Happenings This Weekend

Here are few bike related things to fill your weekend:

Saturday:

10 am to 4 pm
Community First Saturdays
Free Bike Valet along with,

We have started our WJCT sponsorships which have been running nonstop during drive time. This along with the value adds from Community First robust marketing efforts, we have really heated up the marketing of the event. Plus we are giving away a bike this time. Should be fun.

·         Our Tai Chi kicks us off again but at 10am – get set up early so you can participate!

·         Bike Tour (Springfield) departs at 10:30

·         Zumba at 11am

·         Spin Class Noon to 2

·         Santa Noon to 2

·         Void Magazine Bike Fixed Gear Bike Demo at 2

·         Art and Craft Activities for the kiddos all day in the Community First area

·         The Jax Zoo and Jax Symphony reps will be on hand as well as many of our repeat friends

Sunday:

11am to 5pm

ZenCog's Bike Swap

Basically, I am inviting all of you bike fanatics, shade tree mechanics, and anyone who wants to come to bring all of your old parts and try to sell or swap them. Bring a table,tent or whatever you want. I will not be charging table or space rental, instead I would like donations made to JAX RECYCLE (http://www.jaxrecycle.org/). JAX RECYCLE will be also doing a bike repair day that day. Lets have fun, get rid of you unneeded bike parts, and help out a non profit. we will have some refreshments(free beer) and the store will be open all day.

Things You Can Do With a Bike.

A couple really nice short films.


thiNgS YoU cAn Do wItH a biKe from Daniel Bolda on Vimeo.

Bicycle Sounds

Winner of Bike Short Film Festival Spring 2012 in NYC

Bicycle Sounds from Stephen Meierding on Vimeo.

I95 Overland Bridge Project Planned... with no bike facilities

If you live near the urban core of Jacksonville and drive an automobile, you likely know that the highways near downtown are pretty much a mess to navigate through. Although things are much better for automotive traffic in this area than it was when I was a kid (when I95 crossed the St. Johns River with a draw bridge), the area where I95 floats above the Southbank is just a mess, at best. Finally, this part of I95 is getting a facelift, which is great for motorists. What does all of this have to do with bicycles? It appears that bicycle connectivity was not thought of at all when re-designing the in-town roads underneath the highway.

As always, Ennis Davis of Metro Jacksonville breaks the project down in an easy to digest manner here. Bottom line is this: travel by bicycle should have been considered in these plans, but was not.

The Overland Bridge Project is expected to fix highway issues in this particular area on the Southbank for the next 50 years or so (according to an engineer I spoke with at a BPAC meeting last week), and if we want bicycles to be included in the plans, the time to act is now because there may not be the physical room to add bike lanes later on. This area is a major artery between a few different parts of town, and to ignore bicycle needs in this area would be a great disservice to the bicycling community.

Here's how you can help: 

Please take a moment of your time to write to the project manager of the Overland Bridge project and let him know that you want bicycling infrastructure included in his plans. Encourage your friends or anyone else who gives a damn, to write in as well. Deadline for comments is Friday, November 9, 2012. All interested persons are encouraged to contact or send an email to Craig Teal, P.E. at the Florida Department of Transportation.

Craig Teal, P.E., Project Manager
Florida Department of Transportation
1109 s Marion Avenue, MS 2002
Lake City, Fl 32025-5874
(386) 961.7703 or (800)749.2967
[email protected]