FRUITVILLE BIKE LANES SAVED!
Fruitville for Everyone, Cause for Optimism, by Alex Krieg
The Alliance for Responsible Transportation scored a victory by preserving the bike lanes on Fruitville Road between US 41 and US 301. Mobilizing a large group of volunteers to tackle several aspects in a campaign designated to keep Fruitville as safe as possible, the A.R.T. volunteers convinced City Commissioners to withhold funding for the damaging project.
The bike lanes on Fruitville were slated to be removed as part of the Fruitville Pedestrian Sleeve Project. The primary goal of this project was to create safer, more visible pedestrian crossing on five intersections on Fruitville Road—a goal A.R.T. strongly supports. Included in the budget, however, was funding for bollards—lighted cement posts alerting motorists of an upcoming pedestrian crossing—and streetscaping in the form of lighting and trees. These aspects, according to the proposed plan necessitated the removal of the bike lanes.
Upon learning of this dangerous consequence of the Pedestrian Sleeve Project, the A.R.T. sprung to action. A core of campaign organizers, led by the A.R.T. President Andrew Noune, outlined the necessary tactics to keep the bike lanes on Fruitville.
The immediate goal of the campaign, dubbed Fruitville for Everyone, was to draw attention to the Fruitville bike lane issue. A petition campaign headed up by the A.R.T. member and volunteer Holly Herrick gathered over 1,800 signatures in only nine days. This provided crucial public support for the preservation of the Fruitville bike lanes. A guest editorial, organized by Alex Krieg, appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in mid-May and laid out the points of the A.R.T.’s position in favor of keeping the bike lanes. The guest editorial drew a few positive responses in the Letters section of the Herald-Tribune.
Following this drumbeat of public support, Brandy Doyle, an A.R.T. Board member active in the Fruitville for Everyone campaign, devised and delivered a brilliant presentation to the Sarasota City Commission further emphasizing the safety benefits of keeping the bike lanes on Fruitville Road. At the meeting, Ms. Doyle and Mr. Noune presented the Commissioners with the signed petitions.
The City Commissioner also received letters of support from various community groups, including the Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Advisory Committee, the Sarasota-Manatee Bicycle Club, the Sarasota County Community Traffic Safety Team, and the Sierra Club. These letters were submitted after the groups were contacted by the campaign’s outreach team that helped elucidate the particulars of the Pedestrian Sleeve Project and the consequences if adopted.
A final demonstration of community support occurred at the July 2nd City Commission meeting when roughly 50 cyclists traveled to City Hall as part of the Fruitville for Everyone community bike ride. A few riders made statements during the public comments of the Commission meeting, but the strongest statement was made by the number of participants in the event.
All these actions helped contribute to a successful campaign. On September 17, 2007 the City Commission adopted its Fiscal Year 2007-08 Budget and funding for the Fruitville Pedestrian Sleeve project was withheld. The Commissioners have expressed desire to see bike lanes included in a redesign of this project. They will provide official direction regarding the Fruitville Pedestrian Sleeve Project in the near future, probably in November.
A.R.T. would like to thank the City Commission for reconsidering the project and all those involved in the various aspects of the Fruitville for Everyone campaign: Andrew Nouné, Brandy Doyle, Ryan Stanley, Holly Herrick, Anthony Lorenza, Kate Goltermann, Lowell Myers, Damen Shaquri, Kaitlyn Berger, Sarah Kell, Sallie Scribner, Elizabeth Jacoby, Phyllis Myers, Alex Krieg, Emily House, Daniel Clough, Alvin Fall, Mario Torres, Nikki Kostyun, John Hanlon, Eric O’Connell, Marjorie Maffet, Lynn Jacobsen, Julie Midgette, Kaitlyn Berger and Blue Line, Inc. Thanks, too, to everybody who signed our petition and wrote /called their commissioner. We all did an amazing job bringing this community together to keep our roads safe for cyclists. Thank you.