We brought the content; you brought the interest. Want to see if the article you liked best made the list? Miss a story the first time around? Check out our top five most-read articles from 2019. They’re all about active transportation in and around Orlando. Bike 5 Cities was a hit, and so was transportation news about your local neighborhood.
Courtesy MetroPlan Orlando
In March, a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge opened over Colonial Drive. BWCF Executive Director Amanda Day helped Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Commissioner Robert Stuard and FDOT District Secretary Michael Shannon cut the ribbon on the new bridge in April. The bridge connects downtown Orlando to the Orlando Urban Trail and Gertrude’s Walk, providing a safer route in and out of downtown that avoids crossing the railroad tracks or busy highways. Read the story to learn some fun facts about the overpass.
A bill signed in June made electric-powered scooters legal throughout Florida. Individual cities create their own regulations for electric scooter uses, but the law provided some. BWCF has followed this story and provided updates to the Orlando ordinance and year-long pilot program. Read more about how Orlando City Commissioners are working to keep both scooter users and walkers safe in the City Beautiful.
The 28-mile regional bike-ride isn’t just about a one-day event, it’s about showing people bike-friendly roads and trails they can use to navigate throughout Central Florida. Now Orlando, Winter Park, Casselberry, Maitland and Eatonville are part of a project to place permanent signs marking the Bike 5 Cities route. Click below to see possible examples of what the signage will look like when its installed.
The start of a new year means another Bike 5 Cities ride is just a few months away. In May of 2019, the third annual Bike 5 Cities event boasted an option to start in any one of the five cities. Riders don’t have to be pros (or even a certain age) to pedal the bike-friendly route that connects Winter Park, Orlando, Casselberry, Maitland and Eatonville. Here’s some info from last year’s event in anticipation of the 2020 ride.
Playing with cookie sheets and puzzle pieces in a city meeting? That’s exactly how BWCF staff and board members worked to suggest the best way to complete a downtown gap in Orlando’s Bicycle Beltway. As part of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, they layed out their perfect streetscape, including how wide car lanes would be, whether to use on-street parking, a cycle track, wider sidewalks with shade trees and more. When finished, the trail will connect Gertrude’s Walk to the Downtown Connector Trail. Check out the article, and see how you would design a road.
