Victory for Team Punta Gorda
The following is an update from our friends at Team Punta Gorda:
On 6, April 2016 Mitchell Austin, Urban Planner and Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator for The City of Punta Gorda, presented to the City Council a proposal for capital improvements to the city transportation infrastructure to better accommodate bicyclists. Team Punta Gorda’s Bicycle Friendly Community Committee collaborated with City Staff in the planning. The Council agreed to some changes and we are celebrating an important first step forward with the plan.
The overall goal is to build a network of connected streets and pathways to establish easy and safe bicycle travel in and around the city. The individual projects presented to the Council were short term and long-term projects of different size and scope. We were not expecting approval of the entire plan. The short term projects were modest in terms of effort and cost involving only signage, while the long-term projects involved expensive, major pavement and construction changes to existing roads.
The City Council members all favored the intent and nature of the plan and expressed concern about bicycle safety. They had a considerable amount of material to digest and had many questions that remain to be answered. Nevertheless, they did agree to take a first step forward by committing funds for sharrows on Virginia and throughout the Punta Gorda Isles connection (Coronado from W. Marion to Aqui Esta; Aqui Esta from Coronado to Bal Harbor; and Magdalina from Aqui Esta to Shreve). All other components of the Minimum Grid were placed on hold pending further study and refinement.
Based on the Council’s receptiveness to the plans presented, we are confident additional funds will be committed to make bicycle travel safer in Punta Gorda.
Visit Team Punta Gorda to learn more about this organization.
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