Thomas
G. Frisbie, City of Gainesville Operations
Manager, wrote the following in
response
to interests expressed in addressing debris in bicycle lanes on roads and
trails. See additional
pertinent
contact information. If you
would
like to read Tom?s full article, read the Gainesville
Sun:
?Now that we have identified an issue, how do we
address
it? Public awareness,
education and
concern are ! key to resolving the problem.
We
need to work to prevent the debris from happening. Neighborhood cleanups and adopt a
street
programs help with basic litter and the City of
Gainesville Solid Waste
Division supervises an inmate crew
that
removes litter from rights-of-way, too.?
The
City
of Gainesville and Alachua
County each have an Adopt-A-Street and
Adopt-A-Road
program, respectively. To sign up with the City, call Joni Rollen at
334-2070. Alachua
County can be reached at
374-5213.
?The
City
Public Works Department sweeps all curbed streets within the City, the
major
roads once a week, collector streets about once a month and residential
streets
every four to six weeks. This
cleans the on-street bike lanes.
The rail trail bikeways are maintained by the City of
Gainesville Parks
Division. The sweeping schedule is
weather,
equipment and personnel dependent.
While there is the benefit of making the roads look better, the
primary
purpose of sweeping is to keep debris and contaminants out of the
stormwater
system. Many residents pitch
in by
cleaning the areas ! around their neighborhoods; this is always
appreciated.
As traffic uses the road, much debris is pushed to
the
curb line, where it impedes travel within on-street bike lanes. Glass, paper, cans and thousands of
cigarette butts line the streets in the City. Leaf fall from our many trees
litters
streets, too. There are also
other
issues with on-street bike lanes such as potholes and other pavement
problems;
these, too, can be serious hazards to a
cyclist.?
Who should you call to report a problem?
It is easiest to call the Operations Division of the Public Works
Department at 334-2161.
Staff will address a hazardous situation as quickly as possible, whether it is on a City, County or
State
road; nuisance or litter issues may be referred to the correct agency
for
scheduling.
When you give us a call at 334-2161, make sure you have a good address and
clearly state the severity of the problem--that is, provide a detailed
explanation of the debris?What? How much? Etc.
334-2161 is a 24 hour service
line. There is someone
answering
the phone M-F, 8 a.m. ? 5 p.m.; at any other time a message
machine will record your report and someone will address the situation
as
soon as possible.
The purpose
of
the following questions is to facilitate the debris reporting process:
1. Would it
be
useful to have a business card with the various contact information,
explanation
of the types of "hazards" that should be reported, etc? (Note: This
business card could be made available at bicycle retail shops and
other
appropriate locations.)
2. What do
you
want reported?
3. What
should be
reported?
Additional
suggestions / comments:
________________
Happy and Safe Riding!
----------------
Kiara Winans
Alachua Co. Bicycle
Alliance
352.335.3959