Bike advocates from across the state will come together in the City of Clermont next month to share ideas and discuss the future of cycling in Florida. Register now to attend.
The gathering will kick off this year’s Celebration of Cycling on Friday morning (Nov. 13) with a series of seminars on all things bikes. Bike Florida’s annual Bike/Ped Safety Summit will immediately follow the seminar series. This year’s theme for the summit is law enforcement. A grant workshop will conclude the day providing details for interested applicants on Bike Florida’s newly launched $25,000 “Share the Road” Challenge grant.
The following evening (Nov. 14), the 2015 Share The Road Awards, will be presented at Bike Florida’s annual banquet, honoring outstanding leaders, advocates and organizations that made significant contributions to the cause of bike-ped safety in Florida. A big shout out to FDOT District 1 Secretary and Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF) board chair Billy Hattaway and Orange County Mayor Theresa Jacobs who are among the impressive list of honorees.
Topics for the Celebration of Cycling seminar series include bike share programs, lobbying for safer cycling, bike lane and on-road biking strategies, bike-friendly apps, and local government support for bikeable and walkable communities. Speakers and times are subject to change. See tentative schedule here.
State Senator Andy Gardiner is set to participate in a discussion on Florida’s trails and greenways along with Doug Alderson from the Florida’s Office of Greenways & Trails and Ian Lockwood with Toole Design Group. FDOT District 1 Secretary and Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF) board chair Billy Hattaway is also scheduled to speak at the day-long event about Florida’s Complete Streets standards (Watch BWCF board chair Billy Hattaway’s presentation at the 2014 Celebration of Cycling event in Gainesville here).
Presenters from the City of Orlando, MetroPlan Orlando, FDOT and several other bike-friendly organizations across the state will round out the speaker line up.
The $25,000 “Share the Road” Challenge grant workshop will provide information on how to apply for Bike Florida’s new grant. For the first time ever, Bike Florida is awarding one large grant instead of several mini-grants as in years past. Applicants must present innovative ideas for improving bike safety and facilitating cycling in their communities. The application period will begin shortly after the event with the grant awarded sometime in 2016. More details here.
Register now for Bike Florida’s seminar series, bike/ped safety summit and grant workshop here.
Food trucks and live music with fun for all ages will top off the day in historic, downtown Clermont. Additional events are scheduled Nov. 13-15. Bike Florida’s 2015 Celebration of Cycling coincides with the 36th annual Horrible Hundred bike ride in Clermont on Sunday, Nov. 15. More details on the ride here.
