Bike Wayfinding Pilot Study could lead to a brand new bike path in South St. Petersburg

The Gabber, Gulfport

You may remember the big bike ride project back in July. The Skyway Marina District teamed up with ShiftStPete, a non-profit group of activists pushing for bicyclist and pedestrian infrastructure, to produce the event. About 50 people participated and there was a nice write-up in The Gabber. The bike ride was generally considered a great success.

Well, an email from Keri Melshenker, executive director of the district, showed up in the inbox yesterday afternoon announcing that the district is part of the new St. Petersburg Bike Wayfinding Pilot Study designed to gather people's ideas about where a bike path around the community should go, what kinds of signage would be helpful, and so forth.

Keri said the Skyway Marina District's Improvement Team had offered some ideas, including Wayfinding signs to Eckerd College, the beaches, and various parks, such as Fort Desoto, Maximo Park, Clam Bayou, and Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. There also were thoughts about solving lighting, fencing, trash, sediment deposition, and drainage issues for a Lakewood Trail Connector, and crosswalk safety issues for various places.

So, there's this online survey you can take to offer your ideas. If you click on the link, you'll be taken to the survey. Be aware, though, you'll be asked for your email address. If you put it in, you'll be able to log in and fill out the survey. You can also return to add to your answers. You also can log in anonymously but if you do you won't be able to return. There's a built-in control to limit repeated access to the survey unless you put in your email address.

The map above shows the proposed route for the bike trail. The map comes with the survey. Click on it to get a better look at it before you take the survey. 

This is a great opportunity to contribute your ideas about a bike path for South St. Petersburg so we urge you to participate. And thank you to Keri and the Skyway Marina District for pursuing this worthwhile endeavor.

Join the community on a bike ride and see parts of the city you've never seen before

Get on your bike and ride with friends and neighbors to explore our community! Here's a terrific community-building event you won't want to miss. The nonprofit ShiftStPete and the Skyway Marina District Association are sponsoring a family-friendly bike ride through some less well-known parts of South St. Petersburg. They're planning to highlight some of the city's trail network, neighborhoods, and the business district. The five-mile trek begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 16 at Maximo Marina. It's free for ShiftStPete members and $5 for non-members. You can get more information here. You can get tickets here. Take pictures along the way and we'll post them here.