Through our help desk, the Florida Bicycle Association assists dozens of communities, residents and agencies each year in their efforts to become more bike-friendly.
The Florida Bicycle Association provides direct assistance to community members, government staff, consultants and elected leaders to help shape policies, programs and projects that make Florida more bike-friendly.
Included in the community help is the "Bicycle Infrastructure Assistance" program, which helps cyclists improve conditions at specific locations where there are problems. The assistance also is available to government agencies.
Since 2020, we have helped more than 30 communities, government agencies and residents assess proposed infrastructure and policies, and pointed them to the bike-friendly option.
Led by Ed Barsotti, an award-winning statewide advocate and the former executive director of Bike Illinois who now volunteers his time to improve conditions in Florida, the assistance program is part of Florida Bicycle’s ongoing help desk, which assists dozens of communities and constituents each year. To get assistance evaluating and adopting bike-friendly infrastructure and policies, submit the simple form to the right.
The Florida Bicycle team investigates what can be done to improve the situation and provides assistance in requesting a solution from the appropriate agency.
“If there is an upcoming road project in your problem area, we can even ask the road agency to add specific features to the design,” Barsotti said. “If not, we can determine if lower-cost retrofits are achievable and can make a difference in the interim.”
The team’s approach is pragmatic and takes into account Florida Department of Transportation standards, national best practices, and jurisdictional complexities.
Projects already addressed through the program span a wide range of improvements, such as adding new motorist-directed signage in Vero Beach, restoring a removed bike lane in Lakewood Ranch, improving a trail crossing in Wakulla County, selecting good streets and treatments for bike routes in DeLand, and improving safety where a bridge's bike lane tapers to an end in Daytona Beach.
When completing the form, provide detailed information so that the assistance team’s research and response can be as quick and productive as possible.
In addition to bike-infrastructure assistance, the Florida Bicycle help desk also answers questions about traffic laws, where to ride, group-cycling best practices, where to find guidance, and more.