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So six months after their first meeting, the city’s bike paths subcommittee is finally ready to reveal its findings at tonight’s Marco Island City Council meeting, with bike enthusiasts in tow.

The group slated to present an outline for developing an island citywide Bike Path Master Plan and ask the City Council for a little help in the funding department to see it come true.

“We want as many people there as we can,” said Bike Path committee chairman Pat Neale.

The city formed the ad hoc, or temporary, committee in response to Marco bike enthusiasts who went before the City Council in August and asked for new ways to make the island into a more bike-friendly city.

Multilane intersections and poor bicycling conditions on the island’s and the county’s main roadway network have been cited by residents and visitors as the reason that they feel unsafe bicycling in the area.

“I always hear ‘If we had a better bike system I’d ride more,’” Neale said.

After conducting a city wide study to map routes, the group finally held a public meeting on March 31 at Mackle Park to get feedback and input from residents on the committee’s bike routes via a survey.

“It was unanimously positive,” said vice-chairman Al Musico. “We had about 70 people attend (the workshop). “There was a steady stream of people coming in and we really had a very broad representation of users (residents and visitors).”

Residents zeroed in on the same five thoroughfares in need of improved bike facilities— for bike lanes and shared-use paths — including Winterberry Drive, San Marco Road, North Barfield Drive, Bald Eagle Drive and Heathwood Drive as the top five.

Neale said that the number of people that attended the workshop was amazing and that each one was told to attend today’s meeting.

The hope is that the committee would be able to secure long-term funding for the Bike Path Master Plan to begin tackling the routes.

“So the money isn’t pulled,” said committee member Phil Kostelnik.

The city has undertaken various bike-related projects in the last year, including a shared-use pathway along Bald Eagle Drive and a bike-way along the Leland Way corridor connecting to the YMCA.

In addition, the council budgeted $100,000 from the capital improvement fund to the bike path committee’s efforts for the 2006-07 fiscal year, but no additional funds have been set aside.

The Marco Island City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. today at Marco City Hall, 50 Bald Eagle Drive.

For more information visit www.cityofmarco.com.