South County Greenways – LAST CHANCE
Please tell county planners to include South County Greenways bike/pedestrian trails in their 20-year funding plan. These bikeways & paved trails have been promised to us for decades, in several plans, but important connector trails are now are left out of this plan, and so are not slated for funding in the next 20 years!
Final Public Hearing for the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan
Wednesday, December 9, 6:00 p.m.
County Center, 601 E Kennedy Blvd, 2nd Floor
If you can’t attend, please provide comments BEFORE THE HEARING.
Sample comments:
Subject: Put South County Greenways in MPO 2035 Plan
Dear transportation planners and decision-makers,
In the MPO 2035 plan, please include south county greenways trails — not just in the “needs list,” but in the 20-year Funding Plan. Of particular importance is the east-west bikeway loop along Shell Point Rd. and 19th Ave., which would CONNECT the South Coast Greenways Trail, with Ruskin’s bus-stop transit hub & town center, 2 schools (HCC campus & Lennard High School), 2 parks (E.G. Simmons Park & Wolfbranch Creek nature preserve) 2 libraries (Ruskin Branch & South Shore Regional), a post office, as well as hooking into the bike paths that connect Ruskin, Mira Bay, Apollo Beach, Sun City Center & businesses on Hwy. 41 & 301.
South County citizens have been working with the county for many years on several plans that include these bike/pedestrian trails (including the Southshore Areawide Systems Plan and the Ruskin Community Plan). We’ve worked with developers over the years to add bike lanes connecting to this promised loop in anticipation that these Greenways will someday be built. These projects are on the “needs list,” but if they are not included in the 20-year funding plan (“Cost Affordable Maps”), we will never see them built in our lifetimes. This is especially disappointing since several trails & bikeways in other parts of the county are slated for funding, but only one is funded here. That one trail, the South Coast Greenway, needs the connections provided by the Shell Point/19th Av. loop bikeways to make it a viable part of our south county communities.
The Tampa Bay area is the second most dangerous place in America for cyclists. This is our chance to provide safe alternative transportation pathways for cyclists & pedestrians in south Hillsborough, connecting neighborhoods to bus transit, schools, libraries, post office, parks and businesses.
Please send your comments to your elected officials who serve on the Metropolitan Plan Organization for Transportation:
Kevin Beckner <becknerk@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Mark Sharpe <sharpem@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Rose Ferlita <ferlitar@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Ken Hagan <hagank@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Mary Mulhern <mary@marymulhern.com>,
John Dingfelder <john@johndingfelder.com>,
Ray Chiaramonte <rayc@plancom.org>
Before noon Tuesday enter your comments online: http://bit.ly/MPOsurvey
Before noon Wednesday record your comments by phone: 1-888-777-5730
More info:
- Download Greenways map:
(click “Download” not “Preview” if you want it quick)
http://www.box.net/shared/hqu6dg1ya0 - Download MPO funded bikeways:
http://bit.ly/MPObikeMap - Learn more about the MPO 2035 Transportation Plan:
http://www.mpo2035.org/intheplan.html
Thanks for your help!
