Comments on Bike Jax: I95 Overland Bridge Project Planned... with no bik...

Thank you Koula that is much appreciated :) Honest...

2012-11-09T13:32:56.172-05:00

Thank you Koula that is much appreciated :) Honestly I wish I could get legistlation passed that said for every 2 lanes of right of way an additional lane must be added to accomodate bicycles and foot traffic.

As long as there are bike lanes in the mobility pl...

2012-11-07T11:39:12.935-05:00

As long as there are bike lanes in the mobility plan that are not included in the design for the I-95 Overland Bridge, it's not really up to FDOT to decide whether or not to include bike lanes in this project. As I read the pertinent Florida statute, FDOT would have to provide some evidence that they have investigated bike lanes and that the additional costs are not justified. The pertinent statute is FS 335.065

Thanks JohnnyK! Here's a sample letter: Greet...

2012-11-07T10:59:42.444-05:00

Thanks JohnnyK! Here's a sample letter:

Greetings Mr. Teal,

The current plans for the Overland Bridge Project do not appear to involve the installation of any sort of bicycle access on the roads underneath the Bridge. This is a heavily bicycled area and bike facilities are a must in order to ensure safe passage through this area, which is a major connecting point between different parts of Jacksonville.

The cycling community of Jacksonville is a huge one and is made up of all types of people, many of whom rely on bicycles exclusively for their transportation to work, errands, etc. I urge you to please incorporate bike infrastructure in each new road or maintenance project to maintain connectivity and raise the bar in safety.

Thank you,
_________

Re: the politics behind inclusion/omission of bike facilities: Designers are supposed to consider bicycles in infrastructure decisions, as you stated...but from what I understand from a pro-bike road designer, incorporating bicycles sometimes means pushing limits of what designers are allowed to do. Some designers are willing to push the envelope, but most (especially in FL) are not. So, they "consider" bicycles, but then deem that the road is not wide enough according to their guideline book (or whatever the problem is), and the designer often just stops there, and doesn't look for workarounds.

I sent my email to Mr. Teal, however I think it wo...

2012-11-07T08:18:17.802-05:00

I sent my email to Mr. Teal, however I think it would be good to post a sample of what to email Mr. Teal. For those of us that are not as close to the project as you are. I do ride these roads however I don't fully understand the politics behind this project so it makes it kind of seem like we are begging Mr. Teal to include bicycle facilities in his grand plan. When I thought that the State of Florida is supposed to consider bicycles in all infrastructure decisions due to the whole complete streets thing?