Here is my 2 cents on the subject.  This is my 2nd meeting on this project.  There has always been a long history of battles between cyclists and motorists.  The famous one is "get off the road" by a motorist.  Quoting James, about 80 local residents present at the meeting and against having a bike lane on 16th/23rd.  The sad FACT is that there were probably less than a dozen GCC members there.  We need to have a stronger showing at the next meeting.  Lets not be disappointed.  Here is your opportunity to voice your concerns and also encourage the needs for bike lanes.

Some of you gonna hate me for saying this, but I hope gas price goes up to $5 and $10 a gallon like some other parts of the world.  My brother was in Poland for an International Piano competition over the Summer, and their gas price is $8/gallon.  Everyone walks!!!!! 

Huan

> Subject: GCCMail: 16th/23rd Update

> Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:07:12 -0500
> To: GCCMail@xxxxxxxxxx
> From: jtexconsult@xxxxxxxxx

>
> Riders,
>
> The public City/County meeting on Wednesday was at once disturbing and
> also uplifting.
>
> On the one hand, the vast majority of local residents (probably about
> 80 present) spoke against bikes being in the roadway at all. By the
> end of the evening, even our pro-bike County Commissioner Mike Byerly
> and cycling activist City Commisioner Randy Wells were conceding major
> ground, agreeing with all county and city commishes that bikes don't
> belong on the road at all. To be fair, some said so in the guise of
> seeking mixed use lanes (which I don't see as viable given the
> residential entries and exits along the corridor, cost, and political
> will), and others did so simply because they don't like bikes in their
> way. We were called "young," "dangerous," and "crazy" on multiple
> occasions, and commissioners and residents relied on anecdote and
> personal experience to make their points. In short, it was probably
> one of the worst nights for Gainesville cycling, politically speaking,
> in my fifteen years in this town. I was ashamed to be a Gainesville
> resident.
>
> On the other hand, there were thirteen GCC folk there that I can
> count, maybe even more, including several Board Members, commuter
> committee folk, and some new faces. Contrary to my disappointment,
> the emails exchanged afterwards were upbeat and forward looking. Five
> GCC folk spoke to the public, making concise and diplomatic points
> that spoke to logic and the heart. Many of the anti-cycling comments
> were in fact made by self-proclaimed "cyclists," so it was refreshing
> to hear us represent those 5,000 people that the U. S. census says use
> the roadways to bike in Gainesville for work and school. I have never
> been more proud to be a GCC member.
>
> My general conclusion is that, like Mike Byerly said, this isn't about
> safety (median reduction being the main issue for car folk), it is
> about allowing cars to move as fast as they like through our streets.
>
> By the way, the only elected official who said we need lanes in the
> street, even if we do mixed use, was Mayor Craig Lowe. We'll be
> helping him educate his elected peers over the next few weeks about
> mixed use, in-lane, and segregated cycling data so they can, I hope,
> back track on what was a terrible evening for vehicular cycling.
>
> More to come, thanks for listening, and thanks for coming out.
>
> Regards,
>
> James Thompson
> Advocacy Director
> Commuter Committee Member
>
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