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Legal Blog 2014 August Florida Will Fund Coast To Coast Pedestrian/Bicycle Trail
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Florida Will Fund Coast To Coast Pedestrian/Bicycle Trail

Posted By Roman & Gaynor || 4-Aug-2014

There is great news coming out of Tallahassee for pedestrians and bicyclists. Our state Department of Transportation will be spending about $16 million over the next several years to create a continuous pedestrian trail from the west to east coast of Florida. This trail, known as the Coast to Coast Connector, will fill in the gaps between several existing pedestrian trails to create a seamless route from the Gulf to the Atlantic.

The funding will be used for 11 projects that will close gaps in several central Florida counties across the state. Work will be done in counties including Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Sumter, Lake, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia. Eventually, this will allow a motivated user to go from St. Petersburg to the Space Coast entirely on pedestrian trails.

People who don't walk, run, or ride might wonder how this project will benefit them. Fortunately, the trail is likely to have substantial economic benefits across Florida. "Bicycle tourism" is already a big business in Europe and other states such as Oregon. Economic studies show bicycle tourists spend money on lodging, food, bicycles and bicycle maintenance, and many other items. In fact, they typically spend much more money than "day tourists" who visit the same areas.

Florida has enormous potential in bicycle tourism. It's blessed with great weather and abundant sunshine. There may be no place in the continental United States with a better climate for being outdoors all year. It is already an established tourist destination with two major airports (Orlando and Tampa) near the Connector's route.

Many of the rural counties in central Florida along the route have economies based on agriculture or mining. Neither of those are growth industries. There will be jobs in construction and engineering to be done in those places as the new sections of the Connector are built. For the long run, a completed trail should give them a shot in the arm as lodging, bike shops, restaurants, and stands spring up along the route.

Again, many of the trails which will make up the Connector already exist. The Pinellas, Suncoast, and Withlacoochee Trails have been popular with serious athletes and weekend warriors for years. Thus, we need not worry that no one will show up and use the Connector; we know the clientele for it already exists. Making the connections will just give users more options and make the whole thing more attractive.

As discussed in this blog many times, Florida has a poor track record for bicycle and pedestrian safety. I've often been critical of state and local government's apparent lack of concern about this problem. While the state has a long way to go in addressing that, it certainly deserves credit for committing the money to make the Coast to Coast Connector a reality.

Categories: Bicycle Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, Personal Injury

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