ProBike/ProWalk Florida - Lessons from St. Pete

Recently I had the good fortune to be in St Petersburg while baseball fever was epidemic. I was there when the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Red Sox to clinch a spot in the World Series and remained there through game two of the Series match-up with the Phillies.

But the reason I was in St. Pete had nothing to do with baseball. I was there as director of the Florida Bicycle Association's ProBike/ProWalk Florida annual conference. And while I am a fan of the game and relished being immersed in the championship-level atmosphere (our conference hotel was also headquarters for Major League Baseball and ESPN), what impressed me the most was the livability of the city, a place I've visited many times since the early 1970s but that hadn't previously impressed me as a desirable place to live.

Two weeks before the conference, I went up to take care of pre-conference business and to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newest segment of the Pinellas Trail — the downtown link that takes users to the waterfront and The Pier. Cyclists can travel on this rail corridor turned into trail from downtown St. Pete to Tarpon Springs, a distance of more than 30 miles. It will eventually become a loop that runs along the west and east sides of Pinellas County with links to Tampa.

What impressed me the most during my time in town was just how physically active residents and visitors are because of the bike/ped-friendly environment. In fact, the reason FBA chose St. Pete for this year's PB/PW conference was because it's one of only four Florida communities designated a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.

Recognition from LAB is but one indicator of the city's high quality of life in terms of active living. It's very walkable, thanks to forward-thinking traffic management approaches; the downtown waterfront is covered with parks, businesses and residences that regularly teem with activity; special events draw throngs of people to downtown every weekend; and there are always walkers, runners, cyclists and skaters everywhere, but especially downtown.

You might be surprised to know that only a few years ago, St. Pete was ranked among the very worst places in the U.S. to be a pedestrian, per the Surface Transportation Policy Project's "Mean Streets Report." Because of the 180-degree change in the pedestrian environment. STPP has named St. Pete the Turn-Around Community of the Year. Mayor Rick Baker was awarded Mayor of the Year by Governing magazine, due in part to this achievement.

My point? If the political will is there and adequate resources are committed, it's possible to significantly improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists in a relatively short time, a lesson that should be embraced by our leaders here in Southwest Florida.

The Fort Myers-Cape Coral metro area ranks very poorly on that same "Mean Streets" list and has been at an unacceptable level since the report's inception. The bike/ped environment is not a special interest issue but rather, as is apparent in St. Pete, it's an aspect of quality of life that equates to a thriving economy. Moving quickly in that direction should be an easy decision for our leaders to make because there's really no down side; unfortunately, some of our transportation managers are resistant to anything that might have an impact on motor vehicle travel, regardless of the bigger picture and overall benefits.

However, like other obstacles to creating Complete Streets, these few who would continue the failed status quo can be overcome — if the political will is there.

Bike/Ped Happenings . Running:

Veterans Day Midpoint Madness 5K - 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Royal Palm Square

Turkey Trot 5K - 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 27, at Cape Coral Hospital

River Run 10K and 2-Mile Walk - Saturday, Dec. 6, in downtown Fort Myers

Senior Games 10K - Saturday, Dec. 6, in downtown Fort Myers

Senior Games 5K - Saturday, Dec. 13, at Rotary Park in Cape Coral

For details of these and other running events, visit www.fortmyerstrackclub. com.

. Cycling:

Pasta Bash Ride - Saturday, No. 22, from Rotunda area of Port Charlotte; www.coastalcruisers.net

Caloosahatchee River Ride - Sunday Nov. 23, from Caloosahatchee Regional Park; http://crca.caloosachee.org

Iron Joe Turkey Ride - Sunday, Nov. 30, from North Collier Regional Park; www.naplespathways.org/

Visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club at www.caloosariders.com for more information on local bicycling activities, including weekly rides, and Florida Bicycle Association at www.floridabicycle. org for statewide happenings.

— Betsy Clayton is a freelancer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation's waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@ yahoo.com.