Summer FBA Board Meeting
Interested in attending the next FBA Board meeting or perhaps even considering a Board position? Now’s your chance since the summer meeting will be held Saturday, July 17, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, in West Palm Beach at the office of the Downtown Development Authority, 301 Clematis Street. The Meet & Greet gathering precedes the meeting, Friday, July 16, from 6:00-8:00 pm at Grease Burger Bar, 213 Clematis Street (yes, they have vegi options). Your voice counts and the best way to make a difference is to get involved as an Advisory or Board member.
For out of town guests, housing options include (in increasing cost order):
*Hotel Biba http://www.hotelbiba.com/ [the rates are ridiculously low, and it’s a local business!]
*WPB Best Western http://www.bestwesternflorida.com/hotels/best-western-palm-beach-lakes
*WPB Comfort Inn http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-west_palm_beach-florida-FL838?promo=gglocal
*WPB Hampton Inn http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=SZD0VQ1LDWXQOCSGBJNMVCQ?ctyhocn=PBICAHX
*WPB Crowne Plaza http://www.cpwestpalmbeach.com/
All are within a few miles of downtown, and you could ride from each of them (though most safely from Biba).
Thank you advisory member Raphael Clemente for hosting the meeting and board member Stephanie Striefel for handling other logistics.
Summer FBA Board Meeting
| July 16, 2010 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 8:00 pm |
| July 17, 2010 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 5:00 pm |
Interested in attending the next FBA Board meeting or perhaps even considering a Board position? Now’s your chance since the summer meeting will be held Saturday, July 17, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, in West Palm Beach at the office of the Downtown Development Authority, 301 Clematis Street. The Meet & Greet gathering precedes the meeting, Friday, July 16, from 6:00-8:00 pm at Grease Burger Bar, 213 Clematis Street (yes, they have vegi options). Your voice counts and the best way to make a difference is to get involved as an Advisory or Board member.
For out of town guests, housing options include (in increasing cost order):
*Hotel Biba http://www.hotelbiba.com/ [the rates are ridiculously low, and it’s a local business!]
*WPB Best Western http://www.bestwesternflorida.com/hotels/best-western-palm-beach-lakes
*WPB Comfort Inn http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-west_palm_beach-florida-FL838?promo=gglocal
*WPB Hampton Inn http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=SZD0VQ1LDWXQOCSGBJNMVCQ?ctyhocn=PBICAHX
*WPB Crowne Plaza http://www.cpwestpalmbeach.com/
All are within a few miles of downtown, and you could ride from each of them (though most safely from Biba).
Thank you advisory member Raphael Clemente for hosting the meeting and board member Stephanie Striefel for handling other logistics.
Cycling Savvy has arrived
Bicycle safety eduction comes in more than one flavor. Check out FBA’s newest cycling education program – Cycling Savvy – developed by Keri Caffrey and Mighk Wilson. FBA also offers Traffic Skills 101 classes, but this 9-hour course is divided into three segments which may be taken “ala carte” or as a package:
3-hour classroom segment: covers the rules of the road, how traffic works from the bicyclist perspective, avoidance strategies for the most common types of crashes, and route selection strategies.
3-hour skills drills: progressively improves the bicyclist’s handling skills both to increase confidence in the student’s use of the vehicle, and to train them in essential skills for crash avoidance.
3-hour on-road course: students are taken through a real-world route with a variety of roadway and intersection types; the class stops before selected intersections to discuss the layout, potential conflicts, and strategies.
Classes are currently been offered in Orlando, but once more instructors are trained, opportunities will be available in other parts of Florida.
Lake Mary Traffic Skills 101 Class
| July 18, 2010 | ||
| 8:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
| July 25, 2010 | ||
| 8:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
Part 1 of 2 parts: July 18
Part 2 of 2 parts: July 25 (Must attend Part 1 to attend Part 2)
Location: Lake Mary Police Department, 165 East Crystal Lake Ave, Lake Mary , FL 32746
Fee: $39 for class $11 for book: total = $50 COVERS BOTH PARTS
To register for this course, contact: Lyndy Moore or Michael Cottle
Phone: 407-282-3245 Lyndy
Contact Email: lotzapurple@earthlink.net
Phone: 407-688-1959 Michael
Contact Email: Michael@outspokenbikes.com
Website: http://outspokenbikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=11993
Pre-registration is required. Classes are limited to first 24 riders so register early.
BRING LUNCH!
Miami Traffic Skills 101 Class
| June 27, 2010 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 5:00 pm |
Tropical Park Community Center, 7900 SW 40 St, Miami, FL 33155
Cost: $35
To register contact: David Henderson, 305-375-1647, or email davidh@miamidade.gov. Class size is limited so register early. Registration deadline: June 26, 2010.
Fort Lauderdale Traffic Skills 101 Class
| June 28, 2010 | ||
| 5:30 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
| June 29, 2010 | ||
| 5:30 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
zMotion Foundation, 2200 W. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL
Cost: $35
Instructors: Dan Moser and Laura Hallam
To register contact: Cathy McCarthy, 954-644-4006, or email cathymccarthy@adv.com for a complete registration packet. Registration is limited to zMotion Team members.
Jacksonville Traffic Skills 101 Class
| August 28, 2010 | ||
| 7:45 am | to | 4:15 pm |
Lakeshore Bicycles & Fitness, 2106 Blanding Blvd, Jacksonville, FL
Cost: $35
To register contact: Jodi Hohlstein, 904-291-8664, or email jodi@floridabicycle.org for confirmation of date and a complete registration packet. Register early since class size is limited to 17 students. Registration deadline: August 24.
This class is brought to you by the First Coast Chapter of FBA.
Federal Safe Routes Program Under Attack
Take Action!
Urge Your Representative to Support Safe Routes To Schools
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) has targeted the federal Safe Routes to School program established under the 2005 Federal Surface Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU) as wasteful government spending in his weekly “YouCut program”.
Each week representative Cantor asks people to vote for which of five options they would cut from the federal budget. Republicans then hold a floor vote in the House of Representatives to try to eliminate the program that gets the most votes.
This week, the federal Safe Routes to School program is one of Rep. Cantor’s targets. He argues that SRTS duplicates other bicycling and walking programs, and that bicycling and walking infrastructure is a local government responsibility. We need your help making sure that Members of Congress understand the value of Safe Routes to School and support it.
Please take a few minutes to send a message to your Member of Congress to ask them to vote against any effort to cut Safe Routes to School.
The passing of HB 971 generates press
There has been plenty of press about the passing of HB 971 including this article in the Orlando Sentinel. FBA board vice president Mighk Wilson was quoted: “Bike lanes might not be all that we thought they were cracked up to be,” said Mighk Wilson, a smart-growth planner and bike advocate at MetroPlan Orlando.
Wilson said he thinks riding in the midst of traffic is safer than bike lanes or the side of the road because bicyclists are more visible to motorists. Bike lanes, he said, often run too close to parking spaces, making riders vulnerable to people who open their car doors without looking.
He also contends that drivers who are turning often fail to see bikers because they are too far off to the side.
Wilson said he would like to launch a study looking at the effectiveness of bike lanes, specifically whether they lead to fewer accidents between motorists and cyclists. He doubts they are safer, and he would not miss the lanes if they were gone.
“It’s not that you would take the width [of the road] away, just the stripes,” said Wilson, who regularly commutes to work by bike.
Governor Crist signs HB 971 into law
Yesterday afternoon, Governor Crist signed HB 971, among many other bills into law. Thanks to all of you who expressed your concerns over this bill encouraging it to be vetoed. Yes, this is a defeat, but now we must rally together to plan our strategy for the 2011 Legislative Session.
HB 971 isn’t all bad. At 81 pages, there are many good things in the bill and unfortunately the mandatory bike lane use was slipped in late in the Session, along with other pedestrian issues. This process is not unusual, but now FBA will be planning for it.
FBA’s Legislative Committee will be meeting in the next few weeks to develop strategies and set priorities. The results will be shared via a survey for review by FBA members and other interested parties. Your input is very important. If you are not an FBA member, please join now to support our legislative efforts. Membership fees will help fund a legislative staff position.
In the mean time, now is the time to develop relationships with your elected officials in the district. Invite them for a bike ride. Let them know you are a local expert regarding bicycling issues.
It is up to all of us to make something good come out of HB 971. We will not go away empty-handed but will come back strong in 2011.