Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 12-20-19

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Mayor Castor Says More Protected Bike Lanes Are Coming To Tampa
Creating safe and com- fortable trails and bicycle lanes that connect Tampa’s neighborhoods is a key part of Mayor Jane Castor’s Transforming Tampa’s To- morrow (T3) initiative.
“As a police officer, I saw firsthand a family’s devasta- tion when I had to tell them their loved one passed away due to a distracted driver and that’s why, as part of our Transforming Tampa’s To- morrow initiative, we made a commitment to Vision Zero,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “Tampa’s residents and our visitors demand and deserve safe pedestrian, bike, multi- modal lanes and sidewalks and our team is hard at work delivering just that.”
While bike lanes tend to be the safest place for cyclists
to ride, many people do not feel safe using conventional bike lanes because of the close proximity to passing cars. In the coming years, the City of Tampa will begin con- structing protected bike lanes throughout the City. Protected bike lanes are bike lanes that are physically separated from motor vehi- cle traffic using a barrier.
In some areas, protection is provided by installing a raised curb such as on Cass Street and Jackson Street in Downtown. In other loca- tions where raised curb can- not be installed or where raised curb is planned to be installed sometime in the fu- ture, flexible delineators are a simple option that can be installed in less time to pro- vide enhanced separation.
Over the next year and beyond, the City of Tampa will begin pilot testing new innovative products and ap- plication methods for pro- tected bike lanes under a series of pilot projects. The first protected bike lane with flexible delineators was in- stalled on Azeele Street near the SoHo Publix (pictured) and most recently on Bayshore Blvd. This location was chosen to discourage drivers from parking in the bike lane.
Other locations that are currently being studied for protected bike lanes with flexible delineators include: · Cass Street/Green Spine (North Hyde Park)
· Floribraska Avenue (Tampa Heights and V.M. Ybor)
· Florida Ave., Tampa St., and Brorein St. (Downtown) · Beneficial Drive Bridge (Harbour Island)
Keep an eye out for more protected bike lanes and other innovative bicycle safety infrastructure popping up around the City!
...Azeele Street near the SoHo Publix
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