(Through no fault of the MTPO or Renaissance Planning Group–the
outside consulting firm on this project–I found out literally five
minutes beforehand about this meeting, so forgive my not inviting you
all.)

The group met downtown at the GRU building, was given an overview of
the suggested improvements that consultants, the public, and various
planning and policy agencies (such as the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory
Board) have come up with.  The most relevant?  In my opinion they
are–

1.  Redevelopment/modernization of a motorized transportation “spine”
from Waldo Rd./Airport through Midtown, along Archer Road towards 34th
Street, and back up along a Northwest Route towards Santa Fe.  Think
of a boomerang with its right tip at the Airport, left tip at Santa Fe
and its leading edge at Archer and 34th.  This is the “most bang for
your buck” corridor in traffic problems solved per dollar spent.
Taking cars out of the “mix” at the midtown/dowtown core and putting
them along this spine frees up space for multimodal transportation
where we need it, thus “killing two cars with one bike” (if I may).

2.  Multimodal (car, trolley, bike, pedestrian) redevelopment of the
“cultural/economic core” (my words) along University Ave from West
Gainesville to the East Side (E-W axis), and all along West 13th
Street (N-S axis).  Again, this is possible and affordable because of
the “spine” deflecting core automobile and truck traffic away from the
new multimodal lanes.

3.  Expanding the web or “braid” (MTPO’s word) of ridable side streets
and thruways to connect extant bike lanes, bus lines, and ped-friendly
streets.  The maps as shown at the meeting formalize, or will improve
by replacing, a lot of “back street” thruways that I and other
commuters currently use.  Think of the Second Ave. corridor, recently
described in my BikeGainesville post at
http://www.bikegainesville.org/index.php/examples/articles/taking-it-through-the-streets/

What I like about these and other MTPO plans are:

1.  An understanding that “roadway” funds, the majority of earmarked
state and county monies, are best utilized to retool in a multimodal
fashion, not to just widen streets or add bike lanes.  As an example,
the only pure “widening” projects are on the periphery of the
Gainesville Urban Area–few auto-only improvements exist in the whole
plan.

2.  The planning process is open, almost uncomfortably so.  I
literally walked in off the street and immediately felt at home with
people entrenched in the process (not to be confused with the 23rd Ave
bike lane project that club members are involved in, a mere drop in
the ocean of the MTPO master plan).  The consulting group and local
government are all ears on anything we have to offer.  We have no
excuse if this one goes a way we don’t like!

My dislikes included:

1.  Bicycles and pedestrians get lumped together in the language and
planning concepts.  Mrs. Carver convinced me that this was a language
problem more than a part of the plan, but I think we have some
concrete multimodal hurdles to jump over as the MTPO evolves and work
gets under way.  The brass tacks are that bike commuters are part of
the vehicular traffic, but outside the airy quarters of committee
meetings, they continue to be built into the pedestrian environment
(“ridable” sidewalks are a dangerous and prevalent example).  How we
go about parsing ourselves from pedestrians while maintaining their
political alliance (if in fact we have it) may be something the
Commuter Group can hash out.

2.  The MTPO is not overtly concerned with education, multi-modal
acculturation, and marketing.  I’m not talking about “selling” the
plan to the public, which is a cynical concept.  I’m talking about
creating real mechanisms for helping drivers, trolley riders,
cyclists, and pedestrians talk to each other about the inevitable
power shifts in their relationship as the environment and economy
force us out of our cars.  It is the Great White Elephant sneering
down at all those pretty maps and color-coded dreams of the future.
Is this “good” propaganda effort a task for devoted Commuter Group
members?  Something to think about.

Keep in mind these are aspects of the plan I brought to the foreground
based on my perception of GCC interests.  The plan in whole is at
http://ncfrpc.org/mtpo/index.html.  I spoke at length after the
meeting with Jennifer Carver, Senior Planner and Project Manager for
Renaissance Planning Group.  I am impressed with her and her
colleagues’ grasp of advanced vehicular cycling concepts and how they
related to planning.  The consultants are actually riding our streets
on their bikes to get the lay of the land.  Pretty cool stuff.

-James Thompson
Advocacy Director GCC
Co-Founder Bike Gainesville

The mission of Bike Gainesville is to promote cycling as both a means of transportation and a sport in the greater Gainesville area. We are working to make available to the community as much cycling information as possible in order to put more people on their bicycles. Our local government, businesses, and cycling organizations are working to improve the area for bicyclists. Bike Gainesville is committed to expanding the reach, visibility, and dialogue among these groups.

To see the full ByLaws visit http://www.bikegainesville.org/index.php/examples/links/

“Wear weather-appropriate clothing.  There are few days out of the year in Florida when you need more than a jacket, headscarf, and gloves to commute.  Keep a change of clothes at the office if you must dress formally for work.  In Gainesville, rain gear isn’t usually necessary except for the rainy season around February.  Plan your day around our regular afternoon showers in the summer and fall.  Most workplaces don’t mind if your late from the rain, just know what is expected of you and plan take a bus on the few days you can’t beat Mama Nature.

Get over your fear of sweat. Exercise perspiration usually does not smell bad, and it dries quickly in an air-conditioned environment.  Commuting isn’t racing, and you don’t need to work up a sweat to get where you are going.

Shop intelligently. The slow-food movement emphasizes fresh ingredients produced locally or nearby.  Usually this means buying smaller amounts of food with more trips to the fresh market.  Cycling is ideally suited to this type of shopping.  If you don’t have saddle bags or a trailer, plan your rides home from work through a nearby shopping location so you can carry smaller amounts in a backpack.”

For the full article go here: http://www.bikegainesville.org/index.php?cID=99

The Gainesville Sun just ran an article on the City’s vision for a new University Avenue and also an update on the stalled University Corner development.

As part of that eye toward supporting redevelopment efforts like University Corners, commissioners, private developers and even UF are looking at ways to make University Avenue a multi-modal transportation corridor.

It could come complete with large sidewalks, bike lanes and some type of rapid mass-transit.

“It’s kind of easy to envision the outcome of this but it’s sort of harder to envision how we get to this,” Commissioner Lauren Poe said.

It’s an interesting read. For full article go here: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090915/ARTICLES/909151009/1002/news?Title=University-Ave–may-mirror-Main-St–with-fewer-lanes

The new look for Main Street

The city of Gainesville has posted on their website a brief overview and image of what Main Street will look like after reconstruction. Construction has already begun on the section from University Avenue to North 8th Avenue and the sections from Depot Avenue to University will begin next year. The new design will bring the four lane road to two lanes with a center turn lane, bike lanes, parking, and wider sidewalks. For more information go to: http://www.cityofgainesville.org/GOVERNMENT/CityDepartmentsNZ/PublicWorks/tabid/271/Default.aspx

“In order to be safe on the road, a cyclist has to be attentive and assertive.  Being attentive includes using your ears to understand what is going on behind you, looking into the eyes of drivers to discern their intentions, and using your voice, bell, horn, and body to communicate with other roadway users.  Being assertive means “owning” or “taking” the space that you need, negotiating with traffic as an equal, and using your position and body language to help automobiles understand your right to be on the road.  “I am cyclist, hear me ROAR!!!” isn’t just about arrogance, or making people feel bad because they are in cars, it is about safety and survival, and getting where you want to go FAST!.”

For the full article go to http://www.bikegainesville.org/index.php/examples/articles/vehicular_cycling/