Operation Best Foot Forward
Welcome to The City of Apopka, the latest city in Orange County to join our growing coalition. On June 6th, the Apopka City Council unanimously approved a resolution of support. Thank you to Commissioner Joe Kilsheimer for championing the resolution, and Chief Administrative Officer Richard Anderson for getting us on the agenda. Members of the public spoke up in favor of increased crosswalk enforcement and Commissioner Marilyn Ustler McQueen spoke up in favor of increased signage to make crosswalks more visible.Since our Facebook page launched May 29th, we have reached 2,500 people, according to page statistics. And 349 people have visited the iYield4Peds website. Add to that the almost 1,500 drivers reached by our combined Orlando Police Department/Orange County Sheriff enforcement operations – and the estimated 7,500 additional people those drivers will tell about the novel experience of getting pulled over for failing to yield to a pedestrian – and that’s more than 10,000 people we’ve reached directly in our first week. Add in media coverage, and our reach, in our first week soars well over the 500,000 mark.
Definitely a successful launch. A successful launch, however, is only a first step. Now that we’ve dipped our toe in the water, we need to be sure that those ripples carry out into the community. We are actively looking for “brand champions – BFFs if you will – to take our message of pedestrian safey and civility out into the community. Boy Scouts, for example, would be a good resource to engage. Girl Scouts as well. We would love to engage the faith-based community. And we need to start getting our message out in front of neighborhood associations and large community groups. Healthy Central Florida is already helping to spread the word among it’s members, and in July we will be addressing the board of Get Active Orlando, an initiative of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council.
Seminole County
Although our primary focus for 2012 will be on Orange County, we have begun to make plans for expanding into Seminole County as resources permit. On June 26th, we will be addressing the Seminole County Community Traffic Safety Team CTST. Last month we spoke at the Seminole County law enforcement breakfast.
No steering committee meetings in June
The Best Foot Forward Steering Committee will NOT meet in June. Our meetings will resume with our regularly scheduled meeting in the MetroPlan Orlando board room, 9 a.m., Tuesday, July 24th.
About Best Foot Forward
State law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and pedestrians to yield to cars when crossing outside of a crosswalk. In Orange County, the fine for failure to yield is $164 and 3 points on your drivers license. And yet, our baseline data shows that, on average, only about five percent of drivers obey this law.
The five-year initiative is currently focused on Orange County and expand into Seminole and Osceola counties as resources permit. Five cities, two towns, and Orange County have passed resolutions supporting the initiative. Orlando Police Department has trained 24 officers. Orange County Sheriff’s office, this week trained 40 more. Police agencies in Winter Park, Maitland and Eatonville, and police chiefs from throughout Orange County, have pledged their support to the initiative, launched by Bike/Walk Central Florida and the Florida Bicycle Association, with financial support from the Winter Park Health Foundation and MetroPlan Orlando.
We have met with representatives of Orange County Public Schools. Outgoing Superintendent Ronald Blocker spoke at our kickoff. And we hope to be able to negotiate the addition of pedestrian safety curriculum grades K-5 as early as this fall.
When was the last time you saved a life? Your contributions of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, or more, can make a big difference. Checks should be made out to the Florida Bicycle Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and mailed to: Betsy Holl at: P.O. Box 916715, Longwood, FL 32793-6715. Please specify that you are donating to Best Foot Forward.
Bike Rodeo
The First Baptist Church of Casselberry held a Bike Rodeo on Saturday May 19. This fun and educational experience was organized by Pastor Travis through Florida Bicycle Association to teach children how to ride their bikes safely. The first event of the day was a pinewood derby. The pews were cleared to make room for the race. When it was over, the second event began in a classroom. This was a mini version of the Cycling Savvy course to teach kids the basics of riding in the streets, focusing primarily on riding in neighborhoods. The third event was out in the parking lot. Eight stations were set up; each one teaching kids a different maintenance technique to take care of their bikes. The last event of the day was a water slide. It was the perfect culmination to a hot Florida summer day. Click here for the full story.
Recently, a group of cyclists traveled to Sundew Gardens to hear about the new law permitting residents to raise chickens in their backyards. The route was scenic and a nice ride out to the East end of Orlando, past UCF. Once there, they picniced and participated in a workshop about raising chickens. Click here for a map of the routes they took and for the whole story.
Events
Transforming Central Florida into a Premier Biking and Walking Community! 
