City Council
City of
Dear City Council Members:
The Sanibel Bicycle Club, throughout its nine-year existence, has promoted improved bicycling safety and infrastructure on Sanibel. Over the past decade, the Club has contributed to the stewardship of the paths, working closely with the City to identify and address safety problems and possible solutions. The Club’s 200-plus members are committed to continuing to work with the City in furthering our common goals.
Importance of Sanibel’s
Shared-Use Paths
The Sanibel Bicycle Club would like to thank the City for the wonderful 26-mile shared-use path system that exists on Sanibel today. This treasure reflects the visionary foresight of our City’s leaders and its citizens. Residents, renters, and tourists use the paths for various purposes--walking, jogging, dog walking, rollerblading, bird watching, surrey riding, as well as bicycling. The paths play an increasingly important role in residential transportation for work, errands, and meetings. Because of the causeway problem, biking has become a feasible alternative to driving, avoiding the long lines of traffic exiting the island. A recent survey found biking to be the favorite activity for residents on the island, edging out golf, the beach, and tennis. It is obvious to any observer that path usage has exploded in the past several years. The resulting congestion has had a negative impact on the safety of the people using these paths. Safety on the shared-use paths should be our first priority.
Path Improvements in FY
2003
The Club has been pleased with the continued fast response by the Department of Public Works to safety issues. In addition, other positive improvements this year include:
·
The widening of the path on part of
· A new crosswalk at Bailey’s Road;
· Several crosswalks have been improved, including the one at the Sanibel Community Association;
·
Improvements in the dangerous corner at the
intersection of
· Improved signage at some locations;
· Appropriation of specific funds in 2003 for needed maintenance and repairs of existing paths to address safety issues; and
· Progress in developing the City’s Shared-use Path Master Plan, with the public input process initiated this year by the Public Works Department and the Parks and Recreation Committee, with the goal of issuing a final Plan by the end of FY
2003. The Club believes that it is important to have a long-range plan that will provide a roadmap for future investments in the path system, and looks forward to commenting on the draft Plan. (See Attachment 1.)
Importance of Paths in Context
of the Causeway Crisis
The Sanibel Bicycle Club recognizes that the “causeway crisis” is resulting in reduced revenues for the City, which will be with us for the next 4-5 years. It is obvious that the City is facing the difficult task of establishing priorities. We believe that investments in the shared-use path system should be a high priority, even given the current funding situation. The increased use of the paths has created safety and liability concerns, while path usage by visitors, who consider our paths one of the major reasons they visit our island, provides important economic benefits for our community and the City. The paths are also an important part of the quality of life attraction for current and future residents of the island. We believe that it is better to spend money providing safe bike paths than legal settlements resulting from unsafe paths.
Sanibel Bicycle Club’s
Near-Term Priorities
The Sanibel Bicycle Club’s top
three near-term priorities are:
Request for Consideration by
City and its Committees of Club Priorities
The Club is hopeful that the City’s Shared-use Path Master Plan, which is due to be presented to the Council in June, will include these priorities. The overarching long-term goal of the Master Plan should be to insure that every part of the island is accessible by a safe, well-paved path with a minimum width of 8’, which is adequately maintained. (See Attachment 1.) It is important that the Master Plan not only addresses the near-term priorities, but also provides a long-term roadmap for the expansion of the shared-use path system. We hope that these priorities will be reflected in the recommendations from the Parks and Recreation Committee and 5-Year Budget Committee, and in the City’s 2004 budget.
Potential Funding Sources for
the Long-Term
The Club’s presentation to the 5-Year Budget Committee in April 2003 contained several ideas for long-term additional funding that the City could explore. (See Attachment 2.)
It should be pointed out that most Federal and State funding sources do not provide funds for ongoing maintenance of the paths, and many of these grant programs award funds for projects to be initiated several years into the future. (See Attachment 3.) The Sanibel Bicycle Club recommends that the City initiate actions this year that could result in the future acquisition of Federal, State, and other funds that may be available.
“Bike to Work” Day
Proposal
Bicycles are not only a
recreational activity on Sanibel, but also a mode of transportation. Especially in light of the Causeway
situation, the City should encourage biking as a way to avoid the long lines of
traffic exiting the island. To
promote this idea, the Club proposes that the City Council consider a resolution
declaring the first Monday of each month as “Bike to Work” Day. Residents would be encouraged to leave
their cars at home and bike to work (including volunteer work), to shops, to the
beach, to run errands, etc. This
approach has been used in communities around the country as a way to raise
awareness of the importance of bicycling to alleviate traffic problems. If the
Council decides to adopt such a resolution, the Club is willing to assist the
City in instituting such a “day”.
Closing
We appreciate the efforts of the Council and the City Administration in furthering our common goals. We look forward to your continued efforts in the future. We offer the help and assistance of more than 200 members in any way possible to achieve these important goals. Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Sincerely,
George Sousa, President
Attachments:
cc: Judie Zimomra, City Manager
Armand Ball, Chair, Parks and Recreation Committee
Doug Congress, Chair, 5-Year Budget Projection Committee