Florida Bicycle Association

Draft 2010 Strategic Intermodal System Strategic Plan and Summary of Proposed Designation Changes Available for Public Comment

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announces the Draft 2010 Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) Strategic Plan and Summary of Proposed Designation Criteria Changes are available for public and partner review from November 24, 2009 through December 28, 2009.  During this time, FDOT invites partners and the public to offer comments on these draft documents.   FDOT is also posting for comment a summary other potential changes to designation criteria being evaluated as part of the 2010 SIS Designation Update process.

The Draft 2010 SIS Strategic Plan provides policy guidance for designation and implementation of Florida’s Strategic Intermodal System (SIS), building on the policy foundation of the 2005 SIS Strategic Plan.

The SIS was established in 2003 to enhance Florida’s economic competitiveness by focusing state resources on the transportation facilities most critical for statewide and interregional travel.  The SIS is a statewide network of high-priority transportation facilities, including the state’s largest and most significant commercial service airports, spaceport, deepwater seaports, freight rail terminals, passenger rail and intercity bus terminals, rail corridors, waterways, and highways.

A 31-member leadership committee composed of FDOT and its partners met from January – October 2009 and made recommendations to FDOT for updating the plan.  Many other statewide, regional and local partners provided input and feedback throughout the process, including twelve regional workshops held in fall of 2009.  Based on all of this input, FDOT drafted the 2010 SIS Strategic Plan and proposed designation criteria changes.  Following this public and partner review period and final internal review, FDOT will adopt the 2010 SIS Strategic Plan and designation criteria changes in January 2010.

Comments on the Draft 2010 SIS Strategic Plan and proposed designation criteria changes may be submitted electronically using the on-line comment form on the SIS Update web site (see link below) or by submitting comments in writing by mail or fax to the address provided below.

We hope you will take time to review the Draft 2010 SIS Strategic Plan and proposed designation criteria changes and give us the benefit of your comments.  All comments submitted will be reviewed and considered by FDOT.

A copy of the draft Plan is available on the SIS Update web site at:

http://www.sisupdate.org<http://www.sisupdate.org/>

Or you may obtain a copy by writing or faxing your request to the address below:

Mr. Brian S. Watts
2010 SIS Plan Update Project Manager
Office of Policy Planning
Florida Department of Transportation
605 Suwannee Street, MS 28
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Injured Veterans to Set off on First Annual Florida Challenge

Article by Miriam Gallet, Naval Air Station Jacksonville Public Affairs Officer

TAMPA– More than 180 injured veterans will set off across Florida on December 12, starting the six-day, 350-mile Ride 2 Recovery Florida Challenge. The event is presented by UnitedHealthcare. Ride 2 Recovery Florida Challenge will raise funds to support indoor Spinning® Recovery Labs and outdoor cycling programs at Military and VA locations around the U.S., aiding the rehabilitation and recovery efforts of the injured veterans.

“We are very, very proud to a part of this Ride 2 Recovery Florida Challenge,” said David Lewis, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Central/North Florida. “The sacrifices made by the men and women in our military are enormous, and when injury occurs, they need the full measure of our support. We want those brave individuals to enjoy a return to the health and wellbeing they richly deserve.”

The ride will begin Saturday, December 12 from MacDill AFB and end on Thursday, December 17 at the Jacksonville Jag’s game vs. the Colts after a stop at Naval Station, Mayport. The USO will again provide support for the daily rest stops with the USO Canteen being present each day. The American Legion Riders will provide a motorcycle escort during the event and several American Legion Posts will sponsor dinners and community events.

Notable participants include Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Gary Roughead, Warrior Care and Transition Commander BGEN Gary Cheek, Jeremiah Workman – Recipient – Navy Cross, Nathan Hunt – National Spokesman R2R – double amputee, Greg Gadson – double amputee (Superbowl Giants’ inspirational co-captain), and Mike McNaughton – National Spokesman R2R and Louisiana Dept. of VA The National Commander of the American Legion and the President of the American Legion Auxiliary will also be on the ride. Several member of the USO will participate in the full ride in addition to the USO Canteen providing rest stop support.

The ride features stops at the Florida Gator’s football stadium (The Swamp), World Golf Hall of Fame, and Mayport Naval Base before the ending ceremony at the Jag’s Game. Other highlights along the route include school visits, welcome parades, and community events sponsored by the USO and the American Legion Family.

The Florida Challenge from Tampa to Jacksonville, presented by UnitedHealthcare, is set to be an exciting, fun, and life-changing event for everyone involved. To find out more or to sign up for an upcoming ride, please visit www.ride2recovery.com.

To go directly to the route maps click here and then click on the day to bring up the interactive map.

About R2R

Ride 2 Recovery improves the health and wellness of injured veterans through cycling. Cycling is an important part of the recovery process because it is an activity that almost all patients with mental and physical disabilities can participate, and it helps to speed up the rehabilitation process.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with approximately 590,000 physicians and care professionals and more than 4,900 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

BikeWalkLee’s letter to Governor Crist requesting action on “Dangerous by Design” report

November 20, 2009

Dear Governor Crist,

Once again, Florida is in the national spotlight ―this time, as the most dangerous state in the country for pedestrians. A national report, “Dangerous by Design,” jointly produced by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America, found Florida to have a danger index for pedestrians that is three times the national average. There is substantial evidence that pedestrians and bicyclists are being put at risk across the state and we call upon you, as the leader of our state, to present a plan of action to the citizens of Florida….To read full letter:  http://bikewalklee.blogspot.com/

Darla Letourneau

BikeWalkLee – a coalition working to complete Lee County’s streets

Jacksonville Traffic Skills 101 Class

Lakeshore Bicycles & Fitness, 2106 Blanding Blvd, Jacksonville, FL

Cost: $35

To register contact: Jodi Hohlstein, 904-282-2180, or email jodi@fbafirstcoast.org for confirmation of date and a complete registration packet. Register early since class size is limited to 17 students.

Miami Traffic Skills for Bicyclists Class

Sunday, November 15, 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Tropical Park Community Center, 7900 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155

Cost: $35

To register contact: David Henderson, 305-375-1647, or email davidh@miamidade.gov. Class size is limited so you MUST register in advance.

Be Part of the Solution – Be a Conference Presenter

FBA needs your expertise for our upcoming ProBike/ProWalk Florida Conference, “The Dollars and Sense of Bicycling and Walking”, being held in Lakeland, May 11-13, 2010.
At our inaugural Bike Summit at Florida’s state capitol last April it became very clear that for significant headway to be made at this level – or any level, for that matter – it’s necessary to put dollar values on the benefits of creating communities that are bike/ped-friendly. Likewise, costs associated with not having that kind of environment are just as important.
Beyond money spent on bike-related tourism and accompanying tax revenue collected by the state, cycling and walking impacts many aspect of our economy. Some examples include individual and government savings or costs related to health, environmental impacts, and the one with arguably the biggest impact – transportation.
To assist FBA begin what we know will be the complex process of collecting and analyzing credible data, we’ve decided to make bike/ped economics the theme of ProBike/ProWalk Florida 2010.
If you have something to offer in terms of a conference session topic, please submit a paper summarizing what you’d like to present by December 1, 2009.
We’d also like to get sessions that are appropriate for professional development credits certified for planners, landscape architects, transportation engineers, and other professionals, so please keep that in mind when developing your topic.
FBA is looking forward to the information that comes from the conference – and follow-up research – being substantial enough to use to begin making the case that routinely accommodating pedestrians and cyclists makes total economic sense.
Please direct your questions and submit session summaries to Dan Moser, FBA Program Manager, at dan@floridabicycle.org.

Assume the position ~ Instant stop!

Most cyclists will never need to do a panic stop for real. A few will. I personally know two people who needed to do it. Neither knew how, both went over the handlebars and to the hospital. One required extensive reconstructive surgery and has permanent injuries.

We teach the instant stop in Traffic Skills 101 and I daresay, that most who learned it there, couldn’t do it in an emergency today. That’s because it takes practice to get it right and then, an occasional refresher. And like most athletic maneuvers, the set-up has huge influence on the outcome.

So what’s the anatomy of a panic stop? The front brake on a bicycle has potentially most of the bike’s stopping power. As brakes are applied, one’s weight will normally shift forward placing more weight on the front wheel than the rear so the rear will start to lose traction sooner. The farther forward the weight transfer the more effective the front brake. In extreme cases the front wheel may even lock up and over the handle bars you go.

The technique we teach for the instant stop is to come off the saddle, raise your butt up and behind the saddle over the rear wheel and hold it there with arm strength, while applying the brakes. Front brake pressure should be up to three times rear brake pressure. By doing this, you’re putting weight directly over the rear wheel, making the rear brake more effective and limiting the front brake’s ability to force you to lose control.

If the rear tire begins to skid, release pressure slightly on the front brake. The rear tire skidding is an indicator that the front brake is becoming too effective. Releasing the non-skidding brake is an unnatural act and must be practiced.

In order to get the leg positioning to push your your butt up and behind the saddle your feet must be at the three and nine o’clock position. And they have to stay there until you are again back over the saddle, just before completing the stop. For grins, lets call this butt-aft position the IS (instant stop) position.

Cyclists who are operationally good at the instant stop will clearly have their butt behind the saddle. Cyclists who are expert, can actually lay their belly on the saddle.

When I was flying fighters, we had a saying, “You fight like you train.” In the heat of battle, what you do must be ingrained in your body, to do well. Closer to our world, if you have been riding with a clipless system for a while, I challenge you to sit down and write a detailed description of what you do when you come to a stop and dismount. Chances are, you’ll have to think about it for a few minutes before writing. That’s because when we first get the clips we pretty quickly figure out how to stop without falling, as long as we consciously go through the steps. Steven Covey calls that conscious competence. Over time, we stop thinking about it and just do it. That’s called unconscious competence.When Jodi and I recently rode with friends in Reno Nevada, the bike I was riding had standard pedals. Yet I found myself twisting my landing foot to unclip at each stop, like the foot had a mind of its own.

In the instant stop, the set-up is to get to the IS position immediately as you simultaneously begin to brake. This is crucial to successfully completing the maneuver. But that’s not the normal way most people stop. I have recently begun going to the IS position any time I begin to brake from cruising speed. Then I actually brake normally and get back on the seat as I slow towards walking speed. This way, I’m training my body for the set-up. If after I start braking I see a need to stop quicker, I’m already in position.

The idea of this is if an unexpected obstacle necessitates an instant stop, the act of reaching for the brakes will trigger an automatic body response to assume the IS position because there won’t be time to think about it. Just to act.

Occasionally, you may want to execute a full practice instant stop just to keep your skills honed. Make sure you are alone or the other riders have been warned, and there are no cars in close proximity. Also, it’s not a good idea to practice it right at an intersection or stop sign.

The closest I’ve come to executing an instant stop for real since routinely assuming the IS position was recently on a North Florida Bicycle Club ride. I was approaching the stop sign at about 15 mph on a substandard width two-lane road that “T’d” into a through road. As I began to stop, a flat bed tractor trailer turned left onto my road and its trailer ate up a huge chunk of my lane. I slowed rapidly and being already in the IS position, felt much more in control of the situation.

Initially, it takes a little more effort to go to the IS position, just like it did to unclip. After a while, just like unclipping, it will be second nature. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to add this IS to your defensive cycling skills? It can mean the difference between a disasterous panic stop or a well controlled instant stop. The trailer incident sure sold me.

Calling all Florida Bicycle Club Presidents

The Florida Freewheelers Bicycle Club has generously offered to host a meeting  of all Florida Bicycle Club Presidents in conjunction with the 30th Anniversary Horrible Hundred two-day event November 14-15 in Clermont.  The purpose of the meeting is to share ideas and discuss ways we can all learn from one another on topics ranging from ride management, charity rides, SCOR (Specialized Cardiac Outpatient Rehabilitation) Chapters, bike education workshops and legislative strategies for 2010. Other agenda items are also welcomed.

The meeting will be held Saturday, November 14, at the Fairfield Inn & Suites from 3:30-5:30 pm. Other activities on Saturday include packet pick-up and registration, and a sponsor/vendor expo at Waterfront Park.  The Horrible Hundred Main Event occurs Sunday, November 15, at Waterfront Park with a Century, 70-mile and 35-mile route options beginning at 8:00 am.

In support of the Florida Bicycle Club Presidents’ meeting, the Florida Freewheelers and the Horrible Hundred will provide one (1) complimentary ride registration to each club for their president or designee if they choose to attend the meeting. Interested individuals should contact Scot Hartle, FFW Executive Director at FFWmail@aol.com, to register for the bike ride, as well as Laura Hallam to RSVP for the meeting at laura@floridabicycle.org.

FBA Board of Director members and staff will facilitate the meeting since FFW President Art Ackerman and Horrible Hundred Director Tom Bargnesi will have their hands full with final preparations for the HH.  They have pledged their support and hope this meeting is the beginning of an annual event.

Please share this information with your club so all clubs are represented at the Florida Bicycle Club Presidents’ meeting. For more information, contact Laura Hallam.