Sarasota News Leader
November 23, 2012
Because of the demographics of the survey respondents, she continued, it was no surprise to staff that the majority put less emphasis on a desire for bicycle and pedestrian paths leading from neighborhoods to schools.
Instead, the answers showed high demand for an increase in paths leading to parks and gre- enway trails, she noted. "That's obviously a connection that could be made" from the age levels of those who took the survey, Rozansky said.
Among the parks mentioned were Rothen- bach, Myakka and Arlington, as well as Oscar Scherer State Park.
Along with schools, the lowest-scoring loca- tions for improved bike and pedestrian con- nections were "Places of Worship" and "Place of Employment."
One surprise for staff, she pointed out, was the fact that respondents seemed to consider the county's needs both from the perspective of being on foot or bicycle and from being be- hind the wheel of a vehicle.
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"We expected to hear more from bicyclists and pedestrians about lack of safety and lack of respect from automobile users," Rozansky said.
The survey made it clear, she added, that "there's got to be a balance of all the users of the road."
The draft plan notes that a review of the coun- ty's bicycle and pedestrian crash data from 2006 to 2009 showed 788 incidents. The major- ity of them, the draft continues, were on Tami- ami Trail — 125. Fruitville Road and Washing- ton Boulevard had 41 each, with 39 reported on Bee Ridge Road and 28 on Tuttle Avenue.
The draft plan, she pointed out, "is one neces- sary tool to moving forward and seeing some positive changes made" in the county. "Any feedback, good or bad, is helpful.
To participate in the discussion of the draft plan on the county's website, visit www.scgov. net/PublicWorks/Pages/BicycleAndPedestri- anPlan.aspx %
A graph in the draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan shows top priorities for more connectors, as indi- cated by respondents to a survey in 2011. Image courtesy Sarasota County
