8th Avenue Up Again
The Gainesville City Commission is poised this Thursday to take a final vote on whether to redesign the remaining segment of NW 8th Avenue from 4 lanes without in-street bike lanes to 3 lanes with in-street bike lanes.
GCAT urges you to let the City Commission know that you support the 3-lane option with in-street bike lanes by emailing the City Commission at citycomm@cityofgainesville.org and, if possible, attend the evening portion of the meeting this Thursday at the City Hall auditorium, 200 E. University Ave., to show your support.
Some background: At their previous meeting the City Commission voted 4-3 to direct the Public Works Department to come back with cost and savings estimates should the following changes be made: (1) reduce the vehicle travel lanes on NW 8th Ave. between NW 23rd Terrace and NW 31st Drive from 4 to 3 lanes and add a 5-foot bike lane on each side of roadway; and (2) reduce the planned northside 10-foot sidewalk to 5 feet in width. (The design would be in essence a mirror image of what already exists on West University Avenue, though the NW 8th Ave. design would have wider bike lanes. There would be two travel lanes eastbound, and one travel lane westbound.)
At this time, the Public Works Department is still fine tuning cost estimates from the engineering and design firms, but it is clear that the proposed changes would mean a total net cost savings likely in the $40,000 to $50,000 range. (Most of this savings would come from the reduced sidewalk width.)
As expressed at previous meetings, safety concerns are a major consideration: The in-street bike lane will include a one-foot buffer between bike lane and travel lanes. Faster-moving commuter cyclists will be able to utilize the in-street bike lanes safely while slower-moving, leisure cyclists can use the 10-foot shared use sidewalk currently under construction on the southside. Note that three crosswalks with pedestrian-activated warning lights are being installed along this stretch of roadway to facilitate safer pedestrian and bicycle crossings.
The in-street bike lane will also provide an extra five-foot buffer for pedestrians, placing them farther away from motorized vehicle traffic. It also provides room for vehicles to pull over to allow EMT vehicles to pass. A narrower sidewalk on the northside will also provide more green space between the sidewalk and curb which can facilitate more space for tombstone markers should the Memorial Mile be implemented next year.