Speak up for safe paved bike/walk trails!
County Commissioner Pat Kemp is working to kick-start safe cycling trails in Hillsborough. Here are 3 things we can do to help:
1.) Show up at Pat Kemp’s Community Conversation, “Safe, Scenic, Sensational, Shaded Trails.” Details are on the Facebook event page. There will be a great presentation by Dale Allen (he’s awesome!), a panel discussion with state & county agencies & cycling advocates (including me!), and a discussion period after to see how we can all support Patricia Kemp in her efforts to build more paved trails.
Community Conversation on Trails
Tuesday, April 4, 2017 @ 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library, in Meeting Room A
1505 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa, FL 33602
2.) Speak to the County Commission at their next meeting, where Commissioner Kemp has put Multi-Use Trails on the agenda, with presentations from Dale Allen, Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation; Anthony Matonti, TBARTA; and Wade Reynolds, Hillsborough MPO. The presentation will be at 10:15 a.m., but public comment can only happen at 9:10 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. Sign in when you get there, then you’ll get 3 minutes to tell them why you support trails, and tell them it’s high time to build the South Coast Greenway Trail from Ruskin to Tampa!
County Commission Meeting
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
9:10 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. Public Comment
County Center, 2nd Floor Boardroom
601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33602
3.) Contact your County Commissioners. Reference Wednesday’s agenda item F-2 on paved trails. This agenda item says they will “ask staff to identify priority trail projects as part of the budget process.” Let’s tell them the South Coast Greenway Trail should be priority #1! This is the trail that will go from Ruskin to Tampa — if it ever gets built.
Contact Commissioners on their contact form.
Or email them:
Stacy White <whites@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Sandy Murman <murmans@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Al Higginbotham <higginbothama@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Ken Hagan <hagank@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Victor Crist <cristv@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Les Miller <millerlj@hillsboroughcounty.org>,
Pat Kemp <kempp@hillsboroughcounty.org>
Or call them: 272-5660
Talking points:
> The South Coast Greenway paved bicycle-pedestrian trail has been on county plans since 1995. Many citizens and community representatives have shown up at many hearings and meetings, and written many letters to get this project in all our county plans, yet it remains on the drawing board year after year. It is time to fulfill the promises made when these plans were adopted, and begin building this project.
> The county commission recently found $812 Million to spend for transportation. This was almost all for road-widening, with $5 million for golf-cart paths, and $0 for bicycle paths. NOTHING for bicycle safety.
> Our area is one of the most dangerous in the nation for cyclists & pedestrians.
> See this Tampa Bay Times editorial from 2 weeks ago, saying that more people are commuting by bike than ever in Tampa Bay, and we need to invest in more safe cycling infrastructure.
