Oh my…what an unholy alliance this will be: cyclists and “all trucks”!  Perhaps a call for a bike lane might have been the better plea…

 

Walt Barry

 

-----Original Message-----
From: T. DeLene Beeland [mailto:delenebe@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 8:00 AM
To: GCCmail@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: GCCMail: Wacahoota Road

 

This guest opinion appeared in the GVille Sun, on Wacahoota Road… including bike safety.  –DeLene

http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/EDITORIALS0101/70212020/-1/editorials

 

“Not enough road to share”

By JUDYTH COREY DAWSON and WILLIAM W. DAWSON

February 12. 2007

When is Alachua County going to do something about Wacahoota Road? It surely has to be the most dangerous road in Alachua County at this point!

Historically, Wacahoota Road was a small horse and wagon path that began off Williston Road. When U.S. 441 was constructed, Wacahoota then became a curvy, hilly, narrow six-mile road with the east end terminating at 441, and the west end terminating at Williston Road. It is, reportedly, the first paved road in Alachua county, with paving being done on the west end approximately 75 years ago.

When this original paving was done, the road bed was not prepared as road beds are today. It was merely graded and paved. There is apparently no stabilizing substrate beneath the pavement. It has been patched and filled many, many times, as areas rise and sink due to the unstable land beneath. It is incredibly bumpy.

Today, Wacahoota Road supports a great deal of traffic. It is also a designated Florida Scenic Highway, which encourages traffic. Large trucks use it as a short cut between Williston Road and 441. Several school busses make their daily runs, transporting students who live along the road. There is construction going on in the area, and heavy trucks come and go throughout the day. Big log-carrying trucks are frequently encountered. There are several residential neighborhoods on Wacahoota Road, and the locals use the road in their daily comings and goings. More neighborhoods are being built, and traffic is increasing.

The problem is that Wacahoota Road is still a little narrow wagon path. A school bus will take up its lane and approximately 20 percent of the opposing lane. The same with a large tow truck, garbage truck, or construction truck. If one is driving and approaching an on-coming truck, both vehicles must carefully run off the road, in order to avoid collision. This gets quite tricky, as there is a very soft, narrow shoulder, with drainage ditches on either side of the road. Two automobiles, or small trucks have difficulty meeting and passing on the road. It is truly that narrow.

Now, add to the equation the fact that large groups of avid bicyclists routinely use this road in their daily rides. There are signs along Wacahoota Road, advising motorists to "share the road" with bicyclists. There is absolutely no road to "share!" Many times, I have rounded a curve, or come up over a hill on Wacahoota Road, and encountered a group of bicyclists equidistant between me and an on-coming school bus.

It is sheer terror when this happens. The only choice one has is to run off the road - rapidly! Our vehicles have the most frequent rate of front-end realignment in the state, I'm sure.

There will be a disaster on that road some day. The road is too narrow, with hills and curves blocking the view. Some driver is not going to anticipate the possibility of bicyclists and will plow into a group of them.

If the county can not find the money to properly adjust the size and pave Wacahoota Road in accordance with current roadway codes, two steps should be taken to ensure safety of people who have to use the road on a regular basis. 1. All trucks using the road to cut over between Williston Road and U.S. Hwy. 441 should be banned. 2. Bicyclists should be banned.

This is not a matter of bicyclists' "rights," it is a matter of common sense and safety. Again, there is not enough road to share. It is dangerous.

We residents of the area are sincerely hoping that the county can find the funds to improve this road before a disaster happens. It is only a matter of time.