A promising start toward a north-south Anna Maria Island bicycle path

The three cities on Anna Maria Island are joining hands in order to create a bicycle path up and down the 7-mile barrier island. What a terrific idea.

While the concept has been percolating for a long time, the three island mayors put some momentum behind the path recently -- including reaching out to Congressman Vern Buchanan for assistance in composing letters of support that will target pivotal agencies for funding since none is at hand now. The Longboat Key Republican knows all about island life since he lives on one.

The three mayors -- Bob Johnson in Holmes Beach, Anna Maria's Dan Murphy and Bill Shearon of Bradenton Beach -- aim to lighten the load on island roads by encouraging residents and visitors alike to keep their keys out of the ignition and jump on a bicycle instead.

Off-road connections to the Cortez and the Anna Maria Island bridges and park-and-ride lots somewhere on the mainland would further the goal of less island traffic.

Besides simple transportation, healthy exercise is a bonus. A safe bike path along a scenic route would likely become a valuable recreational asset. Current bike lanes, such as they are, mostly sit right next to traffic -- an uncomfortable and risky position for many riders because of all the traffic on Gulf Drive.

As Johnson told Herald island reporter Amaris Castillo, municipal collaboration among cities is vital, one of the key recommendations from an Urban Land Institute study conducted on the island last year.

The highly respected nonprofit education and research organization spent a week focusing on land-use issues, issuing a package of recommendations that included charging for parking at the beaches accompanied by free bus service from the mainland as bait to park and ride. The study also advocated safer biking and walking routes.

We expect the encouraging collaboration among the island cities will bear fruit. A north-south bike path should pay big dividends.

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "A promising start toward a north-south Anna Maria Island bicycle path ."