GCCers,

This is a letter of record, so forgive the length.

Last night's meeting of the "16th Ave Advisory Committee" as I'm
calling it, was extremely successful and bodes well for a responsible
repaving of the 16th Ave. corridor.  The County not only desires our
input, it is insisting on it.  The attendees successfully negotiated
between three polite factions.  One group opposed any mixing of bikes
and peds in a mixed use corridor (Option 3, the most expensive plan)
as a regression from Gainesville's historical progress with bike lanes
and a betrayal of known research on wrecks and safety.  A second group
of mostly BPAB representatives wanted the mixed use option (Option 2,
slightly less expensive because of no re-curbing for the bike lane) in
order to encourage younger and newer riders in the neighborhood to
feel safe in an off-street bicycle path.  A third person represented
local residents and automobile commuters, who wanted improved
sidewalks and mixed use, but who counseled that a full bike lane would
dangerously shrink the safety median and turn lanes.  I'm glossing
over some nuances, but those were the initial dividing lines.

The meeting went something like this:

1.  The Project Leader stated the goal of the committee meeting was to
take our proposals and suggestions to the County.  This was not a mere
informational gathering, and I believe our ideas will manifest in real
design changes.  The design aspect of the plan is only 30% complete,
so the County has not finalized anything.  In fact, they await our
input to do so.

2.  After some polite wrangling, the above competing interests stepped
outside the box with an "Option 4" which was not originaly part of the
proposal package.  In lieu of a regulation four foot bike lane, Option
4 accepts a paved gutter and striped shoulder of 3.5 feet.  This is
extremely cost-effective versus the re-curbing necessary for a bike
lane in Option 3, but it keeps bikes away from pedestrians and doesn't
shrink the already tenuous median and turn lanes.  On the
pedestrian/recreational/neighborhood side of things, Option 4
incorporates Option 2 in paving the utility stripe between the
sidewalk and curb to allow greater access to pedestrians, joggers,
children, and slower/younger cyclists who can't ride in the street.

3.  Support for Option 4 appeared unanimous among the 15 attendees, so
the Action Plan is for the Project Leader and Chief Engineer to carry
it to elected County officials for consideration in early August.

While we compromised on a formal bike lane, we will save the County a
lot of money and avoid any factional conflict.  The only difference
between ours and a "real" bike lane will be those little white painted
roadie icons, and about six inches of space.  To further compensate,
we will insist on "Share the Road" and other signage.

Keep in mind we are only an advisory committee with no formal power,
but my impression is that the County wants our stamp of approval
before it does anything.  If they can say they chose a less expensive
option with unanimous support from competing interests in a public
forum, well that's just cake.

Perhaps the only surprise of the evening was discovering how many
cycling advocates (including some GCCers and BPABers) are sidewalk
cyclists.  Despite the proven benefits and safety features of
vehicular cycling, intuition and fear lead many riders towards
pedestrian cycling.  This isn't the fault of cyclists, but rather
points to the need for more education from experienced riders (us) to
the less experienced (the general public and even some current cycling
activists).  The lively (and ultimately resolved) debate of the
evening was structured around this cultural quirk, not any fundamental
distrust or dislike between groups or programs.

Regards,

James T
Advocacy Director
GCC

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