocating violence; I am merely trying to pass on some hint of the tenor of the messages I get, all over the city, when the subject comes up. We have spoken about this at our meetings and urged people to share the road, but what we get back is anger and resentment, built up over the last few years in which there was so much abuse by the bicycles. Now you are forced to back and fill to get the right message out, and resenting what I tell you, getting defensive, taking umbrage, shooting the messenger, implying to the police that I am advocating the use of violence are counter-productive. Where is your suggestion for a solution to this problem?

The bicycles have a problem and they want the drivers to solve it. How can I go on suggesting to our residents, and to the others in the city who complain to me, that they share the road and try to be nice when the bicycles themselves continue to act as though there were no consequences to their actions, as though we are the enemy? What should I be saying to them? (One of my friends recently tapped her horn to get one of a triplet of bicyclists to move over; as she drove by the man yelled out SLOW DOWN LADY GET A LIFE YOU'LL LIVE LONGER. Is this helpful?)

I think you need a massive public education effort, using a PSA or whatever you can afford. The public's perception of the bicycle riders in this city can't possibly get any worse. It does no good for me to educate the residents of Lakewood about the proper use of the road if the bicycles are going to continue to violate the rules. Which is pretty much what's happened.

Judy


Tim's email to Judy


Judy,

I believe you are sincere and you are just passing-on the more obnoxious comments.

I’m copying the Board on this e-mail for their input.

We will discuss a response to your question “Where is your suggestion for a solution to this problem”? We will get back with you, but it may take us more than a few days.

However, part of the “solution” (as such) will be more education of motorists. They may not like “sharing the road”, but it is the law.

And part of the problem is simply “road rage”.

Here is a link to a site explaining “road rage” - http://www.bicyclelaw.com/road-rights/a.cfm/road-rights-what-is-road-rage.

Ride Safely,

TIM
Tim Butts
President SPBC

Saturday Happenings

Reminder: The Seminole Heights Bicycle Club is staging two holiday rides Saturday.

At 8:30 AM, the Holiday Teddy Bear Urban Ride leaves the Garden Center at 5800 Central Avenue to deliver Teddy Bears at the Channel 8 News Center in downtown Tampa. Feel free to bring a teddy bear along for the ride. This is a fun ride because the SHBC hopes other bike club members come from around the Tampa Bay area to join the fun. About 12 miles at about 12-14mph.

At 11 AM, the Holiday Family Ride leaves 1203 E. Powhatan Ave. for a fun, slow bike ride through Seminole Heights. Easy pace and only 5 miles.

Dress up your bike in holiday decorations for both rides.

Also on Saturday, the Bicycle Outfitters bike shop in Seminole is doing free tune-ups, including fixing flats, tightening bolts and replacing assorted parts at the Rainbow Village Main Office, 12301 134th Ave. in Largo from 9 AM to 1 PM.

For more information, contact Bicycle Outfitters at 727-319-2453. Bicycle Outfitters is a member of SWFBUD.

Potential Funding Source To Make Tampa's Streets Safer For Bicyclists?

I contacted the city of Tampa about a potential funding source to improve bicycle safety in the strests of Tampa. I hope the city's Transportation staffers look into this. This letter was sent today:



Dear Mayor Iorio, Steve Daignault, Irv Lee, John Marsh, Tony Rodriguez, Shannon Edge and the city of Tampa Transportation Division,


A common response I receive from the city of Tampa government about improving bicycle infrastructure is that the city has no money to improve city roads and streets for bicyclist safety.

In response to that, I am sending you what I hope is a potential funding source. It does require someone from the city government to apply for the money and I hope the city would be willing to explore that option.

As you know, Tampa has a national and local reputation for being a city that's unsafe for bicyclists and I hope this potential funding source could provide money to stripe bike lanes and widen roads so that bicyclists can safely pedal the streets of Tampa. I hope we can work together to change Tampa's reputation as a place that's not hospitable to bicyclists.

Here is the pdf:

http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/reports/pdfs/highway_safety_improvement_program.pdf


I appreciate your time and help.

Alan Snel
Director of SWFBUD -- South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers, nine Tampa area bicycle stores and two lawyers committed to bicycle advocacy
Home of the award-winning Bicycle Bash, Tampa Bay's Bicycle Festival
www.swfbud.blogspot.com

Wow, A Bike Lane Got Some Political Attention

Tonight I represented SWFBUD at the MPO2035 Long Range Transportation Plan hearing at the county center in downtown Tampa. The Plan was approved by the MPO Board, a collection of county commissioners, city council members and transportation officials to make decisions about transportation planning.

No surprise the 2035 was approved.

But what was a major surprise was when MPO Board members Tampa City Councilman John Dingfelder (interested in running for county commission), County Commissioner Rose Ferlita (interested in running for Tampa mayor) and County Commissioner Mark Sharpe (you know he's going to run for something) talked about a bike lane.

I know, who knew three politicos were so interested in a bike lane?

But the bike lane issue surfaced at the hearing when local South County activist Mariella Smith did a terrific job explaining how the proposed bike lanes under the 2035 Plan were centered around the Tampa area and that bike lanes were lacking on Shell Point Road and 19th Avenue in south county.

Dingdfelder, Ferlita and Sharpe all voiced concerns about making sure the bike lane would be striped under the plan.

For the record, I told the MPO Board that the tiny slice of the proposed money pie for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure was too small compared to the money spent on light rail and cars under the proposed plan. The MPO spent a lot of time working on this 2035 Plan, and MPO staffers Beth Alden and Gena Torres who are Seminole Heights residents do support bicycling and pedestrian improvements.

But if the Tampa Bay area is going to move up from being near the bottom of the barrel in the U.S. in terms of bicycle and ped safety, our region needs a Marshall Plan-like overhaul of our bicycle and ped infrastructure and needs the city of Tampa Transportation Dept. to do more than build more than bike lanes on TWO roads (Manhattan Avenue and 40th Street) in the six years that I have lived in Tampa.

* * *

Mariella Smith summarized the meeting and sent out a notice about the MPO meeting:

Although we didn't get our bikeways added to the 2035 Transportation Plan's list of funded projects, we did make progress at tonight's final hearing of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) board.


Thanks to all of you who sent in comments and e-mails, some of our elected officials got the message loud and clear tonight -- that South County citizens want to see our community connected with greenways, trails and bikeways. The issue is now on the radar of our transportation planners and decision-makers, and they are promising to find some other way of funding these amenities, which we have spent years planning for.

I spoke about the need for SAFE bikeways down here, and showed their own map of funded bikeways on the ELMO, pointing out that there are LOTS of little purple lines indicating bikeways being funded all through Tampa, downtown, north Tampa and Brandon, but NOT ONE south of Bloomingdale. (They do plan to fund the Sun Coast Trail, one of our 2 major paved trails [shown as a dashed green line], but NONE of the connecting bikeways like they plan to fund in the rest of the county [shown as solid purple lines]. Our connecting bikeways are on their "needs" list, but not on their list of "funded projects.")

Joe Smith spent a good part of his allotted 3 minutes speaking in support of Greenways & Bikeways for South County, too, highlighting our area's history of planning for these corridors as part of our goal of promoting ecotourism. Alan Snel (cycling advocate supreme) spoke in support of more funding for bikeways throughout the county. Thank you, Joe & Alan!

John Dingfelder really went to bat for us! (He's a member of the MPO Board, a Tampa City Councilman, and a candidate for County Commission.) He reiterated the point I made that MANY bikeways were being funded everywhere else, but NONE in South County, and he asked the board to look again at that map of funded bikeways. When county staff said they couldn't fund any bikeways in South County because so many other roads elsewhere were higher on the priority list, given their criteria of population & accidents etc., Dingfelder argued that the criteria needs to include some consideration of equity. He said as it stands, they're treating all of south county like we don't ride bikes.

John Dingfelder acknowledged the years we have spent working on community plans that include these trails, and he pressed hard for staff to revisit the issue within the next 6 months, and find some other sources of funding. Transportation staff began tonight thinking of ways this could be done -- possibly in conjunction with resurfacing projects. County Commissioner Mark Sharpe also voiced support for bikeways in general, and Commissioner Rose Ferlita indicated a willingness to work on this in the future with us.

Thanks to all of us pulling together, we made our county leaders & planners aware of the need for viable, connecting greenways & bikeways; particularly in South Hillsborough; and specifically the bikeways looping east-west along Shell Point Rd. & 19th Ave. -- connecting Ruskin, Sun City Center, 4 schools, 2 libraries, 2 parks, the Suncoast Greenway and the bus/transit station. They now know that this IS important to us, and they are listening, and trying to find ways to turn these "needs" into funded projects.

Thanks for all your help!
Mariella Smith

St. Pete Bike Club Responds To Lakewood Complaints About Cyclists

I thought Tim Butts, president of the St. Pete Bike Club, did a great job at writing a letter to a civic association president who was complaining that cyclists in her neighborhood was hogging the lane.

Notice how Tim stuck to the facts and wrote what I thought was a very professional letter, while Judy the civic association president used rhetoric such as referring to the cyclists as "...gangs as they maraud through here ...”

What I'm going to do is first post a letter from a Lakewood resident to her civic association president, Judy; then the letter by Judy, the Lakewood association president and finally Butts' response.

The First Letter


Judy,

I just wanted to take a minute and say thanks for your diligence and hard work and for keeping up on everything the rest of us need to be keeping up on.

Your effort and hard work are much appreciated by me and my family.

On another note I was wondering what if anything is happening with the bicycle riders using our neighborhood for their personal track?

I noticed that streets are being marked out for a bicycle lane meant for single file riding. At the same time I have observed 2 people riding side by side and still taking an entire lane to themselves.

Also, I was behind one solo rider who was determined not to let me pass no matter how much room I gave him. It seems that it’s the solo riders or the couples that cause the most trouble.

They refuse to obey the law and swerve back and forth in the lane so that you cannot safely go around them. My son is only 15 and is learning how to drive and while he was behind the wheel recently

we had one of these experiences. He was not driving too closely or trying to pass with oncoming traffic he was simply trying to safely maneuver the road.

Riders comes thru here in bulk and they seem to manage, for the most part, to stay orderly and far enough to the side so that you can pass without incident.

I fully understand that we do not own the roads here and I don’t think I have some right to pick and chose who comes thru here but I do live here. Its almost funny that we could not let our son ride

his bicycle when he was young because of the people who sped thru here so fast that they were a danger. Now he has to be extra careful learning to drive so that someone who doesn’t even live here can ride his bike all over an entire lane. Judy, is there someone I need to contact or email or maybe write a letter about this issue? What can I do to make this better or is there anything to be done?

Merry Christmas,


Judy's Letter

I am passing this on to the new mayor and to my contact in the St Pete bike club but wanted you to know that continuing to add bike lanes is becoming a real problem in this city. The lanes this man is talking about, recently added on Columbus , and are never used by the peletons - they ride now and always have ridden in the middle of the road in Lakewood , often using all of it and giving the state bird salute to anyone who objects. They don't even slow down for our 4-way stops, let alone come to a halt. While we are tolerant of the stop-sign infractions, recognizing it is not easy to stop a long line of bicycles, our courtesies are not reciprocated.

Much of the western lane on Columbus, in the 5000 block, filled up with pine needles within a day after it was put down, is now virtually invisible, and never used.

As before, we are going to have to bring out our crime patrol on a Saturday morning, with a little help from the SPPD, to shake an angry finger at these gangs as they maraud through here, oblivious to the needs of the residents. I recently witnessed a police officer on 3rd Street , one Saturday morning, riding behind a peleton with a megaphone repeating MOVE TO THE RIGHT, MOVE TO THE RIGHT. Not an hour later I saw the same group in Lakewood , back in the middle of the road.

I hope we have laid our last bike lane in this city, I truly do. We seem to have carried our desire to be bicycle friendly to an extreme that no longer serves any public purpose.

Judy


Tim Butts' Response


Judy,

John Sinibaldi forwarded me your e-mail.

Although the SPBC appreciates the City Government's continuing efforts to improve the City's "cycling infrastructure" (in this case, per the Lakewood Civic Association Neighborhood Traffic Plan Map, updated in 2007) your comments identify one problem with bike lanes. Obviously, a lane covered with pine needles is not a safe place to ride. In many cases, generally, not just in St. Pete, bicycle lanes are not safe to ride in. One problem is debris or uneven pavement in the bike lanes. In recognition of the variable nature of the roadway surface Florida law does not require cyclists to ride on the right side of the road at all times or in bicycle lanes (Section 316.2065(5)(a) 3, F.S.). The law requires cyclists to ride as far to the right as practical. Practical reasons for not riding next to the right curb of a road or in a bicycle lane include, but are not limited to: debris (i.e. bricks, 2X4's, bottle caps, glass, pine needles, etc.); pot-holes; bumps; substandard-width of the bicycle lane; and visibility limitations of the bicycle lane.

Further, the law (Section 316.2065(5)(a)3, F.S.) allows cyclists to ride two abreast (but not more) as long as they do not impede traffic. An exception to this is where the traffic lane is not wide enough for a motor vehicle to pass a cyclist safely. Although not specified in Florida law, that is generally recognized as a width of 14 feet. That is, if a traffic lane is less then 14 feet wide the cyclist may "take the lane" (i.e. ride in the middle of the road) to prevent the motorist from trying to unsafely pass them. Logically, in that situation, two cyclists riding abreast would achieve the same effect. Although I have not measured them, I suspect many lanes, but not all, in Lakewood Estates are less than 14 feet wide.

The Club has and continues to take many steps to educate our members on cycling law, safe riding, and in general Sharing the Road. We have provided documents to our members (Florida Cycling Law Enforcement Guide, Group Riding Guidelines & 10 Rules for Riding with the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club), provided links to various informational web sites (Stpetecycling.com, Floridabicycle.org, and Flbikelaw.org) and provided forums for members to discuss safely/legal issues (Google and Facebook). We continue to look for new methods to educate our members and increase the safety of our group rides. What steps has the Lakewood Civic Association taken to inform its members about cycling/vehicle law and Sharing the Road?

Unfortunately, cyclists, even members of the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club, are not perfect, and many cyclists in the City have no relationship with the Club. The Club stresses respect for all other users of the roads: other cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. If indeed a cyclists in a group ride gives you or one of your members a “one finger salute” please let me know the time and place of that occurrence. I will do my best to identify the offending party and – if they are a Club member - explain to them, in detail, that such behavior is unacceptable in the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club.

I will point out that the motorists/cyclists relationship is a two-way street. We - cyclists in the City of St. Petersburg - are confronted daily with threats of injury or death by motorists who are either careless or ignorant of the law, or both. These violations of the law by motorist can cause, and all too often this year have caused, injury to our members. I have no problem with the SPPD enforcing Florida ’s traffic laws and ticketing cyclists for disobeying those laws, if they are enforcing the law evenly and ticket motorists for infractions at the same time.

Judy – I have found you in the past to be a reasonable person interested in solutions, not rhetoric, but I must take umbrage with your use of the phrase "...gangs as they maraud through here ...” Those "Gangs" are Florida Citizens (mostly City of St. Petersburg residents) who are riding (marauding?) their bicycles legally on a public road. As Citizens, and Human Beings, they deserve more respect than that.

Ride, and Drive, Safely,

TIM

Tim Butts
President St. Petersburg Bicycle Club

A Bike Rack Grows At Wal-Mart

So, I went to Wal-Mart today on Dale Mabry near I-275 and noticed no bike rack and at least five bikes locked to trees and sign posts on islands in the parking lot.

What a mess.

So I called the Wal-Mart store manager, a woman named Debbie because her name and phone number was right on my receipt.

I asked her to please install a bike rack.

And she said she would include a new bike rack when the store is remodeled in February.

Let's hope Debbie the Wal-Mart manager was not BSing me.