Vision

“_________ will be a City with a balanced transportation system designed to move people safely and effectively. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities shall be  designed, encouraged and celebrated as indicators of a healthy city.”

Vision statements such as the one above serve as the formal expression of the community’s guiding image. It depicts what a community would like to become – how it may look, how it may function, how it may be better. The vision statement also serves as the foundation for the creation and implementation of an action plan that can help the community achieve its vision over time.

Who creates it?  Who executes it?  It’s not a one person answer, but the answer is one word:  YOU.  As in the collective YOU.

When the community asks for public input through public hearing or for volunteers to serve on community committee, the ask is nothing short of opportunity knocking on YOUR door.  What happens if the community is not asking you to help improve or implement bicycle and pedestrian facilities?  Storm the castle!  Get in front of Council or Commission and tell them what you want.  Needs are not always apparent to elected officials as they are to you.

So, can you guess which city owns the top vision statement?  I’ll give you a hint:

The statement was developed through public involvement.  Kudos to the City of St. Petersburg!

Fortunately, Pinellas County has a Bicycle / Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) as does Hillsborough County.  I serve on one and monitor the other.  Sometimes it is a “Tale of Two Cities”, but in January of 2015, there will be a joint meeting of the two BPACs right here in Oldsmar.  Tampa Bay area BPACs will share concerns and visions and work together as a collective YOU.  It may have been a long time coming, but the knock at the door will be answered.

Kudos Tampa Bay!