Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF) advocates for bike and pedestrian safety, the development and maintenance of recreational trails and complete streets in Central Florida. Bike/Walk Central Florida, a 501(c)(3) formed in 2010, promotes walkable and bikeable communities through raising public awareness and advocating for safe, active transportation, and recreation by:
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MISSION
BWCF educates and advocates to make communities more walkable, bikeable, and rollable. VISION
To transform Central Florida into a premiere biking and walking community. VALUES
Safety, Health, Civility, Transportation Choice, Collaboration, Equity, Transparency
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
• POLICY: Advocate, educate, and support policies and infrastructure that reduce serious and fatal bicycle and pedestrian crashes.
• PERCEPTION: Normalize walking and biking and foster a culture of courtesy among road users.
• PRACTICE: Get people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, and roll more.
• SUSTAIN: Ensure the long-term sustainability of the organization to achieve our mission.
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LEADERSHIP:
• Board Chair: Lisa Portelli
• Vice-Chair: Rick Geller, Esq.
• Founding Chairs: Linda Chapin; Hal Downing, Esq.
• Secretary: Christy Lofye, P.E.
• Treasurer: Kelly Brock, Ph.D., P.E. Board Members:
• Franki Gonzales
• Jamie Krzeminski
• Eliza Harris
• John Paul (JP) Weesner
• Douglas Henley II
• Vincent Hsu
• Tina Valeri
• Laura Turner
• Judith Cevelin Pizzo
Executive Director:
• Emily Hanna
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BIKE/WALK CENTRAL FLORIDA PROGRAMS:
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BEST FOOT FORWARD FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
In Central Florida on average, 3 people are injured every day, and at least 1 person is killed every week for doing something as simple as crossing the street. 14 percent of those fatalities in Central Florida occur in marked crosswalks. In 2012, the Best Foot Forward coalition formed on the belief that the status quo is unacceptable. The coalition comprised is of partners in Orange, Seminole, and Osceola Counties. As a pedestrian safety initiative, Best Foot Forward focuses on one simple, measurable goal: to get more drivers to yield and stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks, as Florida law requires. Best Foot Forward works to accomplish this goal using the proven, “Triple-E” approach of combining community education with low-cost engineering changes and high-visibility enforcement.
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BIKE 5 | 5 MILES, 5 PARKS, 5 CITIES | Advocacy Ride
Bike 5 Cities is a 30-mile regional bike ride for bicyclists of any age, experience, or ability level. It’s for those who want to discover where to comfortably ride their bikes through these five urban cities — whether it’s through a neighborhood, down a local trail, or to a shop, restaurant, or park in one of the five cities. Since its inaugural ride in 2017, the Bike 5 Cities Ride, the bike-friendly route map, and the push for awareness of the effort were all to further a greater goal of encouraging our decision-makers to build more bike-friendly roads with slow speeds and special infrastructures like cycle tracks and trails. As the movement has grown stronger, the Bike 5 Cities route has grown into a tool used to heighten awareness toward places that need safer connections while celebrating the comfortable places to ride that are already in place. The route isn’t just a one-day ride anymore, it’s about showing people how to get around on bike-friendly roads and enabling them to feel safe to travel between cities on two wheels.
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HEALTHY WEST ORANGE TRAILS CONNECTION
Healthy West Orange Trails Connection (HWOTC) promotes, activates, and enhances the trail system throughout West Orange to create opportunities for physical activity, social engagement, prosperity, and happiness. To fund the initiative, the Foundation for a Healthier West Orange and HWOTC have been entrusted with $5.5M from the West Orange Healthcare District to support the mission. The HWOTC Steering Committee will determine the best use of the funds, accelerating the implementation of projects that support walking, cycling, and wellness activities within the communities while improving multi-modal safety. The $5.5M grant also serves as seed money to attract additional investments in the region’s trails and enhance current and future trail projects. Bike/Walk Central Florida administers the coalition on behalf of its partners.
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CONNECT WITH US AROUND THE WEB
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RIDE WITH US!
• Strava Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/270648
• Ride With GPS: https://ridewithgps.com/organizations/7613-bike-walk-central-florida
• Love To Ride: https://www.lovetoride.net/florida/groups/3916?group_invite=true&ic=d561efb0&locale=en-US
SUPPORT US!
• Candid. (Guidestar): https://www.guidestar.org/profile/46-1958502
• Volunteer Match: https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org1221596.jsp
