For Immediate Release: December 20, 2017
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TPO Supports Local Holiday Bike-Drives, Donates Helmets
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T
he TPO has been spreading Christmas cheer by providing helmets to kids in need at various holiday bicycle drives.
TPO
s
taff provided roughly 75 helmets to the Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, through a partnership with Harris Corporation and a whopping 200 helmets to the annual Handlebars for Holidays event.
Handlebars for Holidays is a partnership event hosted by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the East Coast Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Waste Management, and Walmart which gives bicycles away during the Christmas Season.
Bicycle/pedestrian safety education coordinator, Kim Smith, also attended a bicycle giveaway at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library,where kids and parents were treated to a puppet show and received bicycle/pedestrian safety education goodies. The Pilot Club donated the bike for giveaway, while the TPO provided the helmets.
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Photo Feature
: At the last TPO Governing Board Meeting, the board members and board chair, Mayor Kathy Meehan, unanimously approved the recommendation of Georganna Gillette as the TPO's new Executive Director, effective September 2018, after long-time current director, Bob Kamm, retires.
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Trail Community Members Tour SJR2C Loop
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Earlier this month, over 20 trail planners, municipal staff members, elected officials, committee/board members, and tourism staff attended a tour of the western section of the St. Johns River to Sea Loop through Brevard and Volusia Counties.
Space Coast Area Transit
provided a bus for the group ride along and participants were able to see trail alignment progress.
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Video Feature
: Miss our last TPO governing board meeting? Catch up on the latest updates on projects and outreach events.
Meeting highlights
: Board approves recommendation of Georganna Gillette as new Executive Director, 2016 State of the System and approval of Wickham Rd Operation Analysis.
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Health First Mayors' Fitness Challenge Registration Opens
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Brevard mayors are challenging their citizens to get involved in a healthy competition – the Health First Mayors’ Fitness Challenge. The Health First Mayors’ Fitness Challenge began in 2017 with nine mayors and more than 1,300 community members spending 2.4 million minutes exercising. The City of Cape Canaveral won the challenge and the title of the Most Fit City for 2017.
This year 12 mayors have joined the challenge and are currently forming teams. They will begin moving and tracking Saturday, February 3, 2018. The winning team will be determined by the total number of minutes exercised by the members of each team. The municipality with the most points will win the challenger trophy, “Most Fit City.”
Registration is now open. All participants must register online before Monday, January 15, 2018. T-shirts are available while supplies last.
The challenge begins Saturday, February 3, 2018 and runs through Saturday, April 28, 2018. For more information or to register visit
www.uwbrevard.org
.
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Transit One Group Seeks Advocates, Community Members
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Do you have an interest or passion for transit in Brevard County? There is a community group that could utilize you!
Transit One is a council for transit advocacy filled with community members who are personally and professionally invested in helping Brevard’s transit system and mobility options grow and thrive. Through partnerships with Space Coast Area Transit, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization, reThink Your Commute, and Zagster, Transit One hopes to build understanding and support of public transportation, encourage investments into transit services, and to provide a forum for members and stakeholders to cooperate together to improve the mobility in Brevard County.
Some of its major accomplishments have been coordinating an annual Transit Summit, aiding in community transit events, and partnering in the installation
of the first bike share in Brevard County expected to begin in Winter 2018.
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Social Media Feature
: Janet had too many drinks at the party and it snowballed from there. #Buzzed Driving is #DrunkDriving. Stay tuned for more #BuzzDriving posts on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
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Melbourne Police Department Traffic Unit Aims to Reduce
Number of Accidents Through Operation Street Smart
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Bicyclist and pedestrians are some of our most vulnerable road users and recently the Melbourne Police Department (MPD) took a pro-active approach to making the streets safer for everyone.
Operation Street Smart
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launched in September and continued through November . The multi-pronged educational and enforcement initiative was aimed at reducing the number of accidents involving children, teens and adult pedestrians and bicyclists in the City of Melbourne.
MPD attributes the high number of accidents involving pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers to unsafe behaviors and a lack of awareness and attentiveness by all three groups. Over the course of the campaign, MPD used safety literature, warnings, and traffic citations to educate motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians on Florida’s traffic laws.
During the three-month campaign, the MPD Traffic Unit averaged more than 200 contacts a month. See the total campaign numbers below.
Enforcement Totals (Sept-November)
Verbal Warnings: 237
Written Warning: 73
Pedestrian Citations: 17
Bicyclist Citation: 9
Vehicle Citation: 284
The Space Coast TPO was proud to support this enforcement campaign by providing safety materials and helping create key social media messages.
Kudos to the traffic unit team for working such an important detail to better our community health and safety.
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Community Traffic Safety Team: Members Wanted!
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Our next CTST meeting is slotted for
Wednesday, January 24, 2018, from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Florida Highway Patrol Office conference room located at 3775 W. King St in Cocoa
The CTST is a locally based group of highway safety advocates that consist of law enforcement personnel, traffic engineers, transportation planners, as well as private industry representatives and concerned citizens, working together toward a common goal of reducing the number and severity of traffic crashes.
These meetings provide a great opportunity to promote your activities and to learn more about other traffic-related on-goings in Brevard County.
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PeopleForBikes Community Grant Application Process Begins
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PeopleForBikes
is a national movement to make riding better for everyone. By collaborating with millions of individual riders, businesses, community leaders, and elected officials, the organization is uniting people to create a powerful, united voice for cycling and its benefits.
The PeopleForBikes Community Grant Program provides funding for important and influential projects that leverage federal funding and build momentum for bicycling in communities across the U.S. These projects include bike paths and rail trails, as well as mountain bike trails, bike parks, BMX facilities, and large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives.
PeopleForBikes accepts grant applications from non-profit organizations with a focus on bicycling, active transportation, or community development, from city or county agencies or departments, and from state or federal agencies working locally. PeopleForBikes only funds projects in the United States.
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Community Members Attend Space Coast Trail Public Meeting
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Over 30 community members attended a public meeting on December 7
th
on the proposed Space Coast Trail project that is currently being developed on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore in Titusville. Attendees had the opportunity to view maps, ask questions, and learn more about the project.
The trail is currently under an environmental assessment that is evaluating the alignment and construction of a multi-use trail that would serve as the eastern end of the Coast to Coast Trail, a trail that will run across Florida from Titusville to St. Petersburg, and the Southern curve of the St. Johns River to Sea Loop, a 5 county loop on the East Coast of Florida. The project is a cooperative effort between the Florida Department of Transportation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, NASA, and the SCTPO.
Comments are being accepted on the project until January 12, 2018. Comments can be submitted
here
or mailed to Cheri Ehrhardt, Natural Resource Planner, US Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 2683, Titusville, FL 32781-2683.
The assessment will wrap up with a Public Review/Comment in Fall 2018, and a final decision made late 2018.
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Meetings
- January 22: Bicycle, Pedestrian, Trails Advisory Committee Meeting
*NO TPO/TAC/CAC Meetings in January
Holidays Recognized (Office Closed)
- December 25 - 26: Christmas Holiday
- January 1: New Year's Day
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Space Coast TPO| 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way Viera, FL 32940| 321-690-6890 |
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