Battles lines drawn again over Friendship Trail Bridge

By Tristan Wheelock and Emily Nipps, Times Staff Writers
In print: Friday, December 12, 2008

GANDY — Community activists and cyclists are looking to gather support for what might be another long battle: reopening the Friendship Trail Bridge.

The bridge was closed last month after engineers discovered that it had dangerously deteriorated with chunks dropping into Tampa Bay.

Since then, local bicyclists, and business owners have felt the pinch.

"A lot of people think it's closed totally," said Bill Robinson, owner of Gandy Bait and Tackle, which has noticed a decline in business. "There's construction on the road and they've taken away some of the parking we used to have. It's a lot of things all at once, that's what's bad."

Read the rest here

Sweeping the Gandy Bridge

Now, no one is going to argue that it's the safest or most sensible option, but it is possible to ride over the Gandy vehicle bridge. Since the Friendship Bridge closed last week, this has been the only option for cyclists.

The shoulder of the Gandy Bridge, however, is hardly cycling-friendly. It's usually covered in debris and glass.

The good news: Cheryl Stacks, the St. Petersburg Bike/Ped coordinator let me know that the Florida DOT has agreed to double the number of sweepings of the bridge from once a month to twice monthly until the future of the Friendship Bridge is resolved.

It's not a perfect solution, but it will help.

New bike lanes in St. Pete

Some riders have been grumbling about the torn-up pavement on 4th and 6th Streets South lately. Well, I can tell you your patience will be rewarded as the city is putting down smooooooth pavement and a fresh bike lane.

It's kind of a shame in a way. I grew to love that bumpy section of pavement as you turn on to Pinellas Point Drive. It was a tiny taste of the Spring Classics.

The best and worst states for riding

The League of American Bicyclists has released their rankings of the friendliest states to ride. Check out their cool interactive map here.

Florida currently ranks.... 20th. St. Petersburg holds a bronze star for its engineering accomplishments. Gainesville is the most decorated Florida city. The stated reasons for the ranking: "Florida has an excellent complete streets policy. However, the state has no cell phone use restrictions and high crash and fatality rates."

So, I'm not really sure what to think of this. Sure, Florida has a long way to go to get to the top of the list, but it's amazing how well it fared in relation to other Southern states, notable Georgia, which is ranked 49th. With the Tour de Georgia, plenty of hills and a strong Atlanta cycling community, I would think it would have ranked higher.

Maybe we don't have it so bad after all.

Top 5

1. Washington
2. Wisconsin
3. Arizona
4. Oregon
5. Minnesota

Bottom 5

46. North Dakota
47. Mississippi
48. Alabama
49. Georgia
50. West Virginia

[via RoadCycler.com]

Fall ride schedule

It may seem crazy now, but eventually the summer heat will fade and the prime Florida cycling season will begin. Here's a list of some upcoming organized rides to benefit various causes around Central Florida.

Critical Mass - Friday - Tampa

Don't worry, this won't be like a NYC Critical Mass. Our Masses are friendly, fun affairs.

Pinellas Trail to downtown grand opening

I just got a note that there will be an official grand opening for the downtown extension of the Pinellas Trail after all. It's been open and operating for a while now, but the Oct. 4 ceremony will start at the trestle bridge at the northwest corner of Tropicana Field and continue to Pioneer Park at Central Avenue and Beach Drive. Activities will include bike registration, helmet fitting and safety information. The event also coincides with the opening day of Saturday Morning Market which moves to the Al Lang parking area across from Pioneer Park this year.

Riding the Tour de Pizza

This week the nice folks at tbt* have put together a list of 10 of the best unsung pizza places. Included was St. Petersburg's Tour de Pizza. Owner and bike enthusiast Matthew McClellan, 32, took over the spot of former Nick-N-Willy's in the Northeast shopping plaza (near Publix) three months ago.

Inside you'll find tons of cycling gear and memorabilia on the walls, including jerseys, vintage posters and even a couple complete bikes. You can get pizza by the slice or nosh on some salad, stromboli, calzones or subs if pizza's not your thing.

The pies sport loads of cheese that can get a little chewy once it coagulates (not a bad thing); not much sauce. The crust is thin but not crunchy — a chewy center wrapped in pleasant crispness. The 24 toppings are abundantly applied, including interesting toppers like Mandarin oranges, feta cheese and artichoke hearts.

There are 13 specialty pies, from the Salad Pizza (basil pesto topped with a fresh garden salad) to the MAClellan (white garlic sauce, mozzarella, spinach, roma tomatoes, mushrooms, spicy sausage and fresh basil). Pies run $6.99 to $15.99; slices $2.50 and up. 

They also deliver, with no set delivery radius, and offer you-bake, take-home pies.

The 411: Northeast Shopping Center, 212 37th Ave. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 898-5555; tourdepizzaonline.com. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. 

Where will the Pinellas Trail go in Clearwater?

One reader was curious about the future of the Pinellas Trail through downtown Clearwater and what could be done to ease the often confusing and award route. I posed the question to Susan J. Miller, the Bicycle/Pedestrian Planner from the Pinellas County Planning Department. Below is the reader's question and her response.

Hi,

The recent good news about the future of the Pinellas Trail extensions and possible Upper Tampa Trail work has got me wondering, has there been any discussion about the trail through Clearwater? I use all the area trails often and am generally impressed with the condition and convenience of them, but to follow the trail through downtown Clearwater is a joke. 

It crosses 8 or 10  four-way stop intersections, crosses Ft. Harrison at a light near Bellevue, turns and crosses Drew Sts if you can follow the signs. AND it is downright dangerous at the crossing of Chestnut, a one way street from the beach, with very limited visibility and fast moving traffic. 

It is a shame to have these liabilities right in the middle of a world class trail to the north and south. Has this issue been around? Who can improve it? How do we get it started? Any ideas?

James, Largo

Miller's response:

Thank you for your interest in the Pinellas Trail. You are correct that there are many street crossings on the Pinellas Trail – nearly 90 of them actually!  Since we live in a densely-populated county, we are very fortunate to have such a developed multi-use trail system within our urbanized metropolitan area.

The Pinellas Trail travels through the central business district of downtown Clearwater. Originally, there was a gap in the downtown section when construction for the Trail first began in 1990.  That short 3/4-mile proved to be very challenging. As you said, there are numerous intersections the Trail has to traverse in that particularly congested area with high motorized traffic volumes.

The City of Clearwater is currently working with Pinellas County and FDOT to redesign the section of the Trail through their downtown.  The project includes added safety features at the street crossings, plus a connection to the Memorial Causeway and Clearwater Beach.

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you for supporting bicycling in Pinellas County.

Sincerely,

Susan J. Miller
Bicycle/Pedestrian Planner
Pinellas County Planning Department
600 Cleveland Street, Suite 750
Clearwater, FL  33755
727-464-8200
FAX: 727-464-8201
smiller@pinellascounty.org
www.pinellascounty.org/mpo

More Pinellas County trails to come

St. Petersburg Times editor Jim Verhulst pauses on a recent Tuesday at one of his favorite Pinellas Trail spots — where the Tropicana Field parking lot opens up to a bridge that spans Booker Creek.

By Mariana Minaya, Times Staff Writer
In print: Sunday, July 27, 2008

Pinellas County plans to add about 125 miles of bike paths to make the county safer and more economical for cyclists. 

Two segments of a bike trail that will run around the county recently have been finished, and in the next 10 years the entire loop will be done. Eventually the county intends to have a 200-mile network of trails that will connect key points in the county.

Here's a look at the recent work and some of what is planned.

Downtown extension

One of the most recent additions to the loop is the downtown extension from 34th Street S to the St. Petersburg waterfront. 

It is already in use, but the official opening will be next month. 

Progress Energy Trail

Construction on one portion of the Progress Energy Trail, which is the eastern side of the loop, was finished last month. 

That section begins on Belleair Road in mid county and runs north to Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater. 

The entire 20-mile length of the Progress Energy Trail will start at Weedon Island in St. Petersburg, run north diagonally across the county and end at Tampa Road, north of Dunedin. Plans call for it to be finished in 10 years.

North, South Bay Trails

In the next 90 days, construction will begin on a section of the South Bay Trail called Clam Bayou Trail.

It will intersect with the Pinellas Trail at about 40th Street S in St. Petersburg and head south to the Sunshine Skyway. 

It will take five years to complete and cost $4.5-million in federal, state and city funds.

The North Bay Trail is in the design stage. Construction is to begin within the year. It will run from Demens Landing, where the downtown extension ends, north to the Gandy Bridge. It is to be completed in five years and will cost about $6.5-million in federal, state, county and city funds.

Read more about the push to finish the Upper Tampa Bay Trail here.