Bike plan needs your input

Historic City News readers are being asked to participate in a study to develop a network of bicycle routes and an accompanying way finding system within the City of St. Augustine.

Sponsored by the North Florida TPO, the St. Augustine Bike Plan study will help identify popular destinations, preferred routes and obstructions to bicycling within and around the City.

Two public sessions held in late January garnered input which will be consolidated into a single map to aid the route identification process.

The TPO still seeks input from the public related to the following questions:

• Which routes do people currently ride and find well suited for biking?
• Where do people encounter obstructions to bicycling?
• Which destinations should be included in a wayfinding system?

The next step will be to develop a draft route network and destination list, followed by field reviews of the routes to verify their suitability and to identify any potential modifications that will make the routes more accommodating to bicycle travel.

Potential modifications may range from fixing potholes or adjusting drainage grates to recommending bike lanes where space is available and where justified by traffic conditions.

Public input will guide the route identification process and will be received until March 15.

When the study is completed it will include several recommendations: bike routes that could be signed throughout the city of St. Augustine; countermeasures based on analysis of past bicycle crashes; and locations for improved bicycle parking.

Project information and response materials are available on the North Florida TPO website: www.northfloridatpo.com or contact Elizabeth DeJesus, commuter services manager, 904-306-7505

The North Florida TPO handles a wide range of initiatives and projects that include the long range transportation plan; a Transportation Improvement Program; Commuter Services/car and vanpool program; freight mobility and congestion management studies; coalitions for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Clean Cities; forums on integrating land use and transportation, public private partnerships, global trade and transportation, to name a few. The TPO is governed by a 15-member board of elected officials and transportation agency representatives.