By Kyle Simpson, AICP, and Dana Santos, MPH/MA
Forward Pinellas creates long-term transportation and land use plans for Pinellas County’s future. To advance those plans, Forward Pinellas builds partnerships and prioritizes for spending federal and state funds to meet Pinellas County’s land use and transportation needs. In this, public involvement is at the core of everything we do (so much so, we made a whole plan for it).
For a decade now, we have partnered with cities across the county to host Bike Your City, a slow-paced, family-friendly bike ride that highlights beautiful local destinations. Through the ride, we also provide participants with updates on recent and upcoming in that year’s partner city. This year’s ride in the City of Tarpon Springs celebrated the reopening of the Elfers Spur Trail, which moves across the Anclote River and connects the Pinellas Trail to the Coastal Anclote Trail in Pasco County. 100 participants joined us for this year’s ride!
Another key goal of Bike Your City is to that connect residents to their communities. We often hear concerns about personal safety and comfort while bicycling around Pinellas County. The Pinellas Trail is a beloved community asset that provides a dedicated space for bicycling, but it does not go everywhere people want to travel. One suggestion for new cyclists is to avoid automatically taking the same routes you would drive. Often, there are adjacent neighborhood streets or trails that will get you to the same place without going too far out of the way. These routes are often also quieter, shadier, and more comfortable than major roads. For instance, check out this year’s Bike Your City tour route.
Throughout the bike tour, the Tarpon Springs Police Department and Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue and paramedics supported riders to ensure health and safety.
We hope that Bike Your City is just the beginning of the conversation. For those interested in learning more about our local cities and getting involved in transportation safety and mobility, Forward Pinellas has multiple advisory committees that provide citizens of Pinellas County the opportunity to advise the Forward Pinellas Board. You can also keep track of all our projects and programs through our monthly newsletter or invite us to speak or attend a community event. Lastly, you can learn more about our history and work using our interactive StoryMap – Forward Pinellas, Explained.
We hope to see you on next year’s ride!
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- John Koulianos, Mayor of Tarpon Springs, addresses BYC participants
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- BYC participants biking by Cooper’s Bayou
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- BYC participants
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- BYC participants
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- Forward Pinellas staff
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- BYC participants riding along the Elfers Spur
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- BYC participants biking by Cooper’s Bayou
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- BYC participants biking by Cooper’s Bayou
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- BYC participant reading the Tarpon Springs City Guide
